The second study, led by McGlothlin, was a continuation of the first study, looking specifically at Hispanic construction workers, who have a disproportionate number of fatal accidents on construction sites. The survey looked at workers' perceptions of construction safety, their experience with safety training and their familiarity with construction terms. The survey was conducted in Louisiana in the summer and fall of 2007 among workers who were helping to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina.
That study found that even fewer workers in this population understood the kind of terms that confused the Purdue students. Fewer than 20 percent of Hispanic workers understood any of the terms used in OSHA training, and some terms were understood by only 3 percent, the researchers said.
Hubbard and McGlothlin said a possible solution would be use of visuals during training, including pictures to illustrate construction-specific words.
"We shouldn't eliminate the acronyms and jargon from the training because these are terms workers will need to know, but what we can do is associate visual elements with these words so they are familiar with the terms and what they mean," McGlothlin said.
For more information about the study, log on to http://news.uns.purdue.edu/x/2008b/081021HubbardSafety.html
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