Exploring fundamental causes of safety challenges faced by Hispanic construction workers in the US using photovoice

Abstract

The US construction industry has long been responsible for a high injury and fatality rate. Within this dangerous industry, Hispanic workers are 45% more likely to be injured or killed than their non-Hispanic counterparts. Previous researchers have examined reasons for these disproportionate injury rates but past literature is spurious, fragmented, and incomplete. To address these limitations an in-depth study was launched to explore the perceived challenges that impact the safety of Hispanic construction workers. The primary data collection method was Photovoice, a photograph-based interview process that allows each participant to be the generator of their own data. The results of Photovoice interviews with 17 Hispanic workers in Colorado indicate that, compared with non-Hispanic workers, Hispanic workers perceive that they are: (1) susceptible to an internal pressure to complete work quickly and neglect safety based on their experiences in their home country; (2) assigned more dangerous tasks because of racism and discrimination; (3) more willing to accept dangerous work for fear of losing their jobs and ability to support extended family; (4) less likely to provide feedback to their supervisors and co-workers for fear of negative personal reactions; (5) more likely to be distracted by family issues while at work because of their strong and broad family ties; (6) more likely to ignore criticism because of machismo; (7) more likely to underreport injuries for fear of losing their jobs; and (8) less likely to ask for safety assistance when it is needed because of pride.