Latino men and women are a dynamic and rapidly growing segment of the U.S. work force. They also suffer a disproportionately high prevalence of job-related injuries, illnesses and deaths. They are more likely to be employed than non-Latino workers in riskier blue-collar and service occupations. Furthermore, data show that racial and ethnic minorities suffer disproportionately more fatal and non-fatal work-related injuries and illnesses. Even though private industry injury and illness rates as a whole dropped 35 percent between 1992 and 2001, fatalities among Latino workers increased 67 percent during the same period.

NIOSH is taking steps to identify the risks that the Latino working population faces on the job, communicate with them in a meaningful way and deliver practical, evidence-based information that they, their employers and occupational health and safety professionals can use to prevent work-related injuries and illnesses

NIOSH makes many of its communication products and services available in Spanish.

A "NIOSH en español" Web page provides a tailored location where a wide range of information is posted in Spanish, plus Spanish language access to NIOSH’s databases. In addition, NIOSH has implemented an automated answering service in Spanish on the NIOSH toll-free information number (1-800-35-NIOSH).

In July, NIOSH released three new communication products that are available in both English and Spanish:

• Asthma Among Household Youth on Hispanic Farm Operations - Asma entre los jóvenes que residen en granjas operadas por hispanos,
• Injuries to Youth on Hispanic Farm Operations - Lesiones a jóvenes en granjas operadas por hispanos,
• and a video on the Aggregate Training for the Safety Impaired.

Additionally, NIOSH provides funding for university-based research, assistance, training and education to address health and safety concerns for Latino employees in agriculture and to develop useful and appropriate educational materials for the Latino population as a whole.