Current topic:
Latino Workplace Safety
Lack of Background Screening Adds to Dangers for Latino Workers
March 2008
The Chicago Tribune released an online article this week detailing the lack of workplace safety for undocumented immigrant workers. Sadly, a lack of background screening procedures for these workers only compounds the situation, endangering employees and employers alike.
According to the article, as Latinos have flooded into the U.S., their fatality rates in construction have steadily exceeded those of non-Hispanic workers. Frequently they are hired off street corners for lower-paying, more dangerous construction jobs, and when injured they tend to "hunker down in the shadows" for fear of being caught.
Such working conditions are exacerbated by the lack of background screening applied to construction as a whole, and to undocumented immigrants in particular. Workplace safety is critically reliant on such screenings, an important point in light of the fact that in some states the number of Latinos killed in construction has doubled since 2003.
Criminal records checks are an important facet of workplace safety, as are resume checks and DMV records, but it's employee drug testing that saves lives and minimizes the greatest dangers on the job.
Roughly 73% of all drug users are employed, and those who abuse drugs on the job are 3 times more likely to hurt themselves or others while working. In dangerous fields like construction, those injuries can be devastating.
By not being subject to background screening, undocumented immigrants are more likely to suffer injuries while working. Their illegal status also keeps them from reporting those accidents, leaving them in a doubly compromised situation.
All of which explains why background screening protocols should be applied to all workers, regardless of their status as legal or illegal immigrants. By protecting the workplace from inappropriate behavior on the job, employers will also protect their employees from avoidable accidents at work.
Call EBI to discuss background screening for your firm through a custom program to suit your company's needs.
Our thorough background screening programs can make the difference in helping ensure you're candidates are who
they say they are
Criminal records searches. Random drug testing. Reference checks. Everything for a comprehensive picture of your prospective employees.
Call us at 800.324.7700 for details.
|
|
|
