AP's Mexican Worker Death Probe Elicits Concern, Call for Better Enforcement of Safety laws
Mexican government officials expressed concern, and California's Sen. Barbara Boxer called for better enforcement of workplace safety laws following an Associated Press investigation showing Mexican workers in the United States are more likely than Americans to die from on-the-job accidents.
The death rates for Mexicans have risen even though the U.S. workplace overall has never been safer, the AP found. In the Southeast, a Mexican worker is four times more likely to die on the job than a U.S.-born worker.
Among the main reasons: Mexicans are less likely to receive job training or safety equipment.
"The findings of the report are very specific, are very worrying to us," said Miguel Monterrubio, spokesman for the Mexican embassy in Washington.
Boxer asked Labor Secretary Elaine Chao to enforce workplace safety standards more rigorously, and urged her to seek more funding for outreach.
"Clearly these worker safety laws are not being enforced at a time when people are literally dying from hazardous working conditions," the Democrat wrote Chao on Tuesday.
Government officials say the deaths are almost always preventable, but the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is constrained by funding and few Spanish-speaking inspectors.
"We care deeply about the unique challenges facing Mexican workers in the United States," OSHA head John Henshaw said in a statement. OSHA's outreach efforts include Spanish-language safety materials, a Spanish-language Web site, partnerships with Mexican consulates, and safety training.
"It should be a major priority, especially when people are losing their lives," Texas Democratic Rep. Ciro Rodriguez, chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said of immigrant workers' safety.
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