Health and safety education for workers with low-literacy or limited-english skills
Version of Record online: 19 JAN 2007
Copyright © 1992 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company
American Journal of Industrial Medicine
Volume 22, Issue 5, pages 751–765, 1992
How to Cite
Wallerstein, N. (1992), Health and safety education for workers with low-literacy or limited-english skills. Am. J. Ind. Med., 22: 751–765. doi: 10.1002/ajim.4700220513
- Issue online: 19 JAN 2007
- Version of Record online: 19 JAN 2007
- Manuscript Accepted: 23 MAR 1992
- English as a Second Language (ESL);
- occupational health and safety training;
- worker education;
- empowerment education
Low literacy and limited English proficiency have become a growing concern for health and safety educators. With one-fifth of the workforce reading below an eighth-grade level and possibly another tenth having limited English skills, health and safety educators and unions have increasingly become aware that current training programs often surpass the language and literacy abilities of workers being trained.
This article describes the dilemmas facing health and safety professionals in incorporating knowledge about language and literacy skill levels. It documents creative strategies and new programs, largely based on participatory and popular education approaches, to provide training that simultaneously matches worker needs and leads to worker empowerment.