by Amy Liebman and Peter Dooley

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will hold a National Action Summit for Latino Worker Health and Safety / Cumbre de Acción Nacional para la Salud y Seguridad del Trabajador Latino, April 14-15 at the Hilton Americas Hotel in Houston. The conference is co-sponsored by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

The conference will bring together workers and representatives from employer associations, labor unions, the faith community, community organizations, the medical community, safety and health professionals, educators, government officials, consulates, the entertainment community and other non-traditional partners.

Construction will be the primary industry targeted. Latino immigrant workers comprise almost one quarter of the construction industry work force and suffer the highest rate of construction-related deaths. The conference will also target other high-risk industries that employ large numbers of Latino workers.

"Far too many Latino workers have needlessly lost their lives just trying to earn a living and it must stop," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA David Michaels. "At the summit, we will shine a spotlight on the hazards and challenges faced by this vulnerable sector of the nation's work force so that we can begin crafting new, badly needed strategies to prevent thousands of injuries and deaths every year."

The conference will also showcase innovative partnerships, demonstrate successful education and training strategies, and develop effective enforcement and communication strategies. There will be more information, including registration information, in the next few weeks at <www.osha.gov>.  In the meantime, please save the date.