By Khalida Sarwari
The Mexican Consulate in San Jose today announced a new program to train Mexican immigrant grocery store workers in Santa Clara County on health and safety issues in the workplace.
The purpose of the Health Education and Leadership program, or HEAL, is to make supermarkets in the county safer for Mexican employees who have little or no English language proficiency.
Workers will undergo training on their rights and what to do when those rights are violated, said Ron Lind, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 5.
“We’re teaching workers about health and safety and also how to go and teach their co-workers about those issues, and to build an ongoing culture around a safe and healthy workforce,” Lind said at a news conference at the Consulate of Mexico in San Jose this morning.
There are hazards unique to the grocery store industry, from exposure to chemicals and extreme cold temperatures, to heavy lifting and injuries from repetitive motion activities and using tools such as saws and knives, Lind said.
The program will give workers knowledge about safe practices and how to avoid injuries and illnesses.
The pilot program is being offered by Working Partnerships USA, the United Food and Commercial Workers, and the labor occupational health program at the University of California at Berkeley with a $20,000 grant from the U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration.
The goal, Lind said, is to eventually expand beyond Santa Clara County and California and offer the program to workers in other industries, such as those in the meatpacking and construction fields.
The program is free and open to any Spanish-speaking grocery store worker who resides in Santa Clara County.
About 30 people have signed up for the first class, which will kick off at 9 a.m. on Thursday at the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 5, located at 240 South Market St.
For more information about the program or to apply, call Jamie Chen at Working Partnerships USA at (408) 269-7872, ext. 587.
