Immigrants face injury risk

A new study from the AFL-CIO titled “Immigrant Workers at Risk” says that worker fatalities among immigrant laborers increased 46 percent between 1992 and 2002.
That’s an alarming number, since the percentage of workers who are foreign born grew by only about 22 percent. Among Hispanic laborers, America’s largest non-native population, fatalities increased 58 percent.

In Telluride, it holds true that immigrants face a disproportionate risk of injury. Beth Kuperman at the Telluride Medical Center looked at the numbers. Of all the work-related injuries that come through the office, about 25 percent are immigrants, she said. Roughly 10 percent of the med center’s total client population are immigrants, and they make up perhaps 15 percent of the Telluride community.”*

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