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abes1988  
#1 Posted : 28 May 2019 15:33:59(UTC)
Rank: New forum user
abes1988

Hi,

I am the health and safety advsior for a motorsport comany and we are holding the world superbikes race event next month. Due to majority of the teams being eurpoean - portugese, spanish, russian etc. relaying clear and simple safety messages can be tricky. Paddock safety is of utmost important and can be difficult to maintain (even with english speaking teams).

Simple rules such as adhering to speed limits, PPE requirements and using harnesses when working at height need to be relayed clearly and quickly.

Has anybody any previous experience of overcoming language barriers? If so, any useful tips you may be willing to share???

All teams are provided with a site safety sheet with some basic translations and lots of signage. The problem is dealing with those who choose to ignore them (or those who don't understand them) on the ground during paddock safety inspections.

Can any one offer any fresh ideas that I could try out??

Thanks

Joe

chris.packham  
#2 Posted : 28 May 2019 16:28:16(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
chris.packham

Many years ago, when I took part in a tall ships race from Plymouth to Lisbon, on our arrival each ship was allocated an interpreter who spoke that team's language as well as Portuguese. (The fact that ours spoke French and the French ship's German was apparently an accident!) If I recollect correctly these were volunteers, not professional interpreters, although they were being paid. You could try a similar approach with some basic pre-event training.

thanks 1 user thanked chris.packham for this useful post.
abes1988 on 28/05/2019(UTC)
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