How Supporting English Learning Improves Safety and Business Outcomes

This page explains why local employers should support the Portage County Literacy Council in Stevens Point, WI. Investing in English language learning for non-English-speaking employees reduces safety risk, lowers costs, and strengthens the local workforce.

Fewer Injuries and Fatalities

Immigrant workers face a fatality rate nearly 50% higher than other workers, largely due to language barriers. Improving language access and communication reduces misunderstanding of hazards and procedures, lowering injury and fatality risk.

Source: NIOSH – Safety & the Diverse Workforce

Lower Costs and Improved Productivity

Workplace injuries cost U.S. businesses billions annually; reducing language barriers directly lowers these costs. Fewer accidents mean savings on workers’ compensation, reduced downtime, and fewer productivity losses. Better communication improves task accuracy and throughput.

Source: NIOSH – Economic Burden of Injuries

Stronger Compliance and Lower Legal Risk

OSHA requires safety training to be understandable to all employees, making language access a legal necessity. Training and safety information that employees actually understand reduces the chance of OSHA citations and demonstrates employer due diligence.

Source: OSHA Spanish Training Resources

Demonstrable Impact from Native-Language Training

Evaluations show that safety awareness and use of protective measures increase dramatically when training is provided in workers’ native languages. After receiving safety training in their native language, workers’ understanding of Safety Data Sheets (SDS) jumped from 2% to 93%.

Sources: CDC NIOSH Blog, CPWR – Training Research

Why Support the Portage County Literacy Council?

Supporting the Portage County Literacy Council helps local businesses by:

Reducing workplace risk through improved worker comprehension of safety practices.
Building a more reliable, skilled local labor pool—helpful for hiring and retention.
Demonstrating corporate responsibility and strengthening community relationships.
Generating measurable returns via lower injury-related costs and improved productivity.
Tax-Deductible Contributions: The Portage County Literacy Council is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Contributions are tax-deductible.

Customized Support for Your Business

We are available to help you address your business-specific needs by incorporating information and themes tailored to your company into our English games section. This personalized approach helps your employees learn language skills directly relevant to their daily work while, at the same time, having some fun.

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Businesses that contribute are recognized at four levels:

Partners – $5,000 and above

Partners make a leading investment in workforce literacy and safety. Partners receive:
Largest logo placement with link on pocolit.org
Verbal recognition and logo display at our annual Words & Friends event
Opportunity for a feature highlight (web or social)
A fully customized online English practice section using your workplace vocabulary and scenarios, with:
Sole lead branding (logo and messaging)
Companion materials (printable vocabulary sheets, quick‑reference cards, or simple posters) that reinforce online learning and can be used in the workplace
Option for community‑wide or employees‑only access
Optional progress tracking so you can see engagement over time

Funders – $2,500 to $4,999

Funders provide strong, ongoing support for adult learners and local employers. Funders receive:
Medium logo placement with link on pocolit.org
Name recognition at Words & Friends
Inclusion in periodic supporter thank‑you messages
A branded subsection in our online games area with 1–2 custom game sets using your job‑specific vocabulary and common workplace situations, with:
Companion materials (printable vocabulary lists or quick‑reference cards) that support the online activities
Option for community or employees‑only access

Supporters – $1,000 to $2,499

Supporters help ensure that key services remain available at no cost to adult learners. Supporters receive:
Small logo or name listing with link on pocolit.org
Group recognition at Words & Friends
Inclusion in a shared “Workplace English” games area, with the opportunity to contribute job‑specific vocabulary that we weave into existing activities

Donors – $250 to $999

Donors provide essential support for our day‑to‑day literacy work. Donors receive:
Name listing on pocolit.org under Donors
Group recognition in Words & Friends event materials

For more information email: pclc@pocolit.org • or call at 715-321-6075