TY - JOUR
T1 - Highly Educated Immigrant Workers' Perspectives of Occupational Health and Safety and Work Conditions That Challenge Work Safety
AU - Shankar, Janki
AU - Lai, Daniel
AU - Chen, Shu-Ping
AU - Turin, Tanvir C
AU - Joseph, Shawn
AU - Mi, Ellen
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Canada; grant number 435-2016-0727
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 by the authors.
PY - 2022/7/19
Y1 - 2022/7/19
N2 - This study explored the perspectives of new immigrant workers regarding occupational health and safety and workplace conditions that increase workers' vulnerability to sustaining injury or illness. Using an interpretive research approach and semi-structured qualitative interviews, 42 new immigrant workers from a range of industries operating in two cities in a province in Canada were interviewed. Seventy-nine percent of the workers were highly qualified. A constant comparative approach was used to identify key themes across the workers' experiences. The findings revealed that new immigrant workers have an incomplete understanding of occupational health and safety. In many workplaces, poor job training, little worker support, lack of power in the workplace, and a poor workplace safety culture make it difficult for workers to acquire occupational health and safety information and to implement safe work practices. This study proposes workplace policies and practices that will improve worker occupational health and safety awareness and make workplaces safer for new immigrant workers.
AB - This study explored the perspectives of new immigrant workers regarding occupational health and safety and workplace conditions that increase workers' vulnerability to sustaining injury or illness. Using an interpretive research approach and semi-structured qualitative interviews, 42 new immigrant workers from a range of industries operating in two cities in a province in Canada were interviewed. Seventy-nine percent of the workers were highly qualified. A constant comparative approach was used to identify key themes across the workers' experiences. The findings revealed that new immigrant workers have an incomplete understanding of occupational health and safety. In many workplaces, poor job training, little worker support, lack of power in the workplace, and a poor workplace safety culture make it difficult for workers to acquire occupational health and safety information and to implement safe work practices. This study proposes workplace policies and practices that will improve worker occupational health and safety awareness and make workplaces safer for new immigrant workers.
KW - practice
KW - workplace challenges
KW - highly qualified
KW - new immigrant workers
KW - occupational health and safety
KW - policy
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85135132341&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/ijerph19148757
DO - 10.3390/ijerph19148757
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 35886609
SN - 1661-7827
VL - 19
JO - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
JF - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
IS - 14
M1 - 8757
ER -