Highly Educated Immigrant Workers’ Perspectives of Occupational Health and Safety and Work Conditions That Challenge Work Safety

Abstract

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.

“It's Just a Checklist”

“…High-quality and accessible training that is tailored to NIWs' needs and abilities has the potential to mitigate the personal barriers (eg, language and immigration status) identified in this study. 25 However, this study illustrates the poor accessibility and quality of OH&S training for NIWs in Alberta. In this study, the capitalist nature of the Canadian economy and the workplace culture were identified as contextual factors that influence OH&S training's accessibility and quality.…”

“…NIWs experience a number of personal barriers to exercising their OH&S rights, which are exacerbated by the systems and workplace culture that create unbalanced power dynamics. High-quality and accessible training that is tailored to NIWs' needs and abilities has the potential to mitigate the personal barriers (eg, language and immigration status) identified in this study 25 . However, this study illustrates the poor accessibility and quality of OH&S training for NIWs in Alberta.…”

“On the books” yet “off the record”-occupational injury and migrant women: scoping review findings from OECD countries, with implications for New Zealand

“…PPE equipment was not provided ( 20 , 23 ) or needed to be purchased “out of pocket” in the case of migrant women hotel housekeepers ( 75 ) and there were reports of a lack of workplace ergonomic adaptation for women ( 23 ). Shankar et al ( 83 ) report that when OSH training did occur, workplace bullying, and harassment were not recognized as WRIs.…”

“…Regarding working conditions, as women, migrant workers reportedly faced increased risk of workplace harassment and sexual harassment, including from supervisors ( 20 , 21 , 83 ) along with discrimination and dismissal due to pregnancy ( 20 ). These risks occurred alongside the reported lack of OSH acknowledgement of bullying and harassment as WRIs ( 83 ) as outlined.…”

“…Regarding working conditions, as women, migrant workers reportedly faced increased risk of workplace harassment and sexual harassment, including from supervisors ( 20 , 21 , 83 ) along with discrimination and dismissal due to pregnancy ( 20 ). These risks occurred alongside the reported lack of OSH acknowledgement of bullying and harassment as WRIs ( 83 ) as outlined. Further, in roles as primary caregivers of children, undocumented migrant women workers faced additional work-related stress surrounding potential immigration enforcement, including inability to arrange childcare if detained ( 21 ).…”