Work‐related injury burden, workers' compensation claim filing, and barriers: Results from a statewide survey of janitors

Abstract

Background: Janitors are a low-wage, ethnically and linguistically diverse, hard-toreach population of workers with a high burden of occupational injury and illness.Methods: Data from an extensive multimodal (mail, phone, web) survey of janitors in Washington State were analyzed to characterize their working conditions and occupational health experiences. The survey included questions on demographics, work organization and tasks, health and safety topics, and discrimination and harassment. The survey was administered in eight languages.Results: There were 620 complete interviews. The majority completed the survey by mail (62.6%), and in English (85.8%). More than half of responding janitors were female (56.9%), and the mean age was 45 years. Twenty percent reported having a (health-care-provider diagnosed) work-related injury or illness (WRII) in the past twelve months. Women and janitors who were Latino had significantly higher relative risk of WRII. Increased risk was also associated with several work organization factors that may indicate poor working conditions, insufficient sleep, and possible depression. Half of injured janitors did not file workers' compensation (WC) claims.Conclusions: Janitors reported a high percentage of WRII, which exceeded previously published estimates from Washington State. Women and Latino janitors had significantly increased risk of WRII, and janitors' working conditions may influence the unequal distribution of risk. WRII surveillance via WC or medical care usage in janitors and other low-wage occupations may reflect substantial underreporting.Characterizing the nature of janitors' work experience can help identify avenues for prevention, intervention, and policy changes to protect the health and safety of janitors.

Work-related information-seeking behaviour of janitors at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

“…As noted in this study, the janitors also considered information about their rights at the workplace as important to them. The need to be provided with such information is perhaps because the majority of them are marginalized by their employers and tend to receive less salaries as evidence from prior studies shows (Anderson et al, 2022;Okpara Izuagba, 2021). In such situations, therefore, access to information about their rights at the workplace is essential in helping them to protect such rights.…”

“…Notwithstanding the crucial role the janitors play, evidence from research (Anderson et al, 2022;Egberongbe & Adewuyi, 2011;Elling et al, 2022) shows that the majority are marginalized and tend to receive less salaries. This impacts their work experience and performance (Anderson et al, 2022;Okpara Izuagba, 2021) as they become less motivated. For the janitors to be able to know their rights and thus demand justice, they need to be informed.…”

Employment Precarity and Increased Risk of Hazardous Occupational Exposures Among Residents of High Socioeconomic Hardship Neighborhoods

“…Because employment precarity and work in high hazard environments are both independently associated with adverse health outcomes, workers who are precariously employed and who are frequently exposed to occupational hazards are expected to experience the highest risk of work-related injury or illness. Workers in precarious employment situations may be less likely to report hazards at work and, if they do become injured or ill due to hazardous exposures at work, they may experience difficulties accessing supports, including workers’ compensation, due to the convoluted nature of their employment arrangements ( Probst et al , 2018 ; Anderson, Smith and Foley, 2022 ). Moreover, the existence of these arrangements is driven and sustained by the multiple systems of oppression through which marginalized communities experience work, which reinforces the importance of and need for research designed to expose the mechanisms at play which collectively contribute to experiences of poor health and well-being.…”