Program > Saturday > 11:15 > Session 11. Protecting vulnerable workers (2/2)

Paper: New immigrants' experiences after a work-related injury
Author(s) and Affiliation(s):
Agnieszka Kosny, Institute for Work & Health
Ellen MacEachen, Institute for Work & Health
Peter Smith, Institute for Work & Health
Marni Lifshen, Institute for Work & Health
Cynthia Neilson, Institute for Work & Health
John Shields, Ryerson University
Session : 11. Protecting vulnerable workers (2/2)
Day/Time: Saturday at 11:15
Room: St. David Room, 3rd Floor
Objectives:

Immigrants are an increasingly important section of the Canadian workforce. This study examined what happens to immigrant workers who have gotten sick or hurt on the job, as well as their experiences with service providers and community organizations that help them. While other research has investigated risks faced by immigrant workers, we know little about what happens to immigrant workers after they are injured or have gotten sick on the job.

Methods:

We conducted 14 in-depth interviews with service providers who work with injured immigrant workers (health-care providers, settlement agency workers, union representatives, etc.) and 29 injured immigrant workers who had and had not filed a workers' claim. Workers interviewed via an interpreter spoke Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish, Tamil, Arabic, Gujarati, Bengali, Polish, Ukranian and Punjabi.

Results:

The study details new immigrant workers’ knowledge of their rights at the time of injury, their willingness and ability to file a workers’ compensation claim, contact and experience with workers' compensation and health-care providers, the effect of the injury on the family and the financial consequences of the injury or illness.

Conclusions:

This study points to ways that workplace practices, health-care services, and compensation policies can be improved in order to keep workers safe and healthy and to help new immigrants who have suffered an injury at work.