“You Could Stop Working If the Task Is Dangerous, but You Were Hired to Get the Job Done”: Refugee Workers’ Hazard Awareness and Challenges in the Workplace

Purpose: This study explored refugee workers’ occupational health and safety (OHS) awareness in the workplace and the challenges in navigating OHS risks in the unique contexts of refugees (e.g., newness to a country, financial need and occupational mobility). Methods: In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 refugee workers (6 men and 9 women) recruited primarily through partnerships with settlement agencies and recruitment ads posted at locations frequented by newcomers. A thematic approach to data analysis revealed that refugee workers had a limited understanding of Canadian OHS standards that, when combined with individual-level (e.g., language proficiency) and broader factors, prevented them from communicating workplace safety concerns. Findings: Participants identified gaps in workplace practices such as inadequate safety training and a lack of provision of appropriate safety equipment that workers perceived as normal in entry jobs and, in some ways, tolerated in the hopes of career progression. Extreme power differences between strategic employers and financially insecure workers influenced refugees’ decision-making around working in these unsafe conditions often resulting in chronic pain and injury. Finally, we noted contrasting patterns in refugee workers experiences by size of employer wherein small businesses were driven by high workloads and low control while participants in medium-to-large businesses felt replaceable and worked through the pain to keep their jobs. Conclusions: Understanding OHS awareness of refugees as a distinct group to other immigrants can identify sustainable approaches to injury prevention and long-term employment. The study proposes programmatic and policy opportunities that shift the responsibility away solely from the worker to cooperative responsibility systems to help reduce inequities.