Psychological and sociological factors impacting on migrant worker contribution to, and adaptation of, workplace safety culture

Richard Skiba

Abstract


This paper highlights potential health and safety issues which may emerge in workplaces engaging migrant workers, particularly as effected by social distancing during training prior to employment, such as experienced by international students.  There are a number of factors that can contribute to the ways in which a migrant worker applies health and safety in their workplaces, including language and culture, that are commonly addressed through training, socialisation and workplace engagement.  With these opportunities limited due to social distancing, migrant workers have less opportunity to contribute to and embrace organisations’ safety culture.  This onus then falls onto employers to ensure that safe practices are learned, imbued and correctly and consistently applied with an objective of fostering a strong safety culture where employees go above and beyond what is expected in terms of safety performance that is mutually understood and shared.


Keywords


Health and Safety, Safety Culture, Migrant Workers, Diversity

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References


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.23954/osj.v5i2.2461

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