Abstract
Objectives
The burden of work injuries in Canada is a serious public health concern. Nearly one million Canadian workers experienced nonfatal injuries that led to time off work in 2005. New employees and recent immigrants are more likely to experience a work-related injury. The purpose of this study was to examine services, programs and resources available to newcomers to Canada that focus on employment standards (ES), occupational health & safety (OHS) and workers’ compensation (WC).
Methods
We reviewed resources available through community organizations, employers, settlement groups and unions, as well as provincial and federal prevention agencies and workers’ compensation boards. The materials were categorized according to geographical distribution, content, resource type, audience and language.
Results
We found a total of 224 resources that met our search criteria. The greatest numbers were found in the provinces of Ontario, British Columbia and Manitoba. Most resources consisted of short factsheets on the topic of ES; WC was the focus of the fewest resources. The most comprehensive resources were teaching materials for ESL/FSL classes and Job Search Workshops. Most resources were specifically produced for newcomers but only available in French/English. Our scan uncovered no information for health care providers, union representatives or safety professionals working with immigrants. Very few resources were aimed at young immigrant workers or employers working with newcomers.
Conclusions
Our research identifies gaps in the provision of health and safety resources for newcomers. Additional research is needed to evaluate the depth and quality of materials and to determine how decisions are made around the inclusion or exclusion of ES, OHS and WC information in language and labour market preparation programs for new immigrants.
Keywords: Employment, occupational health, Workers’ Compensation, emigrants and immigrants
Résumé
Objectifs
Le fardeau des accidents du travail au Canada est un grave problème de santé publique. Près d’un million de travailleurs canadiens ont subi des blessures non mortelles qui ont nécessité des absences du travail en 2005. Les nouveaux employés et les immigrants récents sont plus susceptibles de subir un accident du travail. Nous avons voulu examiner les services, les programmes et les ressources qui sont à la disposition des nouveaux arrivants au Canada et qui traitent des normes d’emploi (NE), de la santé et de la sécurité au travail (SST) et des accidents du travail (AT).
Méthode
Nous avons examiné les ressources disponibles par le biais des organismes communautaires, des employeurs, des groupes d’aide à l’établissement et des syndicats, ainsi que par les organismes de prévention et les commissions des accidents du travail au palier provincial et fédéral. Les documents ont été triés selon la portée géographique, le contenu, le type de ressource, le public visé et la langue.
Résultats
Nous avons répertorié 224 ressources correspondant à nos critères de recherche. Les plus nombreuses étaient dans les provinces de l’Ontario, de la Colombie-Britannique et du Manitoba. La plupart des ressources étaient de brèves fiches d’information sur les NE; les AT étaient l’aspect le moins souvent traité. Les ressources les plus complètes étaient le matériel didactique pour les classes d’anglais ou de français langue seconde et pour les ateliers de recherche d’emploi. La plupart des ressources s’adressaient spécifiquement aux nouveaux arrivants, mais n’étaient disponibles qu’en français ou en anglais. Nous n’avons répertorié aucune information pour les personnels soignants, les représentants syndicaux ni les professionnels de la sécurité travaillant avec des immigrants. Très peu de ressources s’adressaient aux jeunes travailleurs immigrants ou aux employeurs travaillant avec de nouveaux arrivants.
Conclusion
Nous avons relevé des lacunes dans l’offre de ressources en santé-sécurité pour les nouveaux arrivants. Il faudrait pousser la recherche afin d’évaluer le niveau de détail et la qualité des documents et de déterminer comment se prennent les décisions d’inclure ou d’exclure l’information sur les NE, la SST et les AT dans les programmes de langue et de préparation au marché du travail destinés aux nouveaux immigrants.
Mots clés: emploi, santé au travail, accidents du travail, émigrants et immigrants
Footnotes
Acknowledgements: A preliminary scan of Ontario resources was conducted prior to this national scan as part of a research project titled Prevention is the Best Medicine. We thank the Advisory Committee of that project for their valuable contributions and suggestions. The committee includes Ann Misetich, Ontario Ministry of Labour; Rebecca Lok, Injured Workers’ Consultants (a legal advocacy organization); Kiran Kapoor and Kristina Dragun, Workplace Safety and Prevention Services (an Ontario HSA); Cheryl Tucker, WSIB; Laura Pascoe, the Workers’ Health and Safety Centre (Ontario); Roland Rhooms, Skills for Change (a large Toronto-based settlement and training organization); Leslie Piekarz, the Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW); Peter Smith, Ron Saunders and Curtis Breslin (Project Co-investigators, Institute for Work & Health)
Conflict of Interest: None to declare.
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