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Introduction: To investigate differences in modified-return-to work (MRTW) within the first 30 days of a work-related, short-term disability injury by immigration characteristics. This question was part of a program of research investigating differences in work and health experiences among immigrant workers and explanations for longer work disability durations.Methods: Workers’ compensation claims, immigration records and medical registry data were linked to identify a sample of workers in British Columbia, Canada with a short-term disability claim for a work-related back strain, concussion, limb fracture or connective tissue injury occurring between 2009 and 2015. Multivariable logistic regressions, stratified by injury type, investigated the odds of MRTW, defined as at least one day within the first 30 days on claim, associated with immigration characteristics, defined as a Canadian-born worker versus a worker who immigrated via the economic, family member or refugee/other humanitarian classification.Results: Immigrant workers who arrived to Canada as a family member or as a refugee/other immigrant had a reduced odds of MRTW within the first 30 days of work disability for a back strain, concussion and limb fracture, compared to Canadian-born workers. Differences in MRTW were not observed for immigrant workers who arrived to Canada via the economic classification, or for connective tissue injuries.Conclusion: The persistent and consistent finding of reduced MRTW for the same injury for different immigration classifications highlights contexts (work, health, social, language) that disadvantage some immigrants upon arrival to Canada and that persist over time even after entry into the workforce, including barriers to MRTW.

Workers who experience language barriers are more likely to get injured or sick because of their work and have poorer claim and return-to-work outcomes compared to other workers. To better understand the systemic factors that shape access to compensation in contexts of language barriers, we compared language accommodation policies and practices in the Quebec and Ontario workers’ compensation systems. We uncovered gaps limiting access to professional interpreters in both provinces, although gaps were more pronounced in Quebec where workers were responsible for the cost of interpreters. We argue that simply improving the linguistic competence of workers’ compensation systems is not sufficient to tackle access barriers and must be accompanied by efforts to address the root causes of social and economic inequities for workers who experience language barriers.

This study aims to explore the motives and factors that drive entrepreneurship in Syrian refugee women in Canada and the differential contexts that may support or hinder these activities. Using a qualitative research design, a total of 29 in-depth interviews were conducted with Syrian refugee women, who had been in Canada for a minimum of 1 year and with key informants, including employment counselors and program managers who work closely with refugees during their resettlement. A feminist grounded analysis led to the identification of systemic challenges to entrepreneurship. Particularly, findings illustrate how the women were primarily interested in starting a small business in feminized industries such as food/catering or tailoring. However, these activities were challenged by economic, regulatory, and gendered contexts that appeared to push the women to operate these businesses in unregulated bounds, which was not financially rewarding. Key informants, on the other hand, seemed to promote feminized entrepreneurship as a “social enterprise” irrespective of the women’s background and experience. The paper presents new empirical evidence of entrepreneurship at the intersections of refugee and gender in Canada and adds to the growing body of work that examines migrant contexts that impact economic integration.

This article examines the employment integration experiences of Syrian refugee women arriving to Canada through four common refugee streams: government-assisted, private sponsorship, Blended Visa o...

This article examines refugee women’s experience with settlement agencies and their employment outcomes in Canada. Based on qualitative data, we found that employment was not a priority to settlement agencies with many counselors referring the women to low-skilled, low-waged positions with companies with whom they had pre-existing ties. Meanwhile, counselors found themselves burdened with large workloads and felt inadequately equipped to serve the needs of refugees. Through this study, we propose policy recommendations that address women’s disproportional barriers that can be integrated within programs and services offered by settlement agencies to improve employment integration.

This study aimed to investigate differences in work disability duration among immigrants (categorized as economic, family member or refugee/other classification upon arrival to Canada) compared to Canadian-born workers with a work-related injury in British Columbia. Immigrants and Canadian-born workers were identified from linked immigration records with workers’ compensation claims for work-related back strain, connective tissue, concussion and fracture injuries requiring at least one paid day of work disability benefits between 2009 to 2015. Quantile regression investigated the relationship between immigration classification and predicted work disability days (defined from injury date to end of compensation claim, up to 365 days) and modeled at the 25th, 50th and 75th percentile of the distribution of the disability days. With a few exceptions, immigrants experienced greater predicted disability days compared to Canadian-born workers within the same injury cohort. The largest differences were observed for family and refugee/other immigrant classification workers, and, in particular, for women within these classifications, compared to Canadian-born workers. For example, at the 50th percentile of the distribution of disability days, we observed a difference of 34.1 days longer for refugee/other women in the concussion cohort and a difference of 27.5 days longer for family classification women in the fracture cohort. Economic immigrants had comparable disability days with Canadian-born workers, especially at the 25th and 50th percentiles of the distribution. Immigrant workers’ longer disability durations may be a result of more severe injuries or challenges navigating the workers’ compensation system with delays in seeking disability benefits and rehabilitation services. Differences by immigrant classification speak to vulnerabilities or inequities upon arrival in Canada that persist after entry to the workforce and warrant further investigation for early mitigation strategies.

Introduction The longer workers are off work, the less likely they are to successfully return to work. Modified return-to-work (MRTW) provides earlier work reintegration after an injury with the goal of full recovery and shorter work disability durations. Objective This study examined differences in MRTW participation for immigrant compared to Canadian-born workers with a work-related injury in British Columbia. Methods Workers’ compensation claims data linked with immigration records were used to identify immigrant (economic, family or refugees/other classifications) and Canadian-born workers with an accepted short-term disability claim between 2009–2015 for acute (fracture and concussion) and chronic injuries (back strain and connective tissue). Injury cohorts were restricted to 30 days on claim for a common disability window to measure MRTW participation. The outcome of MRTW was measured as never offered MRTW or an offer of MRTW within the first 30 days on benefits. Individuals with an offer beyond 30 days were excluded. Results In adjusted logistic regression models, immigrant classification was associated with a decreased odds ratio (OR) of receiving an offer of MRTW within 30 days across injury cohorts. For example, for workers with back strain injuries: OR=0.97 [95%CI 0.88, 1.07] for economic immigrants, OR=0.72 [95%CI 0.66, 0.79] for family class immigrants, and OR=0.74 [95% CI 0.64, 0.86] for refugee/other classifications. Similarly, for workers with a fracture injury: OR=0.94 [95%CI 0.72, 1.22] for economic immigrants, OR=0.84 [95%CI 0.64, 1.11] for family class immigrants, and OR=0.42 [95%CI 0.24, 0.76] for refugee/other classifications. Conclusion Understanding why immigrant workers are less likely to be offered MRTW compared to Canadian-born workers for the same injuries is worthy of further investigation, and in particular for workers who arrived to Canada as refugees. A focus on increasing earlier provision of MRTW for longer term claims has the potential to reduce work disability duration among immigrant workers.

La façon dont les régimes d’indemnisation des victimes de lésion professionnelle doivent tenir compte des barrières linguistiques est d’une importance capitale à la lumière de la diversification linguistique croissante du Canada. S’appuyant sur des entrevues menées auprès de travailleurs accidentés et d’informateurs clés, cette étude est la première à examiner, de manière empirique, les politiques et les pratiques du retour au travail sous l’angle des barrières linguistiques. En comparant les juridictions du Québec et de l’Ontario, l’étude met en lumière des similitudes et des différences touchant les accommodements linguistiques ainsi que les politiques et les pratiques du retour au travail qui déterminent les expériences des travailleurs accidentés ayant des besoins linguistiques. Elle fait valoir que les lacunes à cet égard, qui sont plus marquées au Québec, contribuent à un faible retour au travail pour ces travailleurs dans les deux provinces. The question of how workers’ compensation systems should account for language barriers is of increasing importance given Canada’s growing linguistic diversity. This study is the first to empirically examine, based on interviews with injured workers and key informants, return-to-work policies and practices through the lens of language barriers. By comparing two jurisdictions, Quebec and Ontario, the study highlights similarities and differences in language accommodation and return-to-work policies and practices that shape the experiences of injured workers with language needs. It argues that gaps in this regard, which are more pronounced in Quebec, contribute to poor return-to-work outcomes for these workers in both provinces.

This study examined the employment preparation and work experiences of recent immigrants and refugees in Ontario, Canada, to determine key resource needs and opportunities related to safe work integration. In-depth interviews were conducted with 22 service providers, program developers, and policy-makers from the immigration and employment fields. Eighteen focus groups were held with 110 recent immigrants and refugees who were looking for work or who had recently found work. An exploratory qualitative approach was used to collect and analyze the data. First jobs were often characterized by precarity and poor working conditions. Most recent immigrants and refugees had little knowledge about their rights at work and were not sure what to do when mistreated or were asked to do something unsafe at work. The settlement and employment programs that included occupational health and safety information were not systematic and were hindered by a lack of consistent funding and diffusion of responsibility. We identify optimal points in the settlement process where information can be provided, and some of the roles that can be played most effectively by service agencies, regulatory bodies, and employers.

Household, journey-to-work, and workplace dynamics intersect and are diverse and changing. These intersections contribute to gendered, classed, and racialized divisions of labour at home, at work, and on the road. Research on journeys-to-work has generally focused on journeys that happen daily, follow similar routes, at similar times, and involve travel to a single, fixed workplace. Time geography has shared some of this focus in its attention to fixity and constraints that shape these kinds of movements in time and space. However, change and disruption in home lives, journeys-to-work and in the location and scheduling of work are widespread. Feminist intersectional rhythmanalysis may be better equipped to address these. This article draws on insights from a body of Canadian research captured here in the form of 5 vignettes that describe intersecting home, work, environmental and employment-related geographical mobility (E-RGM) rhythms and some of their consequences across diverse groups, sectors ...

Precarious employment is rapidly growing, but qualitative data on pathways to and mechanisms for health and well-being is lacking. This article describes the cumulative and intersecting micro-level pathways and mechanisms between precarious employment and health among immigrant men and women in Toronto. It draws on semi-structured interviews conducted in 2014 with 15 women and 12 men from 11 countries of origin. The article describes how precarious employment, conceptualized by workers as encompassing powerlessness, economic insecurity, work for multiple employers, nonstandard and unpredictable schedules, hazardous working conditions, and lack of benefits and protections, negatively impacts workers’ physical and mental health as well as that of their spouses or partners and children. It documents pathways to health and well-being, including stress, material and social deprivation, and exposure to hazards, as well as commuting difficulties and childcare challenges. Throughout, gender and migration are shown to influence experiences of work and health. The findings draw attention to dimensions of precarity and pathways to health that are not always highlighted in research and discourse on precarious employment and provide valuable insights into the vicious circle of precarious employment and health.

Precarious employment is on the rise in Canada, increasing by nearly 50% in the last two decades. However, little is known about the mechanisms by which it can impact upon geographical mobility. Employment-related geographical mobility refers to mobility to, from and between workplaces, as well as mobility as part of work. We report on a qualitative study conducted among 27 immigrant men and women in Toronto that investigates the relationship between precarious employment and daily commutes while exploring the ways in which gender, class and migration structure this relationship.Interview data reveal that participants were largely unable to work where they lived or live where they worked. Their precarious jobs were characterized by conditions that resulted in long, complex, unfamiliar, unsafe and expensive commutes. These commuting difficulties, in turn, resulted in participants having to refuse or quit jobs, including desirable jobs, or being unable to engage in labour market strategies that could improve their employment conditions (e.g. taking courses, volunteering, etc.). Participants’ commuting difficulties were amplified by the delays, infrequency, unavailability and high cost of public transportation. These dynamics disproportionately and/or differentially impacted certain groups of workers.Precarious work has led to workers having to absorb an ever-growing share of the costs associated with their employment, underscored in our study as time, effort and money spent travelling to and from work. We discuss the forces that underlie the spatial patterning of work and workers in Toronto, namely the growing income gap and the increased polarization among neighbourhoods that has resulted in low-income immigrants increasingly moving from the centre to the edges of the city. We propose policy recommendations for public transportation, employment, housing and child care that can help alleviate some of the difficulties described., L’emploi précaire poursuit sa croissance au Canada, augmentant de près de 50% au cours des deux dernières décennies. Toutefois, nous connaissons mal les mécanismes par lesquels cette forme d’organisation du travail peut influer sur la mobilité géographique des travailleurs. La mobilité géographique liée à l’emploi renvoie ici aux divers déplacements que doivent effectuer les travailleurs depuis et entre les lieux de travail, ainsi que les déplacements intrinsèques à l’exercice de l’emploi lui-même. Les résultats qui suivent proviennent d’une étude qualitative effectuée auprès de 27 hommes et femmes immigrants vivant à Toronto, étude qui s’est attardée à la relation entre l’emploi précaire et les déplacements quotidiens qui y sont rattachés, tout en explorant les façons par lesquelles le genre, la classe sociale et la migration structurent cette relation.Les données en provenance des entrevues indiquent que les participants étaient généralement incapables de travailler près de leur lieu de résidence, ou encore d’habiter près de leur lieu de travail. Leurs emplois précaires se caractérisaient par des conditions qui donnaient lieu à des déplacements quotidiens longs, complexes, peu familiers, dangereux et coûteux. En retour, les difficultés liées aux déplacements quotidiens faisaient en sorte que les participants devaient souvent refuser ou quitter des emplois, parfois intéressants, ou s’avéraient incapables de s’investir dans des stratégies qui auraient pu leur permettre d’améliorer leurs conditions de travail (par exemple, suivre des cours, faire du bénévolat, etc.). De plus, les difficultés vécues par les participants se trouvaient amplifiées par les délais, la rareté, l’indisponibilité et les coûts élevés des transports en commun. Ces dynamiques à l’oeuvre affectaient de manières différentes et/ou disproportionnées certains groupes de travailleurs.L’emploi précaire pousse les travailleurs à absorber une part toujours plus importante des coûts associés à leur emploi. L’étude met clairement en relief ces coûts tels le temps, l’effort et l’argent dépensés à voyager vers et depuis le lieu travail. Nous traitons ensuite des facteurs qui sous-tendent la répartition spatiale des emplois des travailleurs à Toronto, notamment l’écart grandissant des inégalités de revenus et l’accroissement de la polarisation des quartiers, phénomènes qui ont entraîné le déplacement des immigrants à faible revenu du centre vers les limites de la ville. Nous proposons des recommandations concernant le transport en commun, l’emploi, le logement et les services de garde à l’enfance susceptibles de contribuer à atténuer certaines des difficultés décrites., El empleo precario está en alza en Canadá, con un crecimiento cercano de 50% en las dos últimas décadas. Sin embargo, se conoce poco acerca de los mecanismos por los cuales éste puede afectar la movilidad geográfica. La movilidad geográfica ligada al empleo refiere aquí a los diversos desplazamientos que deben efectuar los trabajadores desde y entre los lugares de trabajo, así como los desplazamientos intrínsecos al trabajo. Los resultados que siguen provienen de un estudio cualitativo efectuado con 27 hombres y mujeres inmigrantes habitantes de Toronto, con el fin de estudiar la relación entre el empleo precario y los desplazamientos cotidianos vinculados al puesto, explorando así mismo la manera cómo el género, la clase social y las migraciones estructuran dicha relación.El análisis de las entrevistas revela que los participantes eran mayoritariamente incapaces de trabajar cerca de su lugar de residencia, o de vivir cerca de su lugar de trabajo. Sus empleos precarios se caracterizaban por las condiciones que dan lugar a desplazamientos cotidianos largos, complejos, poco conocidos, peligrosos y costosos. A su turno, las dificultades vinculadas a los desplazamientos cotidianos llevaban a que los participantes rechacen frecuentemente un empleo o que se sientan obligados de abandonar el empleo, incluyendo puestos interesantes, o se sentían incapaces de implicarse en estrategias que les hubieran permitido mejorar sus condiciones de trabajo (por ejemplo, seguir cursos, hacer trabajos benévolos, etc.). Las dificultades vividas por los participantes se veían amplificadas por los retrasos, la rareza, la no disponibilidad y los costos elevados del transporte públicos. Estas dinámicas en acción afectan de maneras diferentes y/o desproporcionadas ciertos grupos de trabajadores.El empleo precario ha conducido los trabajadores a absorber una parte cada vez más importante de los costos asociados a sus empleos tal como resalta de nuestro estudio, esto es, el tiempo, el esfuerzo y el dinero gastados en viajar hacia o desde el lugar de trabajo. Se trata enseguida los factores subyacentes a la repartición espacial del empleo y de los trabajadores en Toronto, particularmente la las desigualdades cada vez más importantes de los ingresos y el incremento de la polarización entre los barrios, fenómenos que han conducido a que los inmigrantes a bajo ingreso se desplacen del centro hacia los límites de la ciudad. Se proponen recomendaciones respecto al transporte público, el empleo, el alojamiento y los servicios de guardería infantiles susceptibles de contribuir a atenuar algunas de las dificultades descritas.

Individuals who experience language barriers are largely excluded as participants from health research, resulting in gaps in knowledge that have implications for the development of equitable policies, tools, and strategies. Drawing on the existing literature and on their collective experience conducting occupational health research in contexts of language barriers, the authors propose a tool to assist qualitative researchers and representatives from funding agencies and ethics review boards with the meaningful consideration of language barriers in research. There remain gaps and debates with respect to the relevant ethical and methodological guidance set forth by funding agencies and institutions and proposed in the scientific literature. This article adds to knowledge in this area by contributing our experiences, observations, and recommendations, including around the issue of conducting research in contexts of more or less linguistic diversity.

Background Health and safety researchers and practitioners have proposed that cultural differences help explain inequalities between foreign and native-born workers. While cultural explanations for inequalities have long been debated in other fields, there exists little critique of cultural discourses in occupational health. Methods This article examines and discusses the discourse on culture in 107 articles on immigrant or migrant workers' health published between 2011 and 2015. For each article, passages on culture were identified and analysed for both the context and the manner in which culture was discussed. Results The discourse on culture was found to be generally simplistic, individualistic, and uncritical, intentionally or unintentionally supporting the worldview that workers' "otherness" is both cause of inequalities and target for interventions. Conclusion The article argues that empirical, theoretical and interdisciplinary work is needed to document the mechanisms and pathways that underlie health and safety inequalities by foreign-born status.

BACKGROUND A minority of workers with work-related injuries experience challenges returning to work. While factors that hinder return-to-work (RTW) are well-documented, the consequences of failing to successfully return to work on the lives of workers who have experienced a workplace injury remain poorly understood. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of workers who do not successfully return to work following a work-related injury. METHODS Using an interpretive approach to qualitative research and maximal variability sampling, 11 workers who have sustained work-related injuries without a successful RTW and four service providers were recruited through community organizations. Participants were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. A constant comparative approach was used to identify key themes across the worker and service provider experiences. RESULTS The findings that emerged from the analysis capture the challenging RTW experiences of workers and describe wide ranging impacts on their lives when their workers' compensation claims are denied or discontinued, including ongoing financial strain, family tensions, subsequent health concerns, and negative employment experiences. The findings also highlight the negative consequences of existing cost-cutting frameworks that can restrict entitlement and benefits for many people with disabilities. CONCLUSIONS The findings from this study highlight the experiences of workers who might need additional supports throughout the RTW process, and begin to shed light on the impact on their lives when RTW is not successful.

Introduction Settlement and integration involves helping recent immigrants and refugees find work and become economically solvent. Yet many newcomers end up in ‘survival jobs’ that are precarious, physically demanding and expose workers to hazards. While ‘welcome materials’ and settlement programs help newcomers find employment, few offer guidance on employment rights, employer responsibilities and how to stay safe at work. We know very little about how newcomers prepare for employment, the types of resources needed or which groups are well-positioned to deliver these resources. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with policy makers, program developers, social service providers involved in immigrant settlement and employment preparation (n=20). Eighteen focus groups were also conducted with newcomers looking for work and those who had found their first jobs in Canada. The study examined the employment preparation and job search process; newcomer experiences in their first jobs; key training and resource needs related to safe work integration. Data were coded by two researchers and a thematic, inductive analysis was carried out. The constant comparative method was used to understand how newcomers come to understand their rights and where there are gaps in resources and training. Findings Our findings suggest that while many programs focus on employment preparation, the delivery of OHS and rights-related resources is haphazardly and hampered by a lack of consistent funding, time constraints and a diffusion of responsibility. Newcomers reported difficulty finding work and taking jobs that were incommensurate with their experience and education. Many took on informal work without training or compensation as a means of gaining Canadian experience. Participants had poor understanding of rights and responsibilities in the workplace and many had not received comprehensive OHS training. The use of community networks, while useful in finding employment, could be a barrier to speaking up in the workplace. Language barriers were an obstacle to finding work and invoking workplace rights. Discussion This study adds to our understanding of what can help recent immigrants and refugees successfully prepare for and stay in good quality, safe jobs. We identify optimal points in the settlement process where employment-related resources can be provided and the role social service agencies, regulatory bodies and employers should play.

We sought to document pathways between under/unemployment and health among racialized immigrant women in Toronto while exploring the ways in which gender, class, migration and racialization, as interlocking systems of social relations, structure these relationships.We conducted 30 interviews with racialized immigrant women who were struggling to get stable employment that matched their education and/or experience. Participants were recruited through flyers, partner agencies and peer researcher networks. Most interviews (21) were conducted in a language other than English. Interviews were transcribed, translated as appropriate and analyzed using NVivo software. The project followed a community-based participatory action research model.Under/unemployment negatively impacted the physical and mental health of participants and their families. It did so directly, for example through social isolation, as well as indirectly through representation in poor quality jobs. Under/unemployment additionally led to the intensification of job search strategies and of the household/caregiving workload which also negatively impacted health. Health problems, in turn, contributed to pushing participants into long-term substandard employment trajectories. Participants' experiences were heavily structured by their social location as low income racialized immigrant women.Our study provides needed qualitative evidence on the gendered and racialized dimensions of under/unemployment, and adverse health impacts resulting from this. Drawing on intersectional analysis, we unpack the role that social location plays in creating highly uneven patterns of under/unemployment and negative health pathways for racialized immigrant women. We discuss equity informed strategies to help racialized immigrant women overcome barriers to stable work that match their education and/or experience.

Aim This study seeks to develop a diversity profile of the nursing workforce in Canada and its major cities. Background There is ample evidence of ethnic and linguistic segregation in the Canadian labour market. However, it is unknown if there is equitable representation of visible and linguistic minorities in nursing professions. Methods We cross-tabulated aggregate data from Statistics Canada’s 2006 Census. Analyses examined the distribution of visible and linguistic minorities, including visible minority sub-groups, among health managers, head nurses, registered nurses, licensed nurses and nurse aides for Canada and major cities as well as by gender. Results In Canada and its major cities, a pyramidal structure was found whereby visible and linguistic minorities, women in particular, were under-represented in managerial positions and over-represented in lower ranking positions. Blacks and Filipinos were generally well represented across nursing professions; however, other visible minority sub-groups lacked representation. Conclusions Diversity initiatives at all levels can play a role in promoting better access to and quality of care for minority populations through the increased cultural and linguistic competence of care providers and organizations. Implications for Nursing Management Efforts to increase diversity in nursing need to be accompanied by commitment and resources to effectively manage diversity within organizations.

In 2007, a Filipina organization in Quebec (PINAY) sought the help of university researchers to document the workplace health and safety experiences of domestic workers. Together, they surveyed 150 domestic workers and produced a report that generated interest from community groups, policymakers, and the media. In this article, we—the university researchers—offer a case study of community-university action research. We share the story of how one project contributed to academic knowledge of domestic workers' health and safety experiences and also to a related policy campaign. We describe how Quebec workers' compensation legislation excludes domestic workers, and we analyze the occupational health literature related to domestic work. Striking data related to workplace accidents and illnesses emerged from the survey, and interesting lessons were learned about how occupational health questions should be posed. We conclude with a description of the successful policy advocacy that was possible as an outcome of this project.

Objective We examined disparities in workers’ occupational health experiences. Methods We surveyed 941 unionized Las Vegas hotel room cleaners about their experiences with work-related pain and with employers, physicians, and workers’ compensation. Data were analyzed for all workers and by ethnicity, language, and immigrant status. Results Hispanic and English as second language (ESL) workers were more likely than theircounterparts to report work-related pain and, along with immigrant workers, to miss work because of this pain. Hispanic, ESL, and immigrant workers were not consistently at a disadvantage with regard to their own responses to work-related pain but were so with respect to reported responses by workers’ compensation, physicians, and employers. Conclusions Thereareindicationsofdisparitiesinoccupationalhealthexperienceswithin thisjobtitle.Theuseofdifferentgroupclassifications,whileimplyingdifferentmechanisms, produced similar results. Am. J. Ind. Med. 53:960‐975, 2010. ! 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Language barriers are often cited as a factor contributing to ethnic inequalities in occupational health; however, little information is available about the mechanisms at play. The authors describe the multiple ways in which language influences occupational health in a large garment factory employing many immigrants in Montreal. Between 2004 and 2006, individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 women and 10 men from 14 countries of birth. Interviews were conducted in French and English, Canada's official languages, as well as in non-official languages with the help of colleague-interpreters. Observation within the workplace was also carried out at various times during the project. The authors describe how proficiency in the official languages influences occupational health by affecting workers' ability to understand and communicate information, and supporting relationships that can affect work-related health. They also describe workers' strategies to address communication barriers and discuss the implications of these strategies from an occupational health standpoint. Along with the longer-term objectives of integrating immigrants into the linguistic majority and addressing structural conditions that can affect health, policies and practices need to be put in place to protect the health and well-being of those who face language barriers in the short term.

BACKGROUND: Differential exposure to environmental hazards is one component of the social gradient in health. Few studies have investigated the association between socio-economic characteristics and environmental hazards in a Canadian context. We assessed the relationships between pollution emissions and socio-economic characteristics for 27 municipalities on Montreal Island. METHODS: Pollution emissions were determined using Environment Canada’s National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) for the periods 1995–1996 and 2000–2001. Variables included the number of reporting industries, the average annual releases, and the average annual releases density. These data were cross-referenced with socio-economic data from the 1996 and 2001 Canadian Censuses, respectively. RESULTS: For both periods, pollution measures were inversely related to the average monthly amount of owners’ major payments, the average income of households, the proportion of workers in the tertiary sector, and the proportion of individuals with a university education. Pollution measures were positively associated with the unemployment rate, the proportion of workers in the secondary sector, and the proportion of individuals with less than high school education. CONCLUSION: Socio-economic characteristics are associated with municipal-level pollution emissions on Montreal Island. Whether higher emissions are indicative of higher pollution exposure requires further investigation.

Despite their high levels of education, racialized immigrant women in Canada are over-represented in low-paid, low-skill jobs characterized by high risk and precarity. Our project documents the exper iences with precarious employment of racialized immigrant women in Toronto . We conducted 30 semi- structured interviews with racialized immigrant wom en. Participants were recruited through posted flyers, partner agencies, peer researcher networks and snowball sampling. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using NVivo software. The project followed a community-based pa rticipatory action research model. Participants faced powerful structural barriers to decent employment and additionally faced barriers associated with househo ld gender relations. Their labour market experiences negatively impacted their physical and mental health as well as that of their families. These problems f urther constrained women’s ability to secure decent employment. Our study make s important contributions in filling the gap on the gendered barriers raciali zed immigrant women face in the labour market and the gendered impacts of deski lling and precarity on women and their families. We propose labour market reforms and changes in immigration and social policies to enable racialize d immigrant women to overcome barriers to decent work.

Purpose Previous research has shown that linguistic minorities have inferior workers’ compensation experiences and outcomes; however little information exists on the structural barriers they face in relation to return-to-work (RTW). We sought to address this gap by describing barriers to RTW for linguistic minorities in Ontario using narratives from appeal decisions. Methods We examined decisions by the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal. We searched the full text of decisions rendered between October 1, 2010 and September 30, 2011 for the keyword “English”. A total of 378 decisions were generated. After eliminating decisions that did not involve linguistic minorities we retained half (189) for analysis. We summarized the issues around language for each decision and identified broad themes across decisions. Results We found that linguistic minorities’ limitations with regards to communication and power left them vulnerable to abuse, incomprehension and misperception by employers, care providers and adjudicators. In addition, specific RTW policies and practices failed to properly consider or mitigate their lack of English proficiency. These interpersonal and structural barriers negatively impacted linguistic minorities’ eligibility to benefits and services and the appropriateness thereof, as well as their eventual return to work. Conclusions Our research highlights the need to move beyond efforts to improve the linguistic competence of compensation boards to target the structural factors that impede equal access at every stage of the process.

We examined disparities in hazardous employment characteristics and working conditions among Chinese and white workers in Toronto, Canada.We used self-administered questionnaire data from a 2005-2006 population-based survey (n = 1611). Using modified Poisson regression, we examined the likelihood for Chinese workers of experiencing adverse exposures compared to whites. Models were stratified by sex and adjusted for differences in human capital. Work sector was conceptualized as a mediating variable.Chinese workers were generally more likely to report adverse exposures. In many cases, disparities were only evident or more pronounced among women. The shorter length of time in Canada of Chinese relative to whites accounted for some of the observed disparities. Meanwhile, the higher educational level of Chinese compared to whites provided them with no protection from adverse exposures. The risk of experiencing discrimination on the labor market and at work was more than 50% higher among Chinese men and women as compared to whites, and those disparities, though reduced, persisted after adjustment for confounders.Discrimination is far more prevalent among Chinese than among whites and may explain their disproportionate exposure to other hazards.

Aim This study seeks to develop a diversity profile of the nursing workforce in Canada and its major cities. Background There is ample evidence of ethnic and linguistic segregation in the Canadian labour market. However, it is unknown if there is equitable representation of visible and linguistic minorities in nursing professions. Methods We cross-tabulated aggregate data from Statistics Canada's 2006 Census. Analyses examined the distribution of visible and linguistic minorities, including visible minority sub-groups, among health managers, head nurses, registered nurses, licensed nurses and nurse aides for Canada and major cities as well as by gender. Results In Canada and its major cities, a pyramidal structure was found whereby visible and linguistic minorities, women in particular, were under-represented in managerial positions and over-represented in lower ranking positions. Blacks and Filipinos were generally well represented across nursing professions; however, other visible minority sub-groups lacked representation. Conclusions Diversity initiatives at all levels can play a role in promoting better access to and quality of care for minority populations through the increased cultural and linguistic competence of care providers and organizations. Implications for Nursing Management Efforts to increase diversity in nursing need to be accompanied by commitment and resources to effectively manage diversity within organizations.

Objectives Few Canadian data sources allow the examination of disparities by ethnicity, language, or immigrant status in occupational exposures or health outcomes. However, it is possible to document the mechanisms that can create disparities, such as the over-representation of population groups in high-risk jobs. We evaluated, in the Montreal context, the relationship between the social composition of jobs and their associated risk level. Methods We used data from the 2001 Statistics Canada census and from Quebec's workers' compensation board for 2000–2002 to characterize job categories defined as major industrial groups crossed with three professional categories (manual, mixed, non-manual). Immigrant, visible, and linguistic minority status variables were used to describe job composition. The frequency rate of compensated health problems and the average duration of compensation determined job risk level. The relationship between the social composition and risk level of jobs was evaluated with Kendall correlations. Results The proportion of immigrants and minorities was positively and significantly linked to the risk level across job categories. Many relationships were significant for women only. In analyses done within manual jobs, relationships with the frequency rate reversed and were significant, except for the relationship with the proportion of individuals with knowledge of French only, which remained positive. Conclusions Immigrants, visible, and linguistic minorities in Montreal are more likely to work where there is an increased level of compensated risk. Reversed relationships within manual jobs may be explained by under-reporting and under-compensation in vulnerable populations compared to those with knowledge of the province's majority language. Am. J. Ind. Med. 53:875–885, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Few qualitative studies have described the mechanisms by which piecework influences health. We present the results of 25 interviews conducted between 2004 and 2006 in a large garment factory in Montreal. We describe the workforce, made up in large part of women and immigrants, the requirements and constraints of production, workers’ strategies favouring production and those favouring health, and the management and impact of the health problems experienced by workers. In addition, we compare the experience of piecework to its representation by various stakeholders (employers, workers, decision-makers, doctors) as reported in 62 decisions regarding compensation claims for work-related health problems rendered by the Commission des lésions professionnelles (C.L.P.) between 2000 and 2007, decisions pertaining to the garment industry and mentioning piecework. We examine the causes and discuss the implications of our results. Peu d’études qualitatives ont décrit les mécanismes par lesquels le travail à la pièce influence la santé. Nous présentons les résultats de 25 entrevues réalisées entre 2004 et 2006 dans une grande entreprise de fabrication de vêtements à Montréal. Nous décrivons la main- d’œuvre, constituée en grande majorité de femmes et d’immigrants, les exigences et contraintes de production, les stratégies des travailleurs et travailleuses favorisant la production et celles favorisant la santé, et la gestion et l’impact des problèmes de santé vécus au travail. De plus, nous confrontons la réalité du travail à la pièce à la représentation que s’en font différents intervenants (employeurs, travailleurs, travailleuses décideurs, médecins) telle qu’elle a été rapportée dans 62 décisions sur des réclamations pour lésion professionnelle rendues par la Commission des lésions professionnelles (C.L.P.) entre 2000 et 2007, décisions portant sur l’industrie du vêtement et mentionnant le travail à la pièce. Nous examinons les causes et discutons des implications de nos résultats. Pocos estudios cualitativos describieron los mecanismos por los cuales el trabajo a destajo influencia la salud. Presentamos los resultados de 25 entrevistas realizadas entre el 2004 y el 2006 en una gran empresa de confección de vestimenta en Montreal. Describimos la mano de obra, constituida en gran parte por mujeres e inmigrantes ; las exigencias y las dificultades de la producción ; las estrategias de los trabajadores y de las trabajadoras que favorecen la producción como también aquellas que favorecen la salud ; y la gestión y el impacto de los problemas de salud que se viven en el trabajo. Además, confrontamos la realidad del trabajo a destajo con la representación que sobre ella se hacen diferentes personas claves (empleadores, trabajadores, trabajadoras, médicos y personas con poder de decisión). Esta representación se deduce de lo señalado en los reportes de 62 decisiones rendidas por la Comisión de lesiones profesionales (C.L.P.) entre el 2000 y el 2007. Estas decisiones, relacionadas con reclamos por lesiones profesionales, corresponden a casos ocurridos en la industria de la confección, en los que se mencionaba el trabajo a destajo. Examinamos las causas y discutimos las implicancias de los resultados.

Background When research results concerning occupational health are expressed ambiguously, compensation and prevention can be affected. This study examined the language used by scientists to discuss the relation between work and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Methods Language regarding work and MSDs in twenty articles from two peer-reviewed journals was compared with that in 94 messages on MSDs posted by published scientists to an internet list. Results Almost all the articles found some link between work and MSDs. However, few articles expressed belief in such a link unambiguously in the title or abstract, and language on links was often hard for a non-health scientist to interpret. Language and methods gave excess weight to negative results. On the listserve, many scientists expressed unambiguous views on linkages between work and MSDs. Conclusions Scientists must express their opinions more forthrightly if they wish their results to be used to favour prevention and to foster access to workers' compensation. Am. J. Ind. Med. 51:173–185, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.