Work Ethic and Cognitive Models of Work: Contractors and Workers Perspectives on Elevated Injury and Fatality Among Latino Workers in Small-Scale Residential Construction

Details

• Personal Author:
  Grzywacz J ; Marin A ; Merten M ; Mills T ; Montgomery S ; Nolasco H ; Nunez Reyes E
• Description:
  Purpose. Small-scale residential construction contractors are of great interest to the field of construction safety because young Latino workers in this subsector have among the highest rates of injury and fatality. This study sought to determine how contractors and workers employed by small contractors think about the nature of their work and their work ethic. Design. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were undertaken with n=4 Latino contractors and n=8 Latino workers in the framing and roofing trades of small-scale residential construction. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed for dominant themes and patterns. Findings. Contractors and workers held a comparable work ethic. Contractors' and workers' status in the U.S. as an "immigrant" shaped how they thought about the nature of their work and contributed greatly to their work ethic. Because of their immigrant status, both contractors and workers believed they had to "work harder" and "faster" than their American counterparts to demonstrate their value. However, "working hard" and "fast" impeded safety. Workers were often willing to forgo safety precautions and discounted injury risk believing it is at odds with making money needed to support themselves here and family in Mexico. Additionally, traditional Latino cultural norms shaped their belief systems about safety risks, for example, through superstitious beliefs and a "stubborn" nature. Limitations. The generalizability of study findings is unknown because the data are from a small, regional sample of contractors and workers in two trades of small-residential construction. Implications. Safety interventions in framing and roofing trades of small -scale residential construction must acknowledge the immediate survival demand (i.e., the need to support two families) that underlies worker behavior in the industry. The possibility of potential injury is an important, but comparatively distal threat relative to the short-term financial loss. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Behavior Construction Industry Emigration And Immigration Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Small-scale Residential Construction Construction Workers Immigrant Latino Workers Immigrant Workers Injury Inequalities Qualitative Methods Worker Safety Work Practices
• Publisher:
  Glasgow Caledonian University
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Florida ; Nebraska ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 7 ; OSHA Region 9 ; Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  144-153
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070871
• Citation:
  Proceedings of the Joint CIB W099 & W123 International Conference 2021: Changes and innovations for improved wellbeing in construction, September 9-10, 2021, Glasgow, Scotland. Glasgow, Scotland: Glasgow Caledonian University, 2021 Sep; :144-153
• Email:
  jgrzywacz@fsu.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• NORA Priority Area:
  Construction
• Performing Organization:
  Florida State University
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20200803
• Source Full Name:
  Proceedings of the Joint CIB W099 & W123 International Conference 2021: Changes and innovations for improved wellbeing in construction, September 9-10, 2021, Glasgow, Scotland
• End Date:
  20230731
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:710095b7b6bbde58c8df46e87f2c423c0a37d0498d779ca8ee45290d1e63afbc34cbb462b284265979987a807c49e176f8aefd52df6b483985a0b4df875658bd
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208999/cdc_208999_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.08 MB ]