Migration and Its Impact on Migrant Workers
Migration has increased over the past two decades and is believed to rise steadily as a result of demographic trends, economic disparity and greater integration etc. Migrant workers usually suffer from numerous hazardous conditions at work which includes difficult, dirty and dangerous jobs where labour protection mechanisms are few. Negative and poor government policies add further neglect towards these migrant workers. Construction sector is among the most dangerous sector in the world. The economic cost resulting from human injuries and fatalities in this sector is substantial. Increased commodity demands in countries like Australia, United States, and other developed counties have resulted in growth of the construction sector. Occupational health and safety is one area that employers, workers and governments can all assist to improve. In this essay we would learn about the occupational health and safety issues that these migrant workers face. This review will shed light on the occupational health and safety issues in the migrant industry along with presenting some recommendations that will help strengthen the future policies. Often migrant workers are considered as burden on society as their contribution to the host country is often underestimated (Alkilani, Jupp, & Sawhney, 2013). They fill the labour shortages in jobs that are often shunned by the local population. In a survey that was conducted in year 2010 public attitude towards these workers was fogged with misconceptions and misunderstandings. Therefore if these workers are not supported by coherent policies and legislature their contribution to the society and their decent work will be ignored. (Nussbaum, 2011).
Occupational injuries and accidents are generally concentrated in the migrant industry in manufacturing, fishing, agriculture and construction sectors. In the year 2008-2009 alone the Australian Migration programme recorded the arrival of approximately 172,000 migrants in various work streams. Some of the major migrant worker population all over the world works in construction sector. From the report submitted by Occupational Safety and Health examination on the causes of injuries and fatalities on construction sites, it was seen that around 40% of the fatalities occurred due to falls, around 9% were caused due to getting struck by some object, and around 9% were caused by electrocution (Yoon et al., 2013). Thus FFH or falls from height are a major contributor to the fatal injuries in construction workers. Many factors complicates the migrant labour flows in the construction sector as many of these workers are self employed, and therefore are invisible on the migrant data (Ligade, 2013). The employment based in this construction sector is project based thus making the labour arrangements flexible (Guthrie, & Quinlan, 2005).. These workers are usually employed from subcontracting chains who feed the supply to larger contractors. Hinze and Huang in their research analysed the causes of falls in construction workers and found that many of these falls took place from elevations of over 9 meters. In their research they also found that these incidences were common in residential and commercial projects which had low construction costs(Huang & Hinze. 2003). According to the International Labour Organisation there are an approximately 60000 fatalities every 10 minutes around the world. There data has also shown that 30% of the construction workers from all over the world suffer from musculoskeletal disorders and back issues (Schofield & Mikkelsen, 2013). Hu el al. conducted a study on factors that influence the risks of falls in the construction industry and found out that lack of stable construction structures and facilities, poor worker safety attitudes and behavior were among the most frequent contributors for falls(Hu K. et al.,2011). Occupational hazards especially injuries and fatalities related to falls are reportedly caused by lack of communication and the lack of proper inspections on construction sites. The accidents are usually caused by falling parts, falls from height, falls while loading or unloading, working on machines and while using explosives (Hu, Rahmandad, Smith-Jackson & Winchester, 2011). “. Pheng and Shiua have emphasised in their study that integration between safety and quality is needed for utilization of resources and for a better coordination in the construction industry (Pheng & Shiua, 2000).
Occupational Injuries and Accidents in the Migrant Industry
According to the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 the meaning of a workplace is where work for business is carried out and it also includes any place where the worker goes to work. These places can be mobile structures, vessels, aircraft etc. For construction industry the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 states that the manufacturer who conducts or undertakes in manufacturing structures should ensure that the structure is without risks to the persons working on it. The manufacturer is responsible for carrying out calculations, testing, examination and analysis that is necessary for ensuring the safety of the workers (Shah, & Edwards,2016). They are responsible for providing adequate information to each individual that is working on the plant or structure. These individuals (workers) should be informed about the results of the calculations, testing, examination and analysis. Work Health and Safety Act 2011 states that accidents like falls will be classified under “notifiable incident” which means that a death, or serious injury to a person that requires immediate treatment. Any injury that requires treatment within 48 hours is also included in “serious injury”. Accidents related to electric shocks, collapse of a structure etc are classified under “dangerous incident”. This act also states that a failure to comply with the duty of providing a safe workplace would comply with a maximum fine of $300,000 in case of a person conducting a business. A fine of $1,500,000 would be imposed if a body corporate is found failing to abide by the law. The company or person has a duty to consult their workers regarding the work health and safety matters, if they are found unable to do so they would be fined a maximum of $20,000 in case of an individual. In case of a body corporate the fine would be 100,000 $. (Fraser, 2007).
Under this act, workers are even given a right to cease work if they have a reasonable concern regarding their safety. This “cease work under this division” carries out under section 84 and 85. Health and Safety representatives that are appointed by the work groups can also cease work if they have a reasonable concern regarding the safety of the workers.
There are some standard industry practices that are followed in order to minimize the occurrence of accidents like falls in construction sites. These practices are providing technical support at the drafting level, conducting training programmes, and carrying out surveys. These surveys include the labour information (no of labors), work timings and work shifts (Low & Shiua, 2000). These surveys also evaluate accidents, number of accidents occurring, type of injuries caused and the reason for the accidents (Hassan & Houdmont, 2014). Falls can be prevented by planning ahead for job safety while working on roofs, scaffolds and ladders. Workers should be trained to wear safety equipment. The workers should be provided with the right equipment to lower risks of death and serious injuries. Employers must train all workers to recognize hazards, fall protection systems and other safety equipments. (Chia-Fen et al., 2005).
The Construction Industry as a Hazardous Workplace
The demand of migrant workers is on the rise around the world but with respect to Occupational health and safety they are most vulnerable. There are numerous factors that contribute to the incidences of deaths and injuries in migrant workers on construction sites in comparison to local workers (Shukor,2010). Some of these factors are that migrant workers lack the legal protection and therefore government should make sure that every migrant worker should have protections and rights. Breaches in occupational health and safety should be dealt with strict penalties to deter the motivation among employers. Government should also ensure that workers implement and understand their responsibility in workplaces (Kines, Spangenberg, & Dyreborg, 2007). Poor communication skills due to language barrier is another factor that contributed to the putting these workers in risk. Strategies should be formed to address language barriers in workplaces such as construction sites (Mahmoudi, Ghasemi, Mohammadfam, & Soleimani, 2014). This can be done by providing language training to immigrant workers. Union membership should be encouraged to provide a voice to these workers. Construction accidents account for one in six fatalities every year around the world. It is crucial to recognize and address occupations health and safety measures on construction sites and it cannot be limited to a single enterprise. In construction there are numerous project contributors and stakeholders who influence occupational health and safety. Therefore coordinating the activities of work crews and activities of the contributors is a duty of every employer to ensure a safe working space for its workers.
References
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