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Work experiences of Latino building cleaners: An exploratory study
Author(s) -
Eggerth Donald E.,
Ortiz Bermang,
Keller Brenna M.,
Flynn Michael A.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.22986
Subject(s) - psychosocial , medicine , immigration , workforce , occupational safety and health , focus group , stressor , vulnerability (computing) , qualitative research , psychological intervention , ethnic group , grounded theory , burnout , gerontology , poison control , work (physics) , suicide prevention , human factors and ergonomics , environmental health , nursing , clinical psychology , psychiatry , economic growth , sociology , social science , computer security , anthropology , history , archaeology , pathology , computer science , engineering , mechanical engineering , economics
Background There are roughly 3.8 million cleaning workers in the United States. The cleaning workforce is largely composed of women, immigrants, and ethnic minorities who receive low wages and have low education levels. They are exposed to physical, chemical, biological, and psychosocial hazards. Methods Qualitative methodology was used to investigate how Latino immigrants experience work as building cleaners. A grounded theory coding approach was used to analyze focus group data from 77 participants. Results Three major themes were identified: economic vulnerability, psychosocial stressors, and health and safety effects. Although workers are aware of the safety hazards associated with their jobs, they believe their immigration status limits employment opportunities leading them to accept poor working conditions. They work through injuries and cope psychologically through minimizing negative health impacts and normalizing work‐related injuries and illnesses. Conclusions The findings suggest that interventions for these workers should recognize the hostile organizational and psychosocial contexts within which immigrants often work.