An exploratory study of migrant workers and safety in three European countries
An exploratory study was carried out in three European countries – Denmark, United Kingdom and the Netherlands – concerning the safety of migrant workers, especially those coming from Eastern European countries. Special attention was given to the relationship between safety and the national background of migrant workers. Forty-four interviews with HSE experts – e.g. regulators, union representatives – in the three countries, a survey using the NOSACQ-50 safety climate questionnaire and an accident data analysis using Danish data have been combined to draw a picture of the situation of migrant workers in the three countries. Although much data is still anecdotal it is concluded that these workers form a vulnerable group. As long as many migrant workers remain unregistered in the country where they work and national accident databases are not sufficiently or systematically coded, the magnitude of the migrant
worker problem remains largely elusive.
1. Introduction
Following the expansion of the European Union in 2004 and 2007 entailing the addition of the so-called CEE and CEE-plus countries,1 the number of people from these countries working in the Nether- lands, and similarly elsewhere in Europe, has grown considerably. It is, therefore, not surprising that the number of accidents with these new migrant workers has increased accordingly. It will first become a matter of serious concern, however, when the number of accidents or other anecdotal material relating to migrants actually increases dis- proportionately. These days, rather frequently disturbing items ap- pear in the media of drunken (Polish) truck drivers or miserably housed migrant workers. Such stories have resulted in questions being posed in the Dutch Parliament, especially when disconcerting peaks also start to appear in the annual figures (in absolute numbers) that the Dutch Labour Inspectorate produces. Such concerns provide the background to the research reported in this paper.
The Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (SZW) approached Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands with a request to shed more light on the issue with regard to the work safety of migrant workers. Another concern that was raised by the Ministry was whether the safety of migrant workers might be somehow related to their country of origin and the safety values,assumptions and expectations they bring from those countries. Or whether it, perhaps, was a matter of adjustment, or language, which might explain why migrant workers currently seem to be more involved in accidents. The latter suggestion is, of course, a subject of serious debate, since it is based on absolute numbers and in the absence of exposure rates, it is difficult to provide more definite statements about these numbers. This study was con- ducted to try and shed light on these complex questions and to give, if feasible, any policy recommendations.
In the next section we first explore the research issue somewhat further. We then present a brief discussion of relevant previous re- search. Then, the applied research methods, the results and conclu- sions based on these will follow. Finally, a brief research agenda will be drafted, which might be of some use to define more focused research on migrant workers and safety in the next few years.