Differences in assessment, handling and prevention of serious occupational disorders? Meanings of norms andresources related to gender, ethnicity and type of work
Short description
One of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 8.8) is to promote a safe and secure work environment and toreduce serious work injuries, especially among women migrants. International studies show increased risks forimmigrants, but in Sweden there are no studies. However, reports indicate that serious work injuries areassessed and handled differently in relation to gender, country of birth, occupation and industry. The studyexplore the mechanisms behind and how it can be prevented. The overall purpose is to analyze how the meanings of workers' gender, country of birth, socio-economicconditions and age are manifested in the management and assessment of serious work injuries in men andwomen-dominated jobs with low educational requirements.
How have patterns of work injuries developed overtime? Which norms and notions of responsibility, work content and injuries are marked in the assessments of what is understood and reported as work disorder? Which guidelines have been designed in the organization and how do employees relate to these? How is the work injury understood by the injured individual? Study (1) uses registry data to analyze the development and patterns of work injuries over time (2010-2018/2019). Study 2 uses focus group interviews with employees, safety representatives and supervisors, to analyze how work injuries are understood, assessed, communicated and managed. Study 3 analyzes documents (individuals’ applications) of occupational disorders regarding how affected individuals who applied for compensation construct (explain, produce, understand) their work injury in relation to the constructions made by the administrators and physicians. The project analyses an extensive empirical material, partly already collected. A grant would allow for a refined analysis and involve scientific in-depth analysis work and a knowledge base that helps to reduce differences in the incidence, communication and assessment of serious work injuries.