Claire Mayhew

The global expansion of precarious employment, work disorganization, and consequences for occupational health: a review of recent research.

In this review of a range of studies on the health and safety effects of precarious employment in industrialized societies published since 1984, the authors examine the overall findings and methodological issues and identify areas in need of further research. Of the 93 published journal articles and monographs/book chapters reviewed, 76 studies found precarious employment was associated with a deterioration in occupational health and safety (OHS) in terms of injury rates, disease risk, hazard exposures, or worker (and manager) knowledge of OHS and regulatory responsibilities. Of the more than 25 studies each on outsourcing and organizational restructuring/downsizing, well over 90 percent find a negative association with OHS. The evidence is fairly persuasive for temporary workers, with 14 of 24 studies finding a negative association with OHS. The evidence is less strong for small business, and a handful of studies on part-time workers found no clear association with negative OHS outcomes (in some cases the reverse). Further research is needed to more clearly link health effects to particular business practices and neoliberal policies and to explore the regulatory implications of the growth of precarious employment. The authors suggest some ways to conceptualize the association between precarious employment and occupational health.

Subcontracting and occupational health and safety in the residential building industry

This article examines the relationship between subcontracting and occupational health and safety in the Australian and UK residential building industry. It is argued that poorer OHS is an important consequence of subcontracting. This finding has implications for theories of injury causation and analysing the impact of outsourcing on industrial relations.

The Health and Safety Effects of Job Insecurity: An Evaluation of the Evidence

Since the 1930s, research has indicated that unemployment has serious effects on physical and psychological well-being. Recent evidence confirms these findings and provides greater insight into the processes by which unemployment influences health. It is less widely recognised that job insecurity can also adversely affect the health and well-being of workers. This paper reviews the rapidly growing body of research on the health impact of job insecurity and organisational practices that produce insecurity, such as downsizing and restructuring. Our review identified sixty-eight studies, using a variety of methods and measures, published internationally since 1966. Eighty-eight per cent of these studies indicated that job insecurity was associated with diminished worker health and well-being. Implications of this finding for labour market and industrial relations policies, as well as occupational health and safety, are discussed.

The Effects of Outsourcing on Occupational Health and Safety: A Comparative Study of Factory-Based Workers and Outworkers in the Australian Clothing Industry

Outsourcing has become increasingly widespread throughout industrialized societies over the past 20 years. Accompanying this has been a renewed growth in home-based work, sometimes using new technologies (telework) but also entailing a re-emergence of old forms, such as clothing outwork, used extensively 100 years ago. A growing body of research indicates that changes to work organization associated with outsourcing adversely affect occupational health and safety (OHS), both for outsourced workers and for those working alongside them. This study assessed the OHS implications of the shift to home-based workers in the Australian clothing industry by systematically comparing the OHS experiences of 100 factory-based workers and 100 outworkers. The level of self-reported injury was over three times higher among outworkers than factory-based workers undertaking similar tasks. The most significant factor explaining this difference was the payment system. All outworkers were paid solely by the piece, whereas factory workers were paid either under a time plus production bonus system or solely on a time basis. While the incidence of injury was far higher among outworkers, factory-based workers paid under an incentive system reported more injuries than those paid solely on a time basis. Increasing injury was correlated with piecework payment systems.

Measuring the Extent of Impact from Occupational Violence and Bullying on Traumatised Workers

Across the industrialised world, there is evidence that both the incidence and the severity of occupational violence and bullying are increasingly being reported over time. While there have been few substantive scientific studies in Australia, all the available evidence shows a similar increasing level of risk. It has long been assumed that those who suffer a physical assault during the course of violent events are more likely to be emotionally traumatised by the experience than are those who are merely threatened or bullied at work. However, there are no substantive data published to date. In this paper the authors aim to elucidate and quantify the extent of emotional injury/stress suffered as a result of different forms of occupational violence, based on empirical data collected during face-to-face interviewing of 800 Australian workers employed in the tertiary education, health and long-haul transport industry sectors. The authors conclude that the impact from more covert forms of occupational violence (such as bullying) can, in many instances, at least equal the emotional trauma following assaults on-the-job.

Economic pressure, multi‐tiered subcontracting and occupational health and safety in Australian long‐haul trucking

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to analyse the relationship between economic pressure, multi‐tiered subcontracting and occupational health and safety (OHS) outcomes for employee and owner/drivers in long‐haul trucking, using Australian evidence.Design/methodology/approach – The analysis is based on direct interviews with 300 long‐haul drivers, using a structured questionnaire along with an examination of documentary records, statistics and government reports. Qualitative and quantitative data were gathered on self‐reported acute and chronic injuries, the incidence of occupational violence, truck crashes, indicators of illicit drug use, hours of work/fatigue and psychological distress.Findings – Variations between owner/drivers and employees working for small and large firms were investigated. Overall, owner/drivers reported worse OHS than small fleet and, more especially, large fleet drivers. Evidence also indicated a connection between economic pressure, the expansion of contingent work and neg...

Educating the isolated ageing: improving the quality of life of the housebound elderly through educational teleconferencing

Educational programmes for older people can equip them with knowledge and skills to help them maintain their independence. However, housebound frail elderly people are usually denied the opportunity to benefit from educational programmes which might assist them to better manage their difficulties and improve their quality of life. This paper reports on a recent study with 18 relatively isolated, housebound, frail elderly people aged from 58 to 92 years old who took part in an eight‐week educational programme by teleconference. The programme content was designed to stimulate their thinking and provide practical information which might assist them to cope better with their situation. Although all participants suffered from one or more disabling illnesses, and the majority came from quite limited educational backgrounds, all remained committed to the programme. Assessments indicated that quality of life improvements had taken place throughout the programme suggesting the need for further trials of a similar ...

Go‐getter, Hamstrung, and Yesteryear Managers of Older Australians' Leisure Organisations

Book reviews in this article:

Occupational violence risk for precariously employed adolescents: multiple vulnerabilities to multiple risk factors

Abstract Over the past decade there has been an escalating debate about the extent to which labour process factors increase vulnerability to occupational safety and health hazards and risks. Included in this debate are the following issues: the extent to which precariously employed workers have restricted access to preventive information; the mechanisms by which contractors/subcontractors are economically encouraged to work excessively long shifts; and the restrictions that are placed formally or informally on access to preventive training. At the same time there has been a quite separate debate within agencies of the United Nations about the negative health and safety consequences associated with the employment of children and adolescents. Further, in an entirely different arena, debate has focused on identification of the risks of occupational violence. To date, these debates about hazard and risk exposures have been evaluated in distinct scientific studies with separate analyses of exposures, at-risk working populations and employment categories. In this paper, these separate debates are drawn together. The central focus of the paper is identification of the risk of exposure to occupational violence among adolescent workers in industrialised countries. The discussion begins with a brief review of the health and safety risks associated with precarious employment in general. This is followed by an assessment of the extent to which adolescents participate in the labour force and an outline of the particular risks faced by teenage workers. Empirical evidence is then presented from a series of occupational violence studies conducted in a range of different industry sectors, and some arguments about incidence patterns and vulnerabilities published in an earlier issue of this journal1 are developed further to focus more tightly on adolescent workers. The author argues that the probability of experiencing an occupational violence event is increased when workers are adolescent, precariously employed, inexperienced in the workforce, and employed in service sector jobs that require significant amounts of face-to-face contact with customers — particularly if these job tasks require the exchange of money for goods and services. However, if adolescents are working illegally, informally in family businesses or formally in casual positions that are very precarious, occupational violence is unlikely to be reported or recorded, and hence preventive interventions are unlikely. The author concludes by examining a range of policy approaches that can be adopted to reduce the risks of occupational violence and to enhance the implementation of preventive interventions that may help protect adolescent workers.

The Relationship between Precarious Employment and Patterns of Occupational Violence

There is increasing recognition that the growth of precarious employment in industrialised countries affects the incidence of occupational injuries. As yet there has been little research into connections between precarious employment and occupational violence. This study provides Australian evidence on patterns of workplace violence in occupations dominated by contingent workers. The study examined surveys of workers in thirteen occupations. The surveys included male and female dominated occupations, enabling exploration of the relationship between gender, work characteristics and occupational violence. Qualitative data allowed exploration of the origins and situational characteristics. In several surveys a control group of non-precarious workers enabled comparisons to be made between contingent and traditional workers. The studies revealed marked differences in levels of violence across occupations although low level violence in the form of abuse was common in most and there was a significant level of actual physical assault amongst four occupational groups. In two of the thee occupations where direct comparisons were possible precarious workers were at greater risk of occupational violence. There is also reason to believe that managing occupational violence is more difficult where precarious employment is involved. Overall, our study provides some evidence that precarious employment can exacerbate occupational violence problems.