Workplace Non-Fatal Injuries Among Immigrants to the US

Lingxin Hao, Johns Hopkins University

This paper investigates into the prevalence and causes of workplace injuries among foreign-born workers. Our conceptual model considers different sources of system and human errors between foreign-born and native-born workers, including system errors in informal and contract employment and human errors due to low English proficiency and unfamiliarity with the U.S. workplace. Important hypotheses include the role of home country context, current employment type, and duration of U.S. residence. The data are drawn from Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) 1996 and 2001, which contain critical information on work injury. This study is the first investigation into the prevalence and causes of immigrants’ workplace injuries. Examining immigrants’ experiences will shed insight to our understanding of the race/ethnic divide of workplace injuries. Results from this study will provide fresh evidence for health policy makers to design preventive programs targeting the growing immigrant work force that are vulnerable to work-related injuries.