Immigrants working in the construction industry are usually injured at work

Road constructionRoad construction.Photo: Norway Today Media

Immigrants in handicrafts are four times more often injured at work than Norwegians, and they are more exposed to harmful noise, dust, smoke, gases and vapors.

 

The figures are presented in a new report from the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority and the Norwegian Institute of Occupational Health and Safety (STAMI).

It shows that immigrants in handicrafts report more health problems than Norwegian craftsmen. In addition, they report more often about lifting in inconvenient positions and standing work, and that they can take breaks less often. The majority of the craftsmen are employed in construction.

“The report shows that craftsmen who are immigrants are more at risk than the Norwegians. Employers and those who hire immigrants or foreign workers must be better at preventing and reducing the risk of this group,” says Trude Vollheim, Director of Labor Inspection.

Building and construction is one of the industries with the highest number of occupational injury deaths and occupational accidents, all workers are under one. The report shows that the number of reported injuries in build and construction has fallen somewhat in recent years, but it is still slightly higher than the average for all industries.

The Labor Inspectorate registered 27 deaths in the country-based workforce in Norway last year. Six of the dead were foreign citizens.

 

© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today

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