HEALTH & WORKPLACE SAFETY OF CHINESE CONSTRUCTION WORKERS — A CULTURE-CENTERED STUDY

Abstract

Recent cases on workplace accidents have placed migrant workers’ health under the media’s spotlight. Narratives by the mainstream media and academic literature often ascribe blame to workers’ negligence, leading to the public perception that migrant workers are deficient, and therefore require intervention in the form of education. Absent from these narratives are the voices of migrant workers to present their side of the story, as the mainstream discourse is established by the authorities and academic experts. Using the culture-centered approach, this paper draws on the narratives of Chinese construction workers to make sense of the health-related threats and challenges faced by the migrant communities. Through participant observation and 20 in-depth interviews, participants suggested that health to be understood from their family responsibilities, and the structural challenges they faced in securing a safe working condition and seeking health care. Furthermore, participants also articulated the multifaceted role of communication in their experiences of the structural challenges. The implications for policy-makers in promoting migrant workers’ health and future directions for research are discussed.