More immigrants are seeking employment in restaurants. Drawing data from an ethnographic study, this article discusses what and how sociocultural contexts shape the safety and health of immigrant restaurant workers. Eighteen Chinese immigrants from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan participated in the study. Data generation methods included a questionnaire, individual and focus group interviews, and participant observations. Ethnographic analysis revealed that immigration mechanisms, demands of English proficiency for employment, and existence of networks and ethnic communities shaped the participants' employment choices. Working hours and schedules, interpersonal relationships at work, job design and training, occupational safety and health training, and national events and economy further influenced the participants' occupational experiences and well-being. Issues were noted with job security, mental health, family relationships, and risks for occupational injuries and illnesses. Implications for occupational health nursing research and practice to reduce immigrant workers' vulnerability to poor safety and health outcomes conclude this article.
References
1.
AgarM., & MacDonaldJ. (1995). Focus group and ethnography. Human Organization, 54, 78–86.
2.
AlexanderB. H.FranklinG. M., & WolfM. E. (1994). The sexual assault of women at work in Washington state, 1980 to 1989. American Journal of Public Health, 84, 640–642.
3.
American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations. (2005). Immigrant workers at risk: The urgent need for improved workplace safety and health policies and programs. Washington, DC: Author.
4.
Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2005). Food services and drinking places (bulletin 2601). Retrieved March 18, 2006, from www.bls.gov/oco/cg/print/cgs023.htm
5.
Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2007). Workplace injuries. Retrieved November 6, 2008, from www.bls.gov/data/#injuries
6.
CappsR.FortunyK., & FixM. (2007). Trends in the low-wage immigrant labor force, 2000–2005. Washington, DC: Urban Institute.
7.
ChangW.-R.LiK. W.HuangY.-H.FiliaggiA., & CourtneyT. K. (2004). Assessing floor slipperiness in fast-food restaurants in Taiwan using objective and subjective measures. Applied Ergonomics, 35, 401–408.
8.
ChrismanN. J. (1981). Ethnic persistence in an urban setting. Ethnicity, 8, 256–292.
9.
DavilaF. (2000, October 15). The struggle for the soul of Seattle's international district. The Seattle Times, pp. A1, A12–A13.
10.
DempseyP. G., & FiliaggiA. J. (2006). Cross-sectional investigation of task demands and musculoskeletal discomfort among restaurant wait staff. Ergonomics, 49, 93–106.
11.
HainesD.RutherfordD., & ThomasP. (1981). The case for exploratory fieldwork: Understanding the adjustment of Vietnamese refugees in the Washington area. Anthropological Quarterly, 54(2), 94–102.
12.
HammersleyM., & AtkinsonP. (1995). Ethnography: Principles in practice (2nd ed.). London: Routledge.
13.
HasleP., & LimborgH. J. (2006). A review of the literature on preventive occupational health and safety activities in small enterprises. Industrial Health, 44, 6–12.
14.
HendricksK. J., & LayneL. A. (1999). Adolescent occupational injuries in fast food restaurants: An examination of the problem from a national perspective. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 41(12), 1146–1153.
15.
HorwitzI. B., & McCallB. P. (2005). An analysis of occupational burn injuries in Rhode Island: Workers' compensation claims, 1998 to 2002. Journal of Burn Care Rehabilitation, 26, 505–514.
16.
IslamS. S.NambiarA. M.DoyleE. J.VelillaA. M.BiswasR. S., & DucatmanA. M. (2000). Epidemiology of work-related burn injuries: Experience of a state-managed workers' compensation system. Journal of Trauma, 49, 1045–1051.
17.
JefferysK., & MongerR. (2008). US legal permanent residents: 2007. Retrieved July 15, 2008, from www.dhs.gov/ximgtn/statistics
18.
JorgensenD. L. (1989). Participant observation: A methodology for human studies. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
19.
KharbandaR., & RitchieA. (2005). Behind the kitchen door: Pervasive inequality in New York City's thriving restaurant industry. New York City: The Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York and the New York City Restaurant Industry Coalition.
20.
KoY.-C.ChengS.-C.LeeC.-H.HuangJ.-J.HuangM.-S.KaoE.-L. (2000). Chinese food cooking and lung cancer in women nonsmokers. American Journal of Epidemiology, 151, 140–147.
21.
LarssonT. J. (2003). Is small business a safety problem?Safety Science Monitor, 7(1), 1–23.
22.
McCauleyL. A. (2005). Immigrant workers in the United States: Recent trends, vulnerable populations, and challenges for occupational health. AAOHN Journal, 53, 313–319.
23.
MorseJ. M. (2000). Determining sample size. Qualitative Health Research, 10, 3–5.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. (1999). Identifying high-risk small business industries: The basis for preventing occupational injury, illness, and fatality (DHHS no. 99-107). Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
PortesA. (Ed.). (1995). The economic sociology of immigration: Essays on networks, ethnicity, and entrepreneurship. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
28.
SalazarM. K., & BeatonR. (2000). Ecological model of occupational stress. AAOHN Journal, 48, 470–479.
29.
SandelowskiM. (1995). Focus on qualitative methods: Sample size in qualitative research. Research in Nursing and Health, 18, 179–183.
30.
SauterS. L.BrightwellW. S.ColliganM. J.HurrellJ. J. J.KatzT. M.LeGrandeD. E. (2002). The changing organization of work and the safety and health of working people (DHHS no. 2002-116). Cincinnati, OH: Department of Health and Human Services.
31.
SiegelM. (1993). Involuntary smoking in the restaurant workplace: A review of employee exposure and health effects. Journal of the American Medical Association, 270, 490–493.
32.
SvendsenK.SjaastadA. K., & SivertsenJ. (2003). Respiratory symptoms in kitchen workers. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 43, 436–439.
33.
The Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York. (2003). The New York City restaurant industry analysis: The quantitative report. New York: Author.
34.
TsaiJ. H.-C. (2001). One story, two interpretations: The lived experiences of Taiwanese immigrant families in the United States. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Washington, Seattle.
35.
TsaiJ. H.-C. (2003). Contextualizing immigrants' lived experience: Story of Taiwanese immigrants in the United States. Journal of Cultural Diversity, 10(3), 76–83.
36.
TsaiJ. H., & SalazarM. K. (2007). Occupational hazards and risks in restaurants faced by Chinese immigrant workers. Family and Community Health, 30(2 Suppl.), S71–S79.
37.
WongB. (1998). Ethnicity and entrepreneurship: The new Chinese immigrants in the San Francisco Bay area. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
38.
WuM.-T.LeeL.H.HoC.-K.WuS.-C.LinL.-Y.ChengB.-H. (2004). Environmental exposure to cooking oil fumes and cervical intraepithelial neoplasm. Environmental Research, 94, 25–32.
