Negotiating Safety: Facilitation of Return to Work for Individuals Employed in High-Risk Occupations.
Canada
Mental illness
Qualitative analysis
Return-to-work
Safety-sensitive
Journal
Journal of occupational rehabilitation
ISSN: 1573-3688
Titre abrégé: J Occup Rehabil
Pays: Netherlands
ID NLM: 9202814
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
25 Apr 2024
25 Apr 2024
Historique:
accepted:
07
03
2024
medline:
26
4
2024
pubmed:
26
4
2024
entrez:
25
4
2024
Statut:
aheadofprint
Résumé
Return-to-work (RTW) after absence due to a mental illness is a largely understudied area, especially in industries already struggling with retention like those posing unique and high risks for public or personal safety (i.e., pilots, police officers, and health professionals), otherwise known as safety-sensitive sectors. The goal of this paper is to examine how RTW coordinators work with individuals who took a leave of absence for mental illness in safety-sensitive occupations and navigate the RTW process. Qualitative methodology was utilized to explore the experiences of 47 RTW coordinators who had worked with individuals employed in safety-sensitive industries. The participants were recruited across Canada using convenience sampling to participate in semi-structured interviews. The interviews were transcribed, anonymized, uploaded to NVIVO 11, and coded using inductive thematic analysis. Our analysis shows that despite the presumed rigidity of occupational health and safety standards for safety-sensitive positions, the notion of "safety" becomes ambiguous in navigating RTW processes, and concerns about safety are often interpreted as the potential risk workers may pose to themselves, other individuals, or the workplace image. Institutional constraints of safety-sensitive jobs shape the ability of RTW coordinators to advocate on behalf of the workers, ultimately placing the workers at a disadvantage by prioritizing safety concerns for organizations over employees' needs. It is important to consider how to protect workers in safety-sensitive occupations during the RTW process after absence due to a mental illness to ensure effective integration to the workplace.
Identifiants
pubmed: 38664361
doi: 10.1007/s10926-024-10189-9
pii: 10.1007/s10926-024-10189-9
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Subventions
Organisme : Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board
ID : MACE2018
Organisme : Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board
ID : MACE2018
Organisme : Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board
ID : MACE2018
Informations de copyright
© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
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