title: Promoting personal safety of building service workers: issues and challenges.
abstract: This exploratory, descriptive study conducted at a large western Canadian university solicited perceptions of personal safety among building service workers who perform night shift work alone. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted at approximately 10:00 p.m. or 7:00 a.m with a convenience sample of night building service workers in private or semi-private locations on the university campus. Transcribed interview data were subjected to inductive content analysis using descriptive, interpretive, and pattern coding (Miles & Huberman, 1994). Results suggest that building service night shift workers are exposed to personal safety hazards in their physical and psychosocial work environments. In addition, culturally and linguistically appropriate delivery of safety training and education about policies and procedures is required for culturally diverse building service workers. Promotion of personal safety in this heterogeneous worker population requires due diligence, assessment, and advocacy.
authors.affiliation: Family Linkages Foundation of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Shelley I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: D Lynn
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Skillen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000416:Alberta; D000884:Anthropology, Cultural; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003144:Communication Barriers; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D006804:Ergonomics; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006796:Household Work; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D024802:Nurse's Role; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D016272:Occupational Health; D009785:Occupational Health Nursing; D036301:Qualitative Research; D017751:Safety Management / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012637:Security Measures; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014495:Universities; D014940:Work Schedule Tolerance; D017132:Workplace / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology