Invisible work, unseen hazards: The health of women immigrant household service workers in Spain.
BACKGROUND
Household service work has been largely absent from occupational health studies. We examine the occupational hazards and health effects identified by immigrant women household service workers.


METHODS
Exploratory, descriptive study of 46 documented and undocumented immigrant women in household services in Spain, using a phenomenological approach. Data were collected between September 2006 and May 2007 through focus groups and semi-structured individual interviews. Data were separated for analysis by documentation status and sorted using a mixed-generation process. In a second phase of analysis, data on psychosocial hazards were organized using the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire as a guide.


RESULTS
Informants reported a number of environmental, ergonomic and psychosocial hazards and corresponding health effects. Psychosocial hazards were especially strongly present in data. Data on reported hazards were similar by documentation status and varied by several emerging categories: whether participants were primarily cleaners or carers and whether they lived in or outside of the homes of their employers. Documentation status was relevant in terms of empowerment and bargaining, but did not appear to influence work tasks or exposure to hazards directly.


CONCLUSIONS
Female immigrant household service workers are exposed to a variety of health hazards that could be acted upon by improved legislation, enforcement, and preventive workplace measures, which are discussed.
Ahonen
Emily Q
EQ
Occupational Health Research Center, Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health Spain (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain. ahonen@uic.edu
López-Jacob
María José
MJ
Vázquez
María Luisa
ML
Porthé
Victoria
V
Gil-González
Diana
D
García
Ana María
AM
Ruiz-Frutos
Carlos
C
Benach
Joan
J
Benavides
Fernando G
FG
D000328:Adult; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006795:Household Products / Q000633:toxicity; D006796:Household Work; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013030:Spain; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires