title: After the storm: the social relations of return to work following electrical injury.
abstract: In this study, we explored the experiences of 13 individuals who had suffered an electrical injury at work and had subsequently returned to work. In this article, we report on the social, institutional, and relational elements that workers perceived to influence return to work experiences and the provision of workplace accommodations. These elements included (a) worker resources, (b) job characteristics, (c) workplace setting, (d) injury elements, (e) workers' compensation context, and (f) supports and advocacy provided. We conclude that the availability and provision of supportive accommodations are influenced by a multiplicity of interrelated factors including the legitimacy of resulting impairments following electrical injury, institutional structures (e.g., compensation and health care systems), the social relations of work, and broader labor market and economic contexts. Those workers who were vulnerable because of factors such as employment circumstances or labor market conditions were often poorly supported when returning to work following electrical injury.
authors.affiliation: Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada elizabeth.mansfield@utoronto.ca.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mansfield
authors.affiliation: University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stergiou-Kita
authors.affiliation: University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Bonnie
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kirsh
authors.affiliation: University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Colantonio
mesh_terms: D004556:Electric Injuries / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D060051:Occupational Injuries / Q000523:psychology*; D062707:Return to Work / Q000523:psychology*; D014942:Workers' Compensation; D017132:Workplace / Q000523:psychology
keywords: burn injury, burns; disability / disabled persons; health and well-being; illness and disease, experiences; interviews, semistructured; occupational health; qualitative analysis; rehabilitation; vulnerable populations; workplace