This thematic analysis research study is important because to date, there is no literature available in the occupational health and safety (OH&S) domain, the organizational development domain, or in the risk literature on the notion of risk of harm, nor what risk of harm means to healthy, well-adjusted, and highly trained apprentices, journeymen, trainers, and and contractors employed in the electrical trades and in the plumbing, pipe, steam, heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) trades in Canada and the USA. Combined, the 47 men who agreed to take part in this resea
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This thematic analysis research study is important because to date, there is no literature available in the occupational health and safety (OH&S) domain, the organizational development domain, or in the risk literature on the notion of risk of harm, nor what risk of harm means to healthy, well-adjusted, and highly trained apprentices, journeymen, trainers, and and contractors employed in the electrical trades and in the plumbing, pipe, steam, heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) trades in Canada and the USA. Combined, the 47 men who agreed to take part in this research have over 1,159 man years of experience on the tools, and although over 200 construction risks were identified, the number one job site risk for electricians and those employed in the pipe trade is prior work performed by unauthorized, unlicensed, and untrained workers. After this surprise finding, the results of the study closely match the recent (2015) US Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) 'fatal four' causes of occupational fatalities on construction sites: falls, electrocution, struck by object, and caught in/between. This research will be of interest to policy makers, OH&S experts, trade colleges, unions, trade organizations, risk mitigation experts, accident investigators and contractors.
Author's abstract.
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