Health and safety of migrant workers research

The study was carried out by London Metropolitan University on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

It found that migrant workers may be experiencing higher levels of workplace accidents because they were more likely to work long hours, to work shifts and to have "limited understanding of health and safety".

Contributory factors also highlighted were communication difficulties and the fact migrants were "more likely to take up work in sectors that they have not been trained or had experience working in."

Jeremy Bevan, HSE programme manager on migrant workers, said: "We are already taking action to implement the research's key findings, in particular we are continuing to target inspections and enforcement in sectors where migrant workers and other vulnerable workers are most likely to work."