‘I am a Scaffolder’: Constructing Safety Knowledge and Machismo in ‘Dirty Work’

Kamoche, Ken; Law, Kuok Kei

Abstract

This paper investigates how Hong Kong scaffolders navigate and make sense of everyday dangerous work which is stigmatised in a highly aspirational society. With the theoretical lens of 'dirty work', we examine what attracts the scaffolders into the occupation, how they perceive and navigate risk, and how they construct the knowledge that enables them to function safely as skilled craftsmen. We found that the sector attracts young men from disadvantaged backgrounds and with links to the criminal underworld, who respond to social stigma by constructing an identity of intrepid performers and enacting unsafe high-risk activities and brinkmanship. Yet, their traditional knowledge and practices now face obsolescence due to pressure to standardize safety training and practice, and also due to an internal crisis of occupational legitimacy. This paper contributes to our understanding of the analytical lens of 'dirty work' in macho cultures.

Citation

Kamoche, K., & Law, K. K. (2024). ‘I am a Scaffolder’: Constructing Safety Knowledge and Machismo in ‘Dirty Work’. Work, Employment and Society, https://doi.org/10.1177/09500170241281032

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 8, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Oct 23, 2024
• Publication Date: Oct 23, 2024
• Deposit Date: Dec 13, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 19, 2024
• Print ISSN: 0950-0170
• Electronic ISSN: 1469-8722
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/09500170241281032
• Keywords: bamboo scaffold; dirty work; identity; macho culture; safety; social stigma
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/42838808
• Publisher URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09500170241281032