When work stays in the family: Parent–child employment configurations, safety communication, and young workers' injury risk.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: When work stays in the family: Parent–child employment configurations, safety communication, and young workers' injury risk.
Authors: Rabbani, Mariyam1 (AUTHOR), Merrifield, Anna2 (AUTHOR), Granger, Steve1,3 (AUTHOR), Turner, Nick1 (AUTHOR) nicholas.turner@ucalgary.ca
Source: Journal of Safety Research. Sep2025, Vol. 94, p383-390. 8p.
Subjects: Young workers, Work-related injuries, Family-owned business enterprises, Risk communication, Injury risk factors, Youth employment, Working parents, Employment
Abstract: • Parent–child work configurations shape young workers' safety communication and injury risk. • Working for parents linked to lower safety communication and higher injury rates. • Family safety communication inversely associated with young worker lost-time injuries. • Thicker family ties do not guarantee stronger safety communication in family businesses. • Results challenge assumptions that family employment is inherently protective for youth. Introduction: This study examines how specific parent–child employment configurations shape family safety communication and injury risk among young workers in family-owned businesses. Method: Drawing on cross-domain multiplex theory (Methot et al., 2024), we analyze survey data from 2,275 young workers (M age = 16.45; 49.9% female) in Ontario, Canada, distinguishing among four relational work arrangements: working for parents, working with parents, working both for and with parents, and working neither for nor with parents. Results: Although thicker multiplex ties were expected to strengthen safety communication and reduce injury risk, working for parents was associated with less frequent family safety communication, and safety communication did not mediate the relationship between work configuration and lost-time injury. However, young workers who worked for or both for and with their parents were significantly more likely to report work-related injuries than those working outside of family relationships. Practical applications: These findings challenge assumptions about the protective nature of family business employment, illustrate how relational structures can both enable and constrain safety communication, and highlight the need for targeted safety supports for higher-risk parent–child work arrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Safety Research is the property of Pergamon Press - An Imprint of Elsevier Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Engineering Source
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
Header DbId: egs
DbLabel: Engineering Source
An: 187814353
AccessLevel: 6
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: When work stays in the family: Parent–child employment configurations, safety communication, and young workers' injury risk.
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Rabbani%2C+Mariyam%22">Rabbani, Mariyam</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Merrifield%2C+Anna%22">Merrifield, Anna</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Granger%2C+Steve%22">Granger, Steve</searchLink><relatesTo>1,3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Turner%2C+Nick%22">Turner, Nick</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> nicholas.turner@ucalgary.ca</i>
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Safety+Research%22">Journal of Safety Research</searchLink>. Sep2025, Vol. 94, p383-390. 8p.
– Name: Subject
  Label: Subjects
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Young+workers%22">Young workers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Work-related+injuries%22">Work-related injuries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Family-owned+business+enterprises%22">Family-owned business enterprises</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Risk+communication%22">Risk communication</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Injury+risk+factors%22">Injury risk factors</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Youth+employment%22">Youth employment</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Working+parents%22">Working parents</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Employment%22">Employment</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: • Parent–child work configurations shape young workers' safety communication and injury risk. • Working for parents linked to lower safety communication and higher injury rates. • Family safety communication inversely associated with young worker lost-time injuries. • Thicker family ties do not guarantee stronger safety communication in family businesses. • Results challenge assumptions that family employment is inherently protective for youth. Introduction: This study examines how specific parent–child employment configurations shape family safety communication and injury risk among young workers in family-owned businesses. Method: Drawing on cross-domain multiplex theory (Methot et al., 2024), we analyze survey data from 2,275 young workers (M age = 16.45; 49.9% female) in Ontario, Canada, distinguishing among four relational work arrangements: working for parents, working with parents, working both for and with parents, and working neither for nor with parents. Results: Although thicker multiplex ties were expected to strengthen safety communication and reduce injury risk, working for parents was associated with less frequent family safety communication, and safety communication did not mediate the relationship between work configuration and lost-time injury. However, young workers who worked for or both for and with their parents were significantly more likely to report work-related injuries than those working outside of family relationships. Practical applications: These findings challenge assumptions about the protective nature of family business employment, illustrate how relational structures can both enable and constrain safety communication, and highlight the need for targeted safety supports for higher-risk parent–child work arrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Safety Research is the property of Pergamon Press - An Imprint of Elsevier Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=egs&AN=187814353
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1016/j.jsr.2025.06.033
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 8
        StartPage: 383
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Young workers
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Work-related injuries
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Family-owned business enterprises
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Risk communication
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Injury risk factors
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Youth employment
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Working parents
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Employment
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: When work stays in the family: Parent–child employment configurations, safety communication, and young workers' injury risk.
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Rabbani, Mariyam
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Merrifield, Anna
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Granger, Steve
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Turner, Nick
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 09
              Text: Sep2025
              Type: published
              Y: 2025
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 00224375
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 94
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Journal of Safety Research
              Type: main
ResultId 1