Immigrants a risk factor on housing group form
“Immigrants” were listed along with “asbestos” and “noise” on a list of 39 risk factors on a form to be filled out by cooperative housing associations belonging to HSB Skåne in southern Sweden, reports Sydsvenskan newspaper. The list was intended to assess the health and safety environment of various HSB properties.
Members of local tenant associations were outraged. “What exactly was the thinking behind this?” asked Christina Gyland, chairman of a housing association in Lund, adding that it bordered on being racist.
Katarina Burle, head of communication at HSB Skåne, told Sydsvenskan that the immigrant criteria was poorly formulated and was in the process of being removed from the form.
Burle said that it was initially used in housing areas with significant immigrant populations and was primarily intended to flag properties that would need information posted in multiple languages.
The risk assessment form originally came from Fastigo, the employer organisation of the real estate industry.
Fastigo head lawyer Jonas Stålnacke told the newspaper that while he understood how the immigrant criteria could be misunderstood, “it is not the case that we consider immigrants to be a risk factor in the working environment.”
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Members of local tenant associations were outraged. “What exactly was the thinking behind this?” asked Christina Gyland, chairman of a housing association in Lund, adding that it bordered on being racist.
Katarina Burle, head of communication at HSB Skåne, told Sydsvenskan that the immigrant criteria was poorly formulated and was in the process of being removed from the form.
Burle said that it was initially used in housing areas with significant immigrant populations and was primarily intended to flag properties that would need information posted in multiple languages.
The risk assessment form originally came from Fastigo, the employer organisation of the real estate industry.
Fastigo head lawyer Jonas Stålnacke told the newspaper that while he understood how the immigrant criteria could be misunderstood, “it is not the case that we consider immigrants to be a risk factor in the working environment.”
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