April 2016

OPM follow-up questions help firms act on leading indicator scores

The Institute for Work & Health (IWH), along with partners in the prevention system, has created an eight-item measure called the IWH Organizational Performance Metric (IWH-OPM) to help employers assess their health and safety performance. Now, follow-up questions have now been developed to help them act on their IWH-OPM scores. Learn more about the research and field expertise behind the development of these follow-up questions, and how you can download the tool and follow-up questions for use in your own workplace, in the next issue of At Work, IWH’s quarterly newsletter.

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IWH researchers share their latest findings at Partners in Prevention 2016

Partners in Prevention 2016, taking place April 26 and 27 in Toronto, is your chance to hear from IWH scientists first-hand about their latest findings on preventing workplace injury and illness. IWH’s Dr. Ben Amick teams up with Illia Tchernikov of Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS) to share their insights from the largest leading indicators survey conducted in Ontario. Amick also joins Public Services Health & Safety Association (PSHSA)’s Henrietta Van Hulle to talk about establishing a workplace violence prevention program. IWH’s Dr. Peter Smith is teaming up with Tchernikov to present a tool to measure vulnerability among workers. If you drop by the IWH Booth (#525), you can pick up copies of the tools that Amick and Smith will be presenting—and enter our draw for an iPad mini.

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Motor control exercises can ease low-back pain, says Cochrane Back and Neck review

Motor control exercise may work as well as other types of physical activity for easing lower back pain, according to a new review by Cochrane Back and Neck. Read about the effectiveness of this type of exercise, which targets core muscles to support the spine.

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Issue Briefing now out on adequacy of workers’ compensation benefits in Ontario

How well does the current workers’ compensation system in Ontario make up for the lost earnings of injured workers with permanent impairments? IWH labour economist Dr. Emile Tompa recently updated an analysis of the adequacy of workers’ compensation benefits to include 1998 changes to Ontario’s workers’ compensation program. He followed the wage replacement rates of people with permanent impairments injured in 1998 to 2002 over a 10-year period. An Issue Briefing summarizing his updated findings is now available.

Read the Issue Briefing

Using peers to raise skin disease awareness among nail salon workers: CREOD study

Nail salon workers are often vulnerable immigrant workers and often exposed to skin hazards. A recent study by the Centre for Research Expertise in Occupational Disease (CREOD), in collaboration with the Healthy Nail Salon Network, revealed that nail salon workers are concerned with how chemical exposures may be affecting their health. The study also examined the use of peers to deliver training on how workers could protect their skin. Not only did the workers find the training helpful, a post-training survey found they also used protective cotton gloves and hand cream more often.

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Join us in spreading the word about the census

As a research organization, IWH welcomes the return of the mandatory long-form census. Evidence-based decisions on programs and policies that affect the lives of Canadians, including programs and policies to prevent workplace injury and illness, depend on accurate and reliable data. As Statistics Canada conducts the next Census of Population in May, we’re proud to help spread the word about its importance, and we hope you’ll join us in encouraging all to complete the census in a timely and accurate manner.

Learn more about the census

Uyen Vu
Communications Associate
613-979-7742
uvu@iwh.on.ca