Scientific reports
Scientific reports are Institute for Work & Health (IWH) project-based reports for funders and interested stakeholders. Written by research teams that are led by or include an IWH scientist, the reports generally include the context and rationale for the study, how it was conducted (i.e. methodology) and its findings, followed by a discussion and, if applicable, recommendations. These reports are not peer-reviewed, although they often form the basis of peer-reviewed journal articles that are later published.
Employer perspectives on supporting return-to-work among public safety personnel who have experienced post-traumatic stress injuries: Summary report
Yanar B, Mustard C, Vesely L
The Ontario Workplace Safety & Insurance Board (WSIB) contracted with Trillium Health / Insight Health Solutions to establish a mental health assessment and treatment specialty program to meet the needs of public safety personnel (PSP) with an accepted compensation claim arising from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). To assess the specific benefits of the First Responder Mental Health Treatment (FRMHT) program, the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) and the Institute for Better Health conducted a mixed-methods formative evaluation of the program with four components. This report summarizes findings from the fourth component, led by IWH. It was focused on interviews with representatives of public safety employer representatives who supported return-to work (RTW) among PSP with PTSD.
Published:
Participation in the Health and Safety Excellence Small Business Program: Understanding small business motivations and needs
Yanar B, Mustard C, Hossain S, Robson LS, Begum M
The Workplace Safety & Insurance Board (WSIB) of Ontario launched the Health and Safety Excellence Program (HSEp) in 2019 to help Ontario employers improve their management of workplace health and safety. In 2021, to increase the participation of small businesses, the WSIB and the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development adjusted several program features and launched the HSEp Small Business Program. This report summarizes the results from a study aimed at understanding the needs, motivations, and experiences of the selected cohort of small businesses in the program and identifying effective approaches to improve the delivery of occupational health and safety (OHS) services to small businesses.
Published:
Machine learning and the labour market: A portrait of occupational and worker inequities in Canada
Jetha A
Machine learning, a form of artificial intelligence, is increasingly being used by Canadian workplaces to drive innovation and raise productivity. Given its capacity to learn, adapt, and generate outputs with increasing independence, this technology could be used to perform job tasks that are physical or cognitive in nature, across a broad range of industries and occupations. As the impacts of machine learning may be distributed inequitably across different occupations and worker groups, a study examined the occupational and worker characteristics that are linked to high or low machine learning exposure.
Published:
Supporting young persons with disabilities in the future of work
Jetha A
Social, technological, economic, environmental, and political trends are changing the nature and availability of work at a rapid rate. These changes will bring challenges and opportunities for young persons living with disabilities who are entering the working world. This report summarizes the results of a multi-phase study that used a consensus-building approach to identify the future challenges that may face young persons with disabilities and the rank the different strategies that might ensure young people with disabilities find and sustain employment in the decades ahead.
Published:
Soutenir les jeunes personnes handicapées dans l’avenir du travail
Jetha A
Les tendances sociales, technologiques, économiques, environnementales et politiques modifient rapidement la nature et la disponibilité du travail. Ces changements seront source de défis et d’opportunités pour les jeunes personnes vivant avec un handicap qui entrent dans le monde du travail. Ce rapport résume les résultats d'une étude en plusieurs phases qui a utilisé une approche de recherche de consensus pour identifier les défis futurs auxquels les jeunes handicapés pourraient être confrontés et classer les différentes stratégies qui pourraient garantir que les jeunes handicapés trouvent et conservent un emploi dans les décennies à venir.
Published:
Differing effects of in-person and online methods of delivering JHSC Certification Part 1 Training
Robson LS, Chen C, Imam S, Biswas A, Landsman V, Shahidi FV, Smith PM, Mustard C
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the ongoing trend toward online learning in many spheres of life, including occupational health and safety (OHS) training. However, it's not clear whether online delivery methods are as effective as in-person methods. To help address the research gap, a study set out to compare face-to-face learning, online instructor-led synchronous distance learning and online self-paced e-learning training delivery methods. It centers on a provincially regulated standardized OHS training. The main research question asks whether the three training delivery methods differ in the post-training knowledge gain by learners. Secondary research questions are asked about other factors affecting knowledge achievement, other training outcomes, and learner suggestions for improving the training.
Published:
Three scenarios of a future working world [for young adults living with a disability]
Jetha A
In the fall of 2022, an Institute for Work & Health (IWH) research team set out to examine how working life could change in Canada over the next seven years and what the implications might be for young adults with a disability. Using strategic foresight methods, the IWH team created three future scenarios that are designed to provoke discussion about the policies needed now to ensure an inclusive future for people with disabilities.
Published:
Addressing knowledge gaps about skills of persons with disabilities: A literature review and key informant Interviews
Tompa E, Imam S, Varickanickal J, Mofidi A, Gewurtz R, Irvin E, Southey B
There is currently little to no information on the foundational and transferable skill levels of persons with disabilities (PWDs). Through a literature review and key informant interviews, a research team set out to identify and fill knowledge gaps, as well as help inform the development of recommendations for how remaining gaps could be filled.
Published:
Combler les lacunes dans les connaissances concernant les compétences des personnes handicapées : Une analyse documentaire et des entrevues avec des informateurs clés
Tompa E, Imam S, Varickanickal J, Mofidi A, Gewurtz R, Irvin E, Southey B
Il existe actuellement peu ou pas d’informations sur les niveaux de compétences fondamentales et transférables des personnes handicapées (PH). Une equipe de recherche a fait une analyse documentaire et une entrevue avec des informateurs clés pour identifier et combler les lacunes dans les connaissances, ainsi que pour aider à guider l’élaboration de recommandations sur la façon dont les lacunes restantes pourraient être comblées.
Published:
Strategies to ensure young persons with disabilities are included in the future of work
Jetha A, Nasir K
Researchers at the Institute for Work & Health are looking for concrete ways to ensure youth and young adults with disabilities are included in the future of work. In the summer of 2021, a research team conducted an online survey with a wide range of people across Canada. This report summarizes six key areas in the future of work that survey participants indicated could both pose difficulties and offer opportunities to young people with disabilities. The report also presents the solutions that participants suggested to address the barriers and take advantage of the opportunities.
Published:
Funding employment services to create sustainable employment opportunities for persons with disabilities
Tompa E, Samosh D, Johnston H, Irvin E, Gewurtz R, Padkapayeva K, Moser C
This report provides evidence-based insights for policy-makers on the design and administration of funding programs for employment services for persons with disabilities that promote gainful and, ideally, sustainable paid employment opportunities.
Published:
Effectiveness of synchronous online learning in an occupational context: two rapid reviews
Robson LS, Irvin E, Padkapayeva K, Begum M, Zukowski M
The COVID-19 pandemic precipitated a shift away from in-person classroom delivery of training, towards synchronous online learning formats. Training in occupational health and safety (OHS) has been included in that shift. To help provide the research evidence on the effectiveness of synchronous online learning for OHS training, the Institute for Work & Health undertook two rapid reviews. The reviews were guided by the question: What is the effectiveness of synchronous online learning for occupational purposes, compared to face-to-face learning or other e-learning?
Published:
Fragmentation dans l'avenir du travail
Jetha A, Shamaee A
D’ici deux décennies, le monde du travail au Canada et dans les autres pays industrialisés sera fort différent de ce qu’il est aujourd’hui. Une équipe de recherche basée à l’Institut de recherche sur le travail et la santé a entamé un projet qui vise à aider la préparation des jeunes personnes handicapées pour le monde du travail de l’avenir. Le rapport provenant de ce projet décrit neuf tendances susceptibles de modeler l’avenir du travail et leur incidence pour les travailleurs vulnérables.
Published:
Fragmentation in the future of work
Jetha A, Shamaee A
In 2020, an Institute for Work & Health research team, using a method from the field of strategic foresight called horizon scanning, began exploring what the future may hold for workers, especially those in vulnerable conditions. Its findings are included in this report, which identifies nine future trends that may have a particular impact on vulnerable workers—both positive and negative.
Published:
Improving information on worker health protection in Ontario
Mustard C, Smith PM, Landsman V
This research study had the broad purpose of evaluating records of emergency department visits as a source of information for monitoring work-related injury and illness in Ontario. The primary objective of the study was to conduct a formal record linkage of emergency department records for the treatment of work-related injury and illness and workers’ compensation claims over the period 2004-2017. The main interest of this study is to describe the characteristics of the approximately 50,000 annual emergency department records for the treatment of a work-related injury or illness that do not link to a workers’ compensation claim.
Published:
Updating a study on the union effect on safety in the ICI construction sector
Robson LS, Landsman V, Latour-Villamil D, Lee H, Mustard C
IWH updated a previous study on the union safety effect in Ontario's industrial, commercial and institutional construction sector. Like the first study, the update found unionization was associated with a lower risk of injuries requiring time away from work, including both musculoskeletal and critical (more severe) injuries.
Published:
Estimates of the nature and extent of claim suppression in British Columbia’s workers' compensation system
Saunders R, O'Grady J, Cardoso S
The Institute of Work & Health collaborated with Prism Economics and Analysis on a study, funded by WorkSafeBC, to estimate the nature and extent of claim suppression in the workers’ compensation system of British Columbia.
Published:
Evaluation of the implementation and effectiveness of the Ontario working-at-heights training standard: final report
Robson LS, Mustard C
The Institute for Work & Health shares the findings from its evaluation of the implementation and effectiveness of a mandatory working-at-heights training program introduced in Ontario in 2015. Ontario employers were required to ensure that workers on construction projects who worked at heights had successfully completed the training by October 2017.
Published:
Evaluation of the implementation and effectiveness of the Ontario working-at-heights training standard: executive summary
Robson LS, Mustard C
This summary shares the highlights from an Institute for Work & Health evaluation of the implementation and effectiveness of a mandatory working-at-heights training program introduced in Ontario in 2015. Ontario employers were required to ensure that workers on construction projects who worked at heights had successfully completed the training by October 2017.
Published: