Plain-language summaries
Institute for Work & Health (IWH) plain-language summaries condense research findings in various formats. At Work articles explain study results with comments from the study leads. Research Highlights summarize journal articles in easy-to-read, digest formats. Sharing Best Evidence summaries highlight findings from systematic reviews and other types of reviews conducted or led by IWH researchers. Issue Briefings discuss key research findings from IWH or elsewhere on topics that are of particular interest to policy-makers.
At Work article
Female nurses working nights weigh [slightly] more than those working days
Body mass index scores are slightly higher among female nurses working night shifts (or a mix of day, evening and night shifts) than among those working regular day shifts, according to a recent study from the Institute for Work & Health. But we don’t yet know if this difference is important.
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At Work article
Do workplace disability management programs promote return to work?
The effectiveness of workplace-based disability management programs in promoting return to work is unclear, according to a review by the Campbell Collaboration that nevertheless provides important insights into the components of these programs.
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At Work article
Role conflict, strain and overload among challenges facing workers with arthritis
The impact of arthritis on the working and personal lives of those with the chronic illness is more profound than one may presume, says new research that examines the intersecting roles of those with the disease and suggests ways to identify those at risk of negative workplace outcomes.
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At Work article
Alternative paradigm proposed for health and safety system
As the health and safety system strives to keep up with today’s working world, the University of Washington’s Dr. Michael Silverstein has proposed a novel solution involving private workplace inspectors. He presented this idea at the Institute for Work & Health’s annual Nachemson lecture.
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At Work article
The making of an “influential knowledge user”: How Judy Geary used research to improve outcomes at WSIB
After more than three decades in various leadership roles at the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, Judy Geary, recently retired, shares how she came to value the contribution of research to policy and program development.
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At Work article
The undeclared stakeholders: Recognizing the role of co-workers in return to work
The role of co-workers is crucial in the return-to-work process, and it’s a role that’s not without challenges. This is according to two new studies that hint at ways of making return to work more of a seamless path.
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At Work article
Symposium considers implications of financial incentives
Last November’s first-of-its-kind international symposium brought together policy-makers, workers’ representatives, employers and researchers to discuss the merits and shortcomings of financial incentives for preventing work injury.
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At Work article
Research finds safety and operations can enhance each other
Safety and operations can be mutually beneficial, suggests a joint study led by scientists from the Institute for Work & Health and York University.
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Research Highlights
Development of a brief psychosocial screening instrument for people with low-back pain
The Pain Recovery Inventory of Concerns and Expectations (PRICE), is a psychosocial screening questionnaire for workers with low-back pain that can estimate the overall likelihood of quickly recovering and returning to work within three months after injury.
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Research Highlights
The relationship between age and risk of work injury in B.C.
The relationship between age and injury varies depending on the type of injury. Older workers, for example, are at higher risk of fractures and dislocations.
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Research Highlights
Pain and long-term absences among Canadian nurses with MSIs
Two important factors associated with how long Canadian female nurses stay off of work due to musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs) are the level of pain and the extent to which pain interferes with job duties.
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Research Highlights
The role of co-workers in return to work
Return-to-work (RTW) models and policies can be improved by taking into account social relations within a work unit, especially the role of co-workers.
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At Work article
The mouse that roared: Quivering mouse may reduce shoulder pain
A vibrating computer mouse that reminds users to move their hands and rest their arms eases office workers’ shoulder pain, but gets mixed reviews from users in a pilot study conducted by researchers at the Institute for Work & Health.
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At Work article
Fall symposium addresses injury prevention and financial incentives
In today’s competitive global economy, financial incentives are often seen by governments as an effective way to encourage employers to invest in occupational health and safety. But how well do these incentives work?
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At Work article
Nachemson lecture: Keeping pace with the changing world of work
The Institute for Work & Health is pleased to announce that Dr. Michael Silverstein, a professor in the University of Washington’s School of Public Health and former assistant director of Industrial Safety and Health with the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, will deliver this year’s Alf Nachemson Memorial Lecture.
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At Work article
Work environment may put women at risk of diabetes
Limited discretion and authority to influence how to meet the demands of their job may put women at risk of diabetes, says a new study from the Institute for Work & Health and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences.
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At Work article
Over-qualified recent immigrant men at increased risk of job injury
Men recently immigrated to Canada who have higher educational qualifications than are required for their current Canadian job have an increased risk of workplace injury, suggests new research that raises key questions about why this is happening and what can be done to address it.
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At Work article
Understanding western Canada's high risk of work injury
What is driving the higher risk of job injury in western Canada? New research from the Institute for Work & Health suggests it goes beyond the type of work found in the west.
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At Work article
Breakthrough change: Finding and describing firms that make large OHS improvements
What changes, why and who’s driving the change in firms that make large improvements in workplace health and safety? Possible answers are coming from the first phase of an ongoing study at the Institute for Work & Health that is exploring the process of “breakthrough change.”
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Issue Briefing
Effectiveness of targeted OHS labour inspections
This Issue Briefing takes a close look at the design and outcomes of three North American studies and how they inform our understanding of the effectiveness of targeted labour inspections on occupational health and safety (OHS) outcomes.
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