Trusted research, with reach and impact
The Institute for Work & Health (IWH) is an independent, multidisciplinary, not-for-profit research organization located in Ontario, Canada. IWH conducts and mobilizes research that supports policy-makers, employers and workers in creating healthy, safe and inclusive work environments.
Latest news & findings
How employers are improving RTW outcomes for public safety workers with PSTI
Work-related post-traumatic stress injuries are complex and highly prevalent among public safety workers such as those in police and fire services. Faced with the challenges of supporting employees who have experienced such an injury, public safety employers have developed strategies to improve return to work after such an injury.
Examining four types of job disruptions due to a health condition, and the differences expected when workplace support needs are met
Job disruptions are common among workers living with chronic physical and/or mental health conditions, an IWH study has found. The study investigated the effects of workplace supports on four types of job disruptions.
IWH Speaker Series: Surveying the landscape for AI use in occupational health and safety
As artificial intelligence (AI) is used more and more in workplaces across Canada, it also has the potential to transform occupational health and safety practices. On March 25, Dr. Arif Jetha outlines how AI could create safer workplaces and support worker health, sparking a discussion on both the risks and opportunities of AI in health and safety.
Severe pain, not pressure to return to work or lack of accommodation offer, linked to opioid use post-injury
An IWH study found that among a group of injured workers in Ontario, those who experienced severe pain were more likely to use opioids than those who had no or only mild pain—regardless of whether they felt they had to return to work too soon, or were offered work accommodations.
Saskatchewan’s construction safety group uses IWH tool to improve safety culture
Since 2021, the Saskatchewan Construction Safety Association (SCSA) has been surveying its members twice per year on their organizations’ safety practices and culture using IWH’s Organizational Performance Metric (OPM). A new case study details how SCSA members have been analyzing OPM scores to adjust their safety practices and how SCSA has been using the data to tailor their outreach.
IWH Speaker Series
Learn directly from IWH researchers themselves about their latest findings in health, safety and disability prevention. Coming up next:
Surveying the landscape for AI use in occupational health and safety in Ontario and British Columbia
Presented by Arif Jetha.
Date: Tuesday, March 25, 2025, 11:00AM EST
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Tools and guides
Integrate evidence-based policies and practices into your occupational health and safety, return-to-work and rehabilitation programs. IWH has created a number of tools and guides based on our research findings that can help improve program outcomes.
Impact case studies
Find out how IWH research is making a difference. Read our impact case studies, in which policy-makers, workplaces and other stakeholders in health, safety and disability prevention tell how IWH research helped improve their policies, programs and practices.
Research summaries
Whether it’s a policy briefing, a systematic review summary or the highlights of a specific research project, we’ve compiled a number of plain-language summaries to help you understand the research we’re doing, what we have found, and how we found it.