February 2021

Why people decide to disclose an episodic disability at work—and how that matters

Some of the most common chronic health conditions are episodic and invisible. As a result, people living with them often grapple with the complex decision of whether to tell their employers about their disability. In a new study, Institute for Work & Health (IWH) Senior Scientist Dr. Monique Gignac looks at people’s reasons for disclosing or not. The findings shed light on how people’s reasons matter to the work support they subsequently receive.

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Early findings from study on life after work injury now available in recorded webinar

About nine out of 10 injured workers taking part in an IWH study went back to work with their injury employer after their Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) claim ended. But 18 months after their injury, only six in 10 were still with their injury employer. This is among the early findings of the Ontario Life After Work Injury Study, recently shared by President Dr. Cameron Mustard in an IWH Speaker Series presentation. It is now available as an on-demand webinar.

Watch the webinar

Shorter job tenure, older age raise risk of precarious work for people with disabilities

Which groups of workers are at greater risk of working in precarious jobs? According to a new IWH study, among people with disabilities, older workers and workers with shorter job tenure are at higher risk of work precarity.

Read the summary

IWH Speaker Series: What the future of work may hold for vulnerable workers

Climate change, artificial intelligence, robotics and automation. What might be in store in the future of work? And how may vulnerable workers fare in face of the coming changes? In an IWH Speaker Series presentation on February 23, Scientist Dr. Arif Jetha outlines nine trends his research has identified, with a focus on their impact on vulnerable groups in the labour market.

Sign up for the webinar

Mark RSI Day with a new resource on implementing MSD prevention programs

Workplaces currenty use a range of practices to prevent musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)—from ergonomics training and workstation adjustments to work redesign. To help workplaces identify and implement appropriate prevention programs, a research team at IWH worked with partners in Newfoundland and Labrador to create a resource that draws upon the best available research evidence, integrated with practitioner expertise and stakeholder experiences. The resource is now available to download, in time to help mark Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) Awareness Day on February 28.

Download the resource

OCRC and partners launch new study on COVID-19 and paramedics

How can we better protect paramedics from COVID-19? A new study led by researchers from the Occupational Cancer Research Centre (OCRC), University of Toronto and University of British Columbia is investigating COVID-19 occupational risk factors, infection rates, vaccination and immunity among paramedics in Ontario and B.C. The study is funded by the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force.

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CRE-MSD co-hosts webinar on data-driven, individualized interventions to prevent MSDs

Workers performing manual handling tasks face an elevated risk of sustaining MSDs. Changes to worker environments, tools and policies can alter worker movement behaviours and mitigate such risk. In a March 10 webinar, hosted by the Centre of Research Expertise for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (CRE-MSD) and Association of Canadian Ergonomists, learn how feedback supported by growing biomechanical and motor behaviour evidence can serve as a movement training intervention.

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