March 2022

IWH links ER and workers’ comp claims data, finds important patterns in under-reporting

Over a third of work-related injuries and illnesses treated in Ontario hospital emergency rooms (ERs) don’t get reported as Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) claims. That’s according to a recent Institute for Work & Health (IWH) data linkage study that found notable patterns in work-related injury reporting and under-reporting—including a change in reporting levels following the 2008/09 global financial crisis.

Read about the study findings

Webinar: Examining the quality of employment of persons with disabilities

Persons with disabilities face persisting inequities in the labour market. When they are successful finding work, what kind of jobs do they get? In an IWH Speaker Series presentation on April 12, Associate Scientist Dr. Faraz Vahid Shahidi will share findings from a recent survey examining the employment quality of persons with disabilities in Canada. He will also offer findings on the nature and extent of employment inequities they experience and the consequences of these inequities for support and accommodation in the workplace.

Sign up

Participants needed to pilot-test a work support and accommodation planning tool

A research team at the Institute has developed a workplace support and accommodation planning tool for workers living with a health condition that can cause challenges at work—either occasionally or all of the time. It’s designed to help workers think about the self-management strategies and workplace supports they need for their health condition. The Job Demands and Accommodation Planning Tool is now ready to be tested in an evaluation study. The team wants to learn whether the tool is useful to people who are looking for support in managing their chronic, episodic health condition.

Find out how to take part

Registration now open for Spring 2022 session of Project ECHO OEM

Are you an Ontario primary health-care provider who treats or supports patients with injuries and illnesses that affect their ability to work? Project ECHO OEM is a telementoring program on occupational and environmental medicine set up just for you. Learn about best practices to better support patients in recovery and return to work or stay at work. Sessions are held via videoconference each Friday from April 22 to July 15, 2022. Registration is ongoing.

Read about the project and register

Help us spread the word to first responders outside Canada

What workplace policies, programs or practices are effective in supporting first responders with post-traumatic stress injuries? A research team is conducting a scan around the globe and is inviting suggestions. Please help spread the word.

Learn more

CREOD launches e-module on occupational hand dermatitis for health-care workers

A 10-minute training e-module on work-related hand dermatitis for workers in health-care settings is now available in English and French. This e-module was created by the Centre for Research Expertise on Occupational Disease (CREOD), with input from an expert advisory committee and funding from WSIB. Early findings from a study of Ontario health-care workers showed that participants’ knowledge of occupational hand dermatitis significantly went up after completing the training.

See the training

CRE-MSD survey to inform post-COVID transition from remote to hybrid work

COVID-19 has had a large impact on workers and workplaces, with many of the changes possibly lasting post-pandemic. A new survey by the Centre for Research Expertise for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (CRE-MSD) is aimed at understanding the challenges of, and the opportunities created by, remote work. Findings will guide initiatives to support workers coming out of COVID-19 restrictions and continuing hybrid work arrangements. The survey is open until April 8, 2022.

Take the survey

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