Events

Upcoming events

27 May 2025

IWH Speaker Series

Preventing PTSI work disability at first responder organizations: an environmental scan

Emile Tompa, Institute for Work & Health

Due to the nature of their work, first responders ( paramedics, police and firefighters) are routinely exposed to traumatizing experiences. As a result, they are at a much greater risk of work disability associated with post-traumatic stress injuries (PTSI) than the general population. However, we currently know little about how to effectively support first responders in work disability prevention and the management of occupational stress and mental health. In this presentation, Dr. Emile Tompa shares findings from an environmental scan of current programs, services and practices in first responder organizations. Through a synthesis of the research literature to date and interviews with experts in English-speaking jurisdictions (including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia), the scan sets out to learn about organizational-level programs, services, and practices for first responders. It also looks at the contextual factors—for example, the key actors, processes, barriers and facilitators—that can have a positive or negative impact on the programs, services and practices.

Past events

22 Apr 2025

IWH Speaker Series

Good jobs, bad jobs, and ‘deaths of despair’

Faraz Vahid Shahidi, Institute for Work & Health

Life expectancy is stalling in Canada and other high-income countries. These trends are partly due to rising “deaths of despair,” a term that some researchers use to describe suicide, drug poisoning, and alcohol-related mortality. In this presentation, Dr. Faraz Vahid Shahidi examines the link between job quality—whether one has a “good” or “bad” job—and deaths of despair in the Canadian workforce. He asks whether people in precarious employment, which is insecure and unrewarding, are more likely to suffer an early death due to suicide, drug poisoning, or alcohol-related causes. He also discusses the role job quality can play in improving population health and stemming the rise of deaths of despair.

25 Mar 2025

IWH Speaker Series

Surveying the landscape for AI use in occupational health and safety in Ontario and British Columbia

Arif Jetha, Institute for Work & Health

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming workplaces across Canada, enhancing productivity and efficiency in countless ways. AI also has the potential to transform occupational health and safety practice. Despite its promise, however, we still know very little about how organizations are using AI to protect worker health and what factors influence their decision to adopt these technologies. In this presentation, Dr. Arif Jetha dives into findings from a recent survey of over 800 occupational health and safety professionals in Ontario and British Columbia. He outlines how AI could create safer workplaces and support worker health, sparking a discussion on both the risks and opportunities of AI in occupational health and safety and offering valuable takeaways for future research and practice.

25 Feb 2025

IWH Speaker Series

Employer perspectives on supporting public safety personnel’s return to work after post-traumatic stress injuries

Basak Yanar, Institute for Work & Health; Cameron Mustard, Institute for Work & Health

Public safety personnel—i.e., people who work in police, fire, paramedics and corrections services—experience higher rates of post-traumatic stress injuries (PTSI) than the general public. These injuries often take them off the job for long periods as part of their recovery. Employers in public safety can play an important role in supporting the return to work of employees who’ve experienced PTSI, but limited information is available on employer experiences, needs and challenges. In this presentation, Dr. Basak Yanar and Dr. Cameron Mustard share the findings of a qualitative study conducted with representatives of public safety employers, unions and associations in Ontario. The study examines employer experiences supporting the return to work of public safety personnel with PTSI. It also highlights perspectives on best practices and innovations in PTSI prevention and disability management.  

View all past events