Past events
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Conference
Disability and Work in Canada 2020
The Disability and Work in Canada 2020 (DWC 2020) Conference will be held virtually this year over four days in late November and early December (November 25 & 26 and December 1 & 2) from 12:30-3:30 EDT. The theme for this year’s conference is the Strategy in Action—Pathways and Impacts.
IWH Speaker Series
Does it matter what workers’ reasons are for disclosing or not disclosing a disability at work? Why and how?
Monique Gignac, Institute for Work & Health
Deciding whether or not to disclose a disability to others at work is a complex consideration. People with many chronic mental and physical health conditions, often called episodic disabilities, experience times of relative wellness punctuated by intermittent periods of activity limitations. How do they decide whether or not to disclose their health conditions? In this presentation, Dr. Monique Gignac shares findings from her study examining participants' reasons and goals for disclosing—and whether these matter to work support outcomes.
IWH Speaker Series
More than just COVID-19 prevention: Exploring the links between PPE, safe work protocols and workers' mental health
Peter Smith, Institute for Work & Health
We have heard a lot about the importance of personal protective equipment (PPE) and infection control procedures (ICP) in reducing workplace COVID-19 transmission. A new study, conducted jointly with the Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW), set out to explore their importance in protecting workers' mental health. In this presentation, Dr. Peter Smith shares results from two surveys, one conducted among health-care workers and the other among the broader Canadian workforce. The findings provide important insights into the additional benefits of adequate design and implementation of employer-based infection control practices—beyond reducing COVID-19 transmission.
Other events
The Walrus Talks at Home: Inclusion
Dr. Emile Tompa, Institute for Work & Health senior scientist and director of the Centre for Research on Work Disability Policy, joins three other thought leaders and industry experts to offer perspectives at The Walrus Talks @home. The topic of this evening's event is: Inclusion, how flexible working styles benefit people with disabilities, and society at large.
Webinar
Returning to work for people with disabilities in COVID-19
Institute for Work & Health Scientist Dr. Arif Jetha joins a panel speaking on return-to-work challenges for people with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Topics being discussed include: potential barriers and accommodation for COVID-19 in workplaces, employer bias (e.g. assumption of vulnerability), the rights of people with disabilities, among others. The panel webinar is hosted by the Work Wellness Institute.
Other events
Promoting mental health: Lancaster House and U of T's CIRHR training program
To help workplaces develop proactive approaches to employee mental health, Lancaster House and the University of Toronto's Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources (CIRHR) are offering a professional learning program for labour relations professionals interested in implementing and/or improving a comprehensive workplace psychological health and safety management system in their workplace. The program, held over three days (October 20, 21 and 26), is led by Dr. Emile Tompa, senior scientist at the Institute for Work & Health and co-director of the Centre for Research on Work Disability Policy. It will provide participants with the latest evidence-based guidance on ensuring workplace psychological health and safety, emphasizing collaborative union-management strategies.
IWH Speaker Series
Safe work integration of newcomers: Employer perspectives
Basak Yanar, Institute for Work & Health
Employers play an important role in the safe and sustained work integration of immigrants and refugees in Canada. Despite this, we know little about employers’ expectations, experiences and challenges in relation to the hiring and retaining of newcomers. In this presentation, Dr. Basak Yanar shares insights gained through a recently completed project on the work integration of newcomers. She discusses the perspectives of employers, as well as the experiences of immigrant-serving organizations that work with employers in promoting safe and sustainable work integration.
Conference
COVID-19 and OSH
On October 5-6, 2020, organizers of the 2021 World Congress on Safety and Health at Work are offering free, virtual, half-day special sessions on COVID-19 and occupational safety and health (OSH).
Conference
PSHSA's Return to the Workplace Virtual Conference
Return to the Workplace Virtual Conference, hosted by Public Services Health & Safety Association, is designed for organizational leaders. It will explore how COVID-19 has created the next normal for businesses, provide guidance on how to navigate return to the workplace during COVID-19, and outline innovations to help organizations keep employees and customers healthy and safe. Institute for Work & Health (IWH) Senior Scientist Dr. Peter Smith is among the presenters; he and John Oudyk of Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) will share new study findings on health-care workers' mental health during the pandemic.
Other events
Lancaster House audio conference: Accommodating episodic disabilities—the latest law and research
What are the most common challenges in accommodating workers with episodic disabilities? How should key communication challenges be dealt with? What types of accommodations are generally helpful to workers with episodic disabilities? How should workplace parties deal with performance concerns that arise as a result of an employee's episodic disability? These are just some of the questions examined at a May 14 audio conference hosted by The Lancaster House, featuring Institute for Work & Health Scientific Co-Director and Senior Scientist Dr. Monique Gignac.
Systematic Review Workshop
POSTPONED: Spring 2020 Systematic Review Workshop
Due to developments related to COVID-19, this event has been postponed.
This three-day workshop teaches participants how to plan and carry out a basic systematic review, understand the appropriate methods for more complex analysis, interpret the results of a meta-analysis and accurately communicate the results and interpretation of a review.
Other events
POSTPONED: Safe Work Integration of Newcomers Forum: Service Provider and Employer Perspectives
Due to developments related to COVID-19, this event has been postponed.
This forum will feature research presentations and discussions on newcomer employment, health and safety, workers’ compensation and return to work, followed by an audience Q&A and panel discussion about solutions for promoting safe employment for newcomers (including future directions in research, policy and service delivery).
IWH Speaker Series
Have cannabis use and perceptions about workplace use changed since legalization?
Nancy Carnide, Institute for Work & Health
Are workers using and thinking differently about cannabis at work now that the non-medical use of cannabis is legal? A team at the Institute for Work & Health led by Associate Scientist Dr. Nancy Carnide is answering this question through annual surveys of Canadian workers, asking about their use and understanding of, as well as their perceptions about, cannabis at work. In this presentation, Dr. Carnide shares early results from her comparison of workers’ pre- and post-legalization responses to questions about cannabis at work.
IWH Speaker Series
Developing practical recommendations for integrating workplace safety and wellness initiatives
Aviroop Biswas, Institute for Work & Health
Workplace wellness programs that also emphasize occupational health and safety (OHS) activities can have greater benefits to the overall health and safety of workers than those that focus on OHS or individual behaviour change alone. When OHS and wellness efforts are coordinated and not in competition for organizational resources, they also benefit the broader organization. In this presentation, Dr. Avi Biswas draws on a recently concluded study to offer practical guidance to employers on integrating safety and wellness activities. He outlines findings of a review of existing research, cross-referenced with stakeholder insights, and highlights what matters most to workplaces when integrating safety and wellness initiatives.
IWH Speaker Series
Introducing the new CSA standard for work disability management systems
Emile Tompa, Institute for Work & Health
Every year, tens of thousands of Canadians become disabled and are unable to work, thereby becoming excluded from the many health advantages of workforce participation. In response to the growing concerns about managing disability in the workplace, the CSA Group, in conjunction with the Centre for Research on Work Disability Policy (CRWDP) and Conestoga College, has developed a new standard called the Work Disability Management Systems Standard (CSA Z1011). In this presentation, CRWDP director and IWH Senior Scientist Dr. Emile Tompa highlights components of the standard, which sets out best practices on injury/illness rehabilitation, return-to-work plans, and accommodation of workers with disabilities.
IWH Speaker Series
Capacity building and evaluation of OHS training in settlement agencies
Basak Yanar, Institute for Work & Health; Eduardo Huesca, Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers
Newcomers to Canada are at an increased risk of workplace injury and illness, due in part to a lack of knowledge about their rights and responsibilities in occupational health and safety (OHS). Settlement agencies are well-positioned to promote OHS awareness among newcomers, but some may lack the resources and capacity to do so. In this presentation, Institute for Work & Health (IWH)'s Dr. Basak Yanar joins Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW)'s Eduardo Huesca to talk about the development and delivery of the OHS capacity-building workshops for settlement agencies. They will share results of an evaluation capturing the experiences of service providers and newcomer clients, and discuss opportunities for Ontario’s OHS system partners to further support the settlement sector.
IWH Speaker Series
Supporting hospital staff to manage aggressive patient behaviour: A randomized controlled trial
Dr. Lesley Wiesenfeld, Mount Sinai Hospital, Sinai Health System; Mavis Afriyie-Boateng, Mount Sinai Hospital, Sinai Health System; Carla Loftus, Mount Sinai Hospital, Sinai Health System
As in many other hospitals, staff at Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital were experiencing high rates of workplace violence. In response, a multidisciplinary team developed a program to standardize practices for identifying and managing patients with aggressive behaviour. Given the dearth of evaluation studies on this type of workplace intervention, the team also set up a randomized controlled study on the program's effectiveness. They share results in this IWH Speaker Series presentation.
IWH Speaker Series
Estimating the economic burden of work injuries and illnesses in the European Union
Emile Tompa, Institute for Work & Health; Amir Mofidi, Institute for Work & Health
Knowing the economic burden of work-related illnesses and injuries in a country can help policy-makers set priorities. In a recent project involving five European Union countries, Institute for Work & Health Senior Scientist and labour economist Dr. Emile Tompa, along with post-doctoral fellow Amir Mofidi, developed and executed a new framework for such an estimate. In this presentation, Tompa discusses the approach, its potential, as well as results of the five-country study.
IWH Speaker Series
The effectiveness of COR in preventing work injury: lessons from Alberta and B.C.
Christopher McLeod, Institute for Work & Health
Certificate of Recognition (COR) programs are voluntary audits that recognize employers for having strong occupational health and safety (OHS) practices. In this presentation, IWH Scientist Dr. Chris McLeod shares his research in British Columbia and Alberta on the effectiveness of COR programs in preventing work-related injury.
Conference
30th Annual Schedule 2 Employers' Group Conference
On October 22-23 in north Toronto, Ontario's Schedule 2 Employers' Group holds its 30th annual conference on workplace wellness, workplace health and safety, workers' compensation and disability management. Two IWH scientists are among those delivering educational sessions: Dr. Dwayne Van Eerd on supporting employees with depression at work and Dr. Emile Tompa on a new pan-Canadian strategy on disability and work.