Small businesses bear a disproportionate share of serious work-related injuries and fatalities. They also experience challenges in implementing occupational health and safety (OHS) practices due to limited OHS resources and expertise. In this presentation, Dr. Basak Yanar and Dr. Cameron Mustard share findings from a study that interviewed small businesses enrolled in the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB)'s Health and Safety Excellence program. The presenters discuss small businesses’ motivations for participating in the program, their OHS needs and challenges, and their perceptions of the support they received as part of the program.
Understanding OHS motivations and needs in small businesses
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Online
Basak Yanar
Institute for Work & Health
Cameron Mustard
Institute for Work & Health
About presenter
Dr. Basak Yanar is an associate scientist at the Institute for Work & Health. Her research interests include understanding the working conditions and health and safety needs of populations experiencing occupational health and safety vulnerabilities—such as immigrant and refugee workers, small businesses, and workers experiencing mental health challenges—and the workplace practices and system supports that make injury prevention and return-to-work more equitable and accessible for these populations.
Dr. Cameron Mustard is the former president and senior scientist at the Institute for Work & Health, retiring in January 2022 after 20 years in the position. He continues his affiliation with the Institute, leading a number of active research projects. His research interests include work environments, labour market experiences and health, the distributional equity of publicly funded health and health care programs in Canada, and the epidemiology of socioeconomic health inequalities across the human life course.
About IWH Speaker Series
The IWH Speaker Series brings you the latest findings from work and health researchers from the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) and beyond. For those unable to attend, the recorded webinar of most presentations in the IWH Speaker Series are made available on its web page within a week of the event.
