Artificial intelligence and occupational injury and illness in Ontario: implications for prevention and recovery
Reasons for the study
Knowledge of how artificial intelligence (AI) applications can be applied to the fields of occupational health and safety (OHS) and work disability management is extremely limited, and we currently know little about their advantages and disadvantages.
This project seeks to rectify those gaps by developing an applied and future-focused understanding of the potential use of AI in occupational injury or illness prevention and recovery activities in Ontario. It will build an evidence base to understand the scope of different AI applications and how they can be used to both prevent occupational injury and support recovery and return to work.
Objectives of the study
- Conduct a broad scan of diverse evidence sources to identify AI applications in industrialized economies that are being used to prevent occupational injury or to support recovery and return to work
- Describe and categorize each AI application identified above according to its function and impact on occupational injury prevention and recovery outcomes, and evaluate its strengths and limitations.
- Understand how different health and safety system stakeholders evaluate the AI applications identified
- Generate and share future-focused recommendations on AI applications for different Ontario health and safety system stakeholders
Target audience
Diverse range of health and safety system stakeholders in Ontario
Related scientific publications
- Jetha A, Bakhtari H, Rosella LC, Gignac MA, Biswas A, Shahidi FV, Smith BT, Smith MJ, Mustard C, Khan N, Arrandale VH, Loewen PJ, Zuberi D, Dennerlein JT, Bonaccio S, Wu N, Irvin E, Smith PM. Artificial intelligence and the work-health interface: a research agenda for a technologically transforming world of work. American Journal of Industrial Medicine. 2023;66(10):815-830. doi:10.1002/ajim.23517. (Open access)
Project status
Ongoing
Research team
Collaborators and partners
Glenn Cullen, Chief Executive Officer, Public Services Health and Safety Association (PSHSA)
Kiran Kapoor, Vice President, Service Delivery, Workplace Safety and Prevention Services (WSPS)
Kimberly O’Connell, Executive Director, Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW)
Dr. Nikhil Rajaram, Provincial Physician, Occupational Medicine Unit, Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD)
Vinay Sharma, National Representative, Unifor
Funded by
Workplace Safety and Insurance Board