Dr. Emile Tompa
Dr. Emile Tompa is a senior scientist at the Institute for Work & Health. He holds appointments as an associate professor in the Department of Economics at McMaster University and as an assistant professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.
Tompa is a labour and health economist with an MBA from the University of British Columbia, an MA in economics from the University of Toronto, and a PhD in economics from McMaster University.
Tompa’s research interests include the consequences of occupational health and safety system design on the health and well-being of individuals and populations, the economic evaluation of workplace interventions for improving the health and well-being of workers, the economic burden of adverse health conditions and disability, and the analysis of disability policy systems. Most recently, Tompa received a six-year funding envelope as the nominated principal applicant from the New Frontiers in Research Fund Transformation Stream for a social innovation laboratory called Inclusive Design for Employment Access (IDEA). The initiative is focused on skilling up employers to advance their abilities to tap into diverse talent pools, with a focus on persons with disabilities.
“How to get the most for the least, that’s the basis for economics. I am interested in analyzing issues related to occupational health and safety and work disability prevention and management from the standpoint of this basic challenge.” – Dr. Emile Tompa
Projects
- Inclusive Design for Employment Access (IDEA): Evidence synthesis. Funded by New Frontiers in Research Fund (a Tri-Agency Program—CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC). Ongoing. (PI on the project)
- Ontario Life After Work Injury Study: Understanding the long-term recovery and labour market outcomes of injured workers in Ontario. Funded by Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario. Ongoing.
- Ontario Life After Work Injury Study: Understanding the long-term recovery and labour market outcomes of injured workers in the shadow of COVID-19. Funded by Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. Ongoing.
- Return to work in policing: synthesizing current practices and implementation guidance. Funded by Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario. Ongoing.
- Tracking long-term outcomes of injured workers in Ontario to better target supports. Funded by Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. Ongoing. (PI on the project)
Publications
- Woticky G, Jetha A, Tompa E, Gignac MA. Disclosure Decisions of Workers Living with a Chronic Health Condition Causing Disability at Work: Are Decisions to Disclose to Co-workers and Supervisors Different?. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. 2024 epub ahead of print. doi:10.1007/s10926-024-10235-6.
- Gignac MA, Bowring J, Navaratnerajah L, Saunders R, Jetha A, Thompson A, Shaw WS, Franche RL, Van Eerd D, Irvin E, Tompa E, MacDermid JC, Smith PM. The Job Demands and Accommodation Planning Tool (JDAPT): a nine-month evaluation of use, changes in self-efficacy, presenteeism, and absenteeism in workers with chronic and episodic disabilities. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. 2024 epub ahead of print. doi:10.1007/s10926-024-10231-w.
- McLeod CB, Macpherson RA, He A, Amick B, Koehoorn M, Tompa E. The impact of regulatory workplace safety inspections on workers' compensation claim rates. American Journal of Industrial Medicine. 2024;67(10):877-887. doi:10.1002/ajim.23640.
- Van Eerd D, Le Pouésard M, Yanar B, Irvin E, Gignac MA, Jetha A, Morose T, Tompa E. Return-to-work experiences in Ontario policing: injured but not broken. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. 2024;34(1):265–277. doi:10.1007/s10926-023-10135-1.
- Bondebjerg A, Filges T, Pejtersen JH, Kildemoes MW, Burr H, Hasle P , Tompa E, Bengtsen E. Occupational health and safety regulatory interventions to improve the work environment: an evidence and gap map of effectiveness studies. Campbell Systematic Reviews. 2023;19(4):e1371. doi:10.1002/cl2.1371.
Speaker Series presentations
- Skills development barriers for persons with disabilities and the promising practices to address them. IWH Speaker Series. April 18, 2023.
- Development and implementation of a framework for estimating the economic benefits of an accessible and inclusive society. IWH Speaker Series. February 8, 2022.
- Introducing the new CSA standard for work disability management systems. IWH Speaker Series. February 4, 2020.
- Estimating the economic burden of work injuries and illnesses in the European Union. IWH Speaker Series. November 12, 2019.
- An impact analysis of two silica dust exposure reduction strategies. IWH Speaker Series. November 6, 2018.
Interviews and articles
- Work disability research centre supports the development of new standard, and more. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 86, Fall 2016.
- Penalties work: Citations and fines can reduce work injuries. Canadian Safety Reporter: Thomson Reuters Canada (Toronto, ON). November 1, 2016. Available from: http://www.safety-reporter.com/articleview/28081-penalties-work-citations-and-fines-can-reduce-workplace-injuries
- Government inspections and fines lead to safer workplaces, researchers claim. Safety + Health: U.S. National Safety Council (Itasca, IL). September 7, 2016. Available from: http://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/14639-government-inspections-and-fines-lead-to-safer-workplaces-researchers-claim
- OHS inspections with penalties effectively reduce work injuries: IWH. Canadian Occupational Safety: Thomson Reuters Canada (Toronto, ON). September 6, 2016. Available from: http://cos-mag.com/legal/legal-stories/5225-ohs-inspections-with-penalties-effectively-reduce-work-injuries-iwh.html
- New cases of mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer in one year cost $1.9B. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 85, Summer 2016.