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
- Costs of work-related injuries, illnesses and deaths in the European Union. Funded by European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. Completed. (PI on the project)
- Extended working life and its interaction with health, wellbeing and quality of life: a multi-country initiative (THRIVE). Funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Completed.
- Evaluating the impact of mandatory awareness training on occupational health and safety vulnerability in Ontario. Funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Ontario Ministry of Labour's Research Opportunities Program. Completed.
- Analyzing the adequacy of benefits among workers’ compensation claimants in Ontario, 1999-2005. Funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Completed. (PI on the project)
- Employer investments in occupational health and safety: establishing benchmarks for Ontario. Funded by Ontario Ministry of Labour Research Opportunities Program. Completed.
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
- Researchers conclude that OSHA citations, penalties reduce workplace injuries. OSHA QuickTakes: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) (Washington, DC). November 2, 2015. Available from: https://www.osha.gov/as/opa/quicktakes/qt110215.html
- Workers’ comp benefits keep poverty low among permanently impaired workers and their families, study by IWH finds. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 81, Summer 2015.
- Inspections with penalties linked to lower injuries: IWH review. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 81, Summer 2015.
- New research centre to examine work disability policy in Canada. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 75, Winter 2014.
- Lt. Gov. David Onley’s keynote speech at centre launch takes on myths about people with disabilities. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 75, Winter 2014.