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
- Cost to Canadians of excluding people with disabilities from the labour market . Funded by Centre for Research on Work Disability Policy. Completed. (PI on the project)
- Estimating the financial benefits of OHS prevention expenditures: a study of Ontario employers. Funded by Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario. Completed.
- Evaluating prevention strategies to reduce the risk of work-related cancers in Ontario’s construction sector. Funded by European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. Completed. (PI on the project)
- Assessing the human and economic burden of workplace cancer in Canada. Funded by Canadian Cancer Society. Completed. (PI on the project)
- Best practices for work disability prevention management systems: a scoping review in support of new Canadian standard. Completed. (PI on the project)
Publications
- Mustard C, Nadalin V, Carnide N, Tompa E, Smith PM. Cohort profile: the Ontario Life After Workplace Injury Study (OLAWIS). BMJ Open. 2021;11(9):e048143. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2020-048143.
- Jetha A, Shamaee A, Bonaccio S, Gignac MA, Tucker LB, Tompa E, Bultmann U, Norman CD, Banks CG, Smith PM. Fragmentation in the future of work: a horizon scan examining the impact of the changing nature of work on workers experiencing vulnerability. American Journal of Industrial Medicine. 2021;64(8):649-666. doi:10.1002/ajim.23262.
- Hossain S, Moll S, Tompa E, Gewurtz R. The interactive process of negotiating workplace accommodations for employees with mental health conditions. Work. 2021;69(1):75-90. doi:10.3233/WOR-213459.
- Mofidi A, Tompa E, Song C, Tenkate T, Arrandale V, Jardine J, Davies H, Demers PA. Economic evaluation of interventions to reduce solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure among construction workers. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene. 2021;18(6):250-264. doi:10.1080/15459624.2021.1910278.
- Gignac MA, Bowring J, Jetha A, Beaton DE, Breslin FC, Franche RL, Irvin E, MacDermid JC, Shaw WS, Smith PM, Thompson A, Tompa E, Van Eerd D, Saunders R. Disclosure, privacy and workplace accommodation of episodic disabilities: organizational perspectives on disability communication-support processes to sustain employment. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. 2021;31(1):153-165. doi:10.1007/s10926-020-09901-2.
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-related skin cancer among construction workers set to double by 2060. Daily Commercial News. July 21, 2021. Available from: https://canada.constructconnect.com/dcn/news/ohs/2021/07/work-related-skin-cancer-among-construction-workers-set-to-double-by-2060
- Impact of COVID, and signs of progress, in the spotlight at disabilities and work conference. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 103, Winter 2021.
- Comparing the costs, benefits of silica dust prevention methods for construction workers. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 101, Summer 2020.
- Strategy launched for greater workforce inclusion of people with disabilities. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 99, Winter 2020.
- Estimating the societal costs of work injuries and illnesses in five EU countries. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 99, Winter 2020.