Dr. Lynda Robson
Dr. Lynda Robson is a scientist at the Institute for Work & Health, where she has worked since 1997. She is an adjunct professor in the School of Occupational and Public Health at Toronto Metropolitan University. She is also a member of the Canadian Standards Association Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (Z45001) Technical Committee.
Robson obtained her PhD in biochemistry from the University of Toronto, but later changed fields through additional education at the university's former Graduate Department of Community Health.
Robson's research interests include using both quantitative and qualitative methods to study occupational health and safety (OHS) management, organizational change in OHS and the evaluation of prevention programs, especially OHS training programs.
“The lab research in which I was involved, though ultimately intended to benefit people, was in itself lacking in the social/human dimension. Now, I often study people and their organizations, and more often interact with users of the research, and I find that personally rewarding." – Dr. Lynda Robson
Projects
- Understanding how new businesses start managing OHS: laying the groundwork for future interventions . Funded by Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB). Ongoing. (PI on the project)
- Understanding the injury experience of Ontario small businesses through workers’ compensation claims data. Funded by Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD). Ongoing. (PI on the project)
- Occupational health and safety performance in Ontario's unionized construction sector. Funded by Ontario Construction Secretariat. Completed. (PI on the project)
- Evaluating the implementation of a participatory organizational change intervention in long-term care. Funded by Ontario Ministry of Labour, Centre for Research on the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (CRE-MSD). Completed.
- Strengthening disability management in Ontario’s municipal sector. Funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Social Sciences Humanities Research Council Signature Initiative. Completed.
Publications
- Yanar B, Mustard C, Hossain S, Robson LS, Begum M. Participation in the Health and Safety Excellence Small Business Program: Understanding small business motivations and needs. Institute for Work & Health; 2024.
- Shahidi FV, Liao Q, Landsman V, Mustard C, Robson LS, Biswas A, Smith PM. Precarious employment and the workplace transmission of COVID-19: evidence from workers' compensation claims in Ontario, Canada. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. 2024;78(11):675-681. doi:10.1136/jech-2024-222373.
- Shahidi FV, Liao Q, Landsman V, Mustard C, Robson LS, Biswas A, Smith PM. Is precarious employment an occupational hazard? Evidence from Ontario, Canada. Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2024;81(8):381-387. doi:10.1136/oemed-2024-109535.
- Smith PM, Liao Q, Shahidi FV, Biswas A, Robson LS, Landsman V, Mustard C. Variation in occupational exposure risk for COVID-19 workers' compensation claims across pandemic waves in Ontario. Occupational & Environmental Medicine. 2024;81(4):171-177. doi:10.1136/oemed-2023-109243.
- Robson LS, Landsman V, Smith PM, Mustard C. Evaluation of the Ontario mandatory working-at-heights training requirement in construction, 2012 - 2019. American Journal of Public Health. 2024;114(1):38-41. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2023.307440.
Speaker Series presentations
- A model of "breakthrough change" in workplace health and safety performance. IWH Speaker Series. May 13, 2014.
- A systematic review of the effectiveness of training and education for the protection of workers. IWH Speaker Series. March 9, 2010.
Interviews and articles
- What research can do: IWH study on working at heights training well-received. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 114, Fall 2023.
- Study shows worker injuries due to falls from heights declined after Ontario made training standardized and mandatory. On-Site Magazine. November 6, 2023. Available from: https://www.on-sitemag.com/construction/1003980738/1003980738/
- Safer work practices, lower injury rates maintained two years after Ontario’s working-at-heights training came into effect: study. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 114, Fall 2023.
- Climate change could mean longer hours, stagnating wages. Rabble.ca. August 10, 2023. Available from: https://rabble.ca/labour/changing-climate-could-mean-longer-hours-stagnating-wages/
- Standardized working at heights training improves safety, study. Workers Health & Safety Centre. January 26, 2023. Available from: https://www.whsc.on.ca/What-s-new/News-Archive/Standardized-working-at-heights-training-improves-safety-study