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
- Effectiveness of training and education for the protection of workers: a systematic review. Completed. (PI on the project)
- Occupational health and safety management audit instruments: a literature review. Funded by Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario. Completed. (PI on the project)
- Effectiveness of occupational health and safety management systems: a systematic review. Completed.
Publications
- Biswas A, Severin C, Smith PM, Steenstra I, Robson LS, Amick B. Larger workplaces, people-oriented culture, and specific industry sectors are associated with co-occurring health protection and wellness activities. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2018;15(12):2739. doi:10.3390/ijerph15122739.
- Shevchenko A, Pagell M, Johnston D, Veltri A, Robson LS. Joint management systems for operations and safety: a routine-based perspective. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2018;194:635-644. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.05.176.
- Kosny A, Tonima S, Ferron EM, Mustard C, Robson LS, Gignac MA, Chambers A, Hajee Y. Implementing violence prevention legislation in hospitals: final report. Institute for Work & Health; 2018.
- Kosny A, Tonima S, Ferron EM, Mustard C, Robson LS, Gignac MA, Chambers A. Implementing violence prevention legislation in hospitals: summary. Institute for Work & Health; 2017.
- Robson LS, Ibrahim S, Hogg-Johnson S, Steenstra I, Van Eerd D, Amick B. Developing leading indicators from OHS management audit data: determining the measurement properties of audit data from the field. Journal of Safety Research. 2017;61:93. doi:10.1016/j.jsr.2017.02.008.
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: OHS change model informs WSPS’s approach to small businesses. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 92, Spring 2018.
- Making the business case for safety: Don't sacrifice safety for operations. OHS Insider: Bongarde Media (Penticton, BC). September 17, 2016. Available from: https://ohsinsider.com/insider-top-stories/making-business-case-safety-dont-sacrifice-safety-operations
- Employers that focus on both operations and safety don’t have to sacrifice either. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 85, Summer 2016.
- OPM follow-up questions now available to help firms act on leading indicator scores. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 84, Spring 2016.
- Managing your OHS program: A case study on breakthrough changes in safety. OHS Insider: Bongarde Media (Penticton, BC). April 20, 2016. Available from: https://ohsinsider.com/insider-top-stories/managing-ohs-program-case-study-breakthrough-changes-safety