Plain-language summaries

Institute for Work & Health (IWH) plain-language summaries condense research findings in various formats. At Work articles explain study results with comments from the study leads. Research Highlights summarize journal articles in easy-to-read, digest formats. Sharing Best Evidence summaries highlight findings from systematic reviews and other types of reviews conducted or led by IWH researchers. Issue Briefings discuss key research findings from IWH or elsewhere on topics that are of particular interest to policy-makers.

Colourful lines and dots interspersed with zeros and ones
Research Highlights

Which workers and jobs will be most affected by machine learning?

Machine learning is being adopted by more and more Canadian workplaces. Given this technology’s ability to learn, adapt and generate work outputs, it also has the potential to perform job tasks in place of humans. But which workers might be most affected by the use of machine learning? An IWH study explores this question.
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A bearded male worker in an apron handles decorative blue-teal glass discs displayed on a shelf
At Work article

Consultants play key role in OHS implementation at small firms

Time and resource constraints may make it hard for small businesses to access health and safety support programs. But, as an IWH study finds, small businesses gain from even limited participation in such programs. The study, based on interviews with small businesses that took part in Ontario's Health and Safety Excellence Program, also highlights factors that contribute to their success in the program.
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A man in a suit bikes to work
Research Highlights

Which workers use active forms of transportation in their commutes?

Walking, biking, or taking public transportation to work is one way workers can increase their physical activity. But does the choice to use active transportation differ for workers in different jobs, or between men and women? This study aimed to find out.
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Paramedics wheel a stretcher out of a ambulance in front of a hospital.
Research Highlights

In which occupations are formerly injured Ontario workers most at-risk of opioid-related harms?

Formerly injured workers in certain occupations are at an elevated risk of experiencing opioid-related harms, according to a study by IWH and the Occupational Cancer Research Centre. Looking within a large sample of formerly injured Ontario workers, occupational groups with greater risks of harms included construction, forestry and logging, materials handling, and processing.
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A woman working at a laptop looks out the window with her head resting on her hand
At Work article

Workplace supports buffer productivity impacts of rheumatic diseases and depression

Young adults who live with both a rheumatic disease and depression have lower productivity than those who have only one or neither condition. That’s according to a new IWH study. Findings from this small study also suggest that having a supportive working environment can buffer the lost productivity issues.
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A warehouse worker looks at a tablet among stacks of boxes
At Work article

Higher risk of work injuries found among those in precarious jobs: IWH study

Workers in jobs where precarious employment conditions are more common are more likely to experience a work-related injury or illness in Ontario, including COVID-19. That’s according to a pair of studies authored by Institute for Work & Health (IWH) researchers that examined whether employment conditions—for example, temporary contracts, involuntary part-time hours, irregular schedules and low wages—may be linked to the rate of work injuries.
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Two ambulance parked at the emergency entrance of a hospital in the night
At Work article

Rates of work injuries have declined in Ontario, except the most severe

Past research in occupational health and safety, including studies conducted at IWH, has shown a general decline in rates of work-related injuries in Ontario over the past two decades. But a new IWH study, based on emergency department records from 2004 to 2017, shows that when it comes to very severe injuries, no such decline was seen among men. It also finds an increase of 18 per cent among women.
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Close-up of file folders of funding projects
At Work article

Grant round-up: Preventing physical and mental health injuries a focus among externally funded IWH studies

Investigating how daily activity patterns affect workers’ cardiovascular health, helping new businesses to start managing occupational health and safety, and assessing B.C.’s psychosocial work environment to inform a mental health strategy. These are among the latest externally funded projects underway at the Institute.
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A man works at a computer in an dark, empty office late at night, with his head in his hand
Research Highlights

Working unpaid overtime linked with high stress and burnout: IWH study

Building on research linking overtime work to depression, anxiety, and other mental health concerns, an IWH study investigated how working unpaid overtime is associated with mental health in Canada’s working population. They found that that the more unpaid overtime hours worked, the more likely a worker is to report stress and burnout.
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A graphic of two women surrounded by superimposed graphical data and screens. One wears virtual reality goggles and the other holds a laptop computer.
At Work article

Top-ranked strategies to support young persons with disabilities in the future of work

IWH researchers asked persons with disabilities, practitioners and subject matter experts about strategies for disability inclusion in the face of six future of work challenges, such as advancing technologies, climate change and artificial intelligence. A new report details their top-ranked strategies for each challenge that can help to foster inclusion in the labour market and the workplace.
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Blocks with icons of people are laid out with lines drawn between them to indicate connection
At Work article

IWH brings together new network to share research and exchange knowledge

In its newest avenue for stakeholder engagement, IWH recently held the inaugural IWH Connects meeting. This event, held in person in Toronto, hosted a new network of 40 workplace parties, policy-makers and health, safety and wellness practitioners. These stakeholders were brought together to learn about high-priority work and health research and discuss its implications for practice and policy.
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Image of panel members from the March 2024 Opioids and Work workshop hosted by OCRC and IWH
At Work article

Exploring how workplace solutions can mitigate opioid harms among workers

With the recognition that workplaces can play a part in responding to North America’s opioid crisis, the OCRC and IWH brought together over 100 occupational health specialists, government representatives, union advocates, researchers, and others to discuss how to prevent opioid harms among workers. Presentations, panel discussions and breakout sessions provided a lot of food for thought about the way forward.
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A man with his head in his hand looks at a row of empty pill bottles
Research Highlights

Formerly injured workers have higher risk of opioid-related harms than the general population in Ontario

An IWH study examined how opioid harms in a large group of formerly injured Ontario workers compared to harms in the general Ontario population. They found that the formerly injured workers had higher risks of emergency department visits and hospitalizations for opioid-related harms. This pattern was seen across most occupations and industries within this group of workers.
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A seated woman with a clipboard in-hand speaks to a female client
Research Highlights

How do employment support programs impact the health of young adults with episodic disabilities?

The unpredictable and often invisible nature of episodic disabilities can make it challenging for workers to find and sustain employment while managing their fluctuating symptoms and work demands. For young adults navigating early career phases, these challenges may also have life-long impacts on their career progression and health. Researchers on an IWH study set out to investigate whether employment support programs for young adults with episodic disabilities may also impact their health.
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Two workers wearing masks look at a tablet together
At Work article

What can work-related COVID-19 cases tell us about how to prepare for the next pandemic?

To what extent did workplace exposures account for the transmission of the COVID-19 virus during the first two years of the pandemic? A new study by IWH combined data sources to estimate work-related infection rates, using a method that took into account major shifts in where people worked. It found the role of work exposure changed from wave to wave, in a dynamic pattern not in keeping with the number of cases in the general population.
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A series of blocks stacked together with icons representing various workplace benefits
At Work article

Lesbian, gay and bisexual workers in Canada more likely than straight workers to report low quality, precarious jobs

Drawing on a survey of Canadian workers, a recent study found that lesbian, gay and bisexual workers reported lower job quality than their straight counterparts. That’s according to a study co-led by an IWH researcher and IWH Syme award recipient, the most comprehensive study to date of job quality among sexual minority workers.
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A young man working on a laptop as a female instructor guides him
At Work article

How job training can better meet the needs of persons with disabilities

Job training initiatives are an important gateway to work opportunities, especially for persons living with disabilities who face persistent barriers to employment. However, as technological advances lead to changes in the nature and availability of work, training programs need to be more responsive to the diverse needs of persons with disabilities.
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A residential home in mid-build is surrounded by scaffolding
At Work article

Safer work practices, lower injury rates maintained two years after Ontario’s working-at-heights training came into effect: study

Lower rates of injuries from falls from heights found in follow-up study comparing different provinces and different injury types
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A man speaks with a female doctor in scrubs who holds a clipboard
Research Highlights

Workers are using cannabis to treat work-related conditions, mostly without medical guidance

While cannabis is often used recreationally, there is growing interest in its use for therapeutic purposes, such as for pain, anxiety, depression and sleep problems. Some workers are using cannabis many months following the onset of a work-related condition, whether to treat their condition or for other reasons, mostly without medical guidance.
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A woman dressed in work attire looks out a window with her arms folded.
At Work article

What is the impact of depression on years of employment among working-age adults?

IWH study describes five patterns of depressive symptoms over adulthood and the influence of depression on work participation
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