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.

A man and a woman work together to push a trolley through a warehouse
At Work article

Review synthesizes differences between men, women in injury risks and outcomes

IWH systematic review finds differences in the same occupations, likely due to differences in job tasks
Published:
Wooden block letters spelling out R O I, with colourful arrows pointing to them
Issue Briefing

Estimating the financial return on employers’ investments in the prevention of work injuries in Ontario

Following a 2017 study to estimate occupational health and safety (OHS) expenditures by employers with 20 or more employees in Ontario, Canada, an Institute for Work & Health (IWH) team has set out to estimate the financial return on those OHS expenditures. This Issue Briefing shares findings from that follow-up study.
Published:
Row of diverse persons with disabilities
At Work article

How government funding can best support the employment of persons with disabilities

IWH project highlights key features of financial incentives that are most helpful in supporting sustained employment of persons with disabilities
Published:
A jar of cannabis buds on a brown desk
At Work article

Cannabis use linked to higher injury risk, but only among those who use at or before work

IWH study finds injury risk doubles among workers who use cannabis before or at work, but no increase among those who use outside of work
Published:
A young woman looks at her phone in frustration and exasperation
At Work article

Poor interactions with case managers linked with risk of mental illness later on

New Ontario study finds claimants who report poor treatment by case managers face higher risk of serious psychological distress 18 months post-injury
Published:
A blurry image of a hospital waiting room
At Work article

Over a third of work-related ER visits in Ontario don’t show up as WSIB claims

Study by Institute for Work & Health uses linkage between WSIB claims data and Ontario’s emergency department records to examine patterns of under-reporting
Published:
A long-term care worker pushes a resident in a wheelchair down the hall
Research Highlights

Implementing participatory ergonomics in the long-term care sector

It can be challenging to tackle long-standing musculoskeletal hazards in busy, high turnover settings such as long-term care homes. Despite this, an IWH study finds a participatory approach—one that involves frontline workers—can be successfully implemented and sustained.
Published:
An overhead shot of a woman holding her head in front of a laptop
At Work article

IWH study finds psychosocial work stressors lead to burnout, but not vice versa

Joint study with OHCOW tests idea that having burnout can worsen work stress, but finds only supervisor support affected

Published:
A woman smiles sympathetically at a colleague in an office
Research Highlights

Workers’ and managers’ perspectives on workplace supports for depression

In a survey of workers with depression and those who manage them, nearly one out of four said no supports were available. Asked about the most helpful type of support, survey respondents with lived experience of depression most often indicated employee assistance programs (EAPs) and other supports external to the workplace. As for barriers to implementing practices, participants noted unsupportive managers, lack of knowledge about mental health in the workplace, and lack of training for managers.
Published:
Workplace inspectors inspecting a workplace during COVID, as indicated by the masks they are wearing
At Work article

What research can do: Scanning how OHS authorities responded to the pandemic

A policy briefing by IWH finds common challenges in the way labour inspection authorities in different jurisdictions addressed the pandemic
Published:
Long shadows cast by a row of workers
At Work article

Study probes factors behind poorer health, lower employment in injured workers’ post-claim experience

New injured worker cohort study at IWH focuses on experiences of workers with long-duration claims of 12-plus months
Published:
Close-up of floor markings indicating six feet distances
At Work article

In most sectors, workplaces saw lower COVID transmission rates than in the community

Studies by Institute for Work & Health and Public Health Ontario also find layers of infection control measures adopted in vast majority of workplaces
Published:
People with various disabilities at the office
Research Highlights

The economic benefits of a fully accessible and inclusive Canada

If Canada were a fully accessible and inclusive society, the economic benefits would amount to about $337.7 billion in calendar year 2017. This amount is equal to about 17.6 per cent of the gross domestic product in that year.
Published:
A worker slumps over in fatigue and defeat, next to an angry boss and a desk piled high with work
At Work article

For a segment of the workforce, psychosocial working conditions are poor across the board

IWH study finds risk of burnout, stress greatly increases for the 1 in 10 Canadian workers in consistently bad job environments
Published:
Workplace inspectors inspecting a workplace during COVID, as indicated by the masks they are wearing
Issue Briefing

Response to COVID-19: Gathering experiences of OHS authorities in developed countries

In early 2021, a group of researchers led by IWH President Dr. Cameron Mustard asked authorities responsible for occupational health and safety (OHS) in developed countries how they had, to date, addressed the COVID-19 challenge. This Issue Briefing shares what the researchers learned.
Published:
Vector of masked workers standing in front of workplaces with coronovirus surrounding them, implying impact of COVID on workers
At Work article

What research can do: Partnering on a tool to estimate occupational risks of COVID

Public Health Ontario and Institute for Work & Health collaborate to answer emerging research questions
Published:
A worker bends over, cutting paving stones in a landscaping job
At Work article

Inadequate employment standards, OHS vulnerability add to higher injury risks

IWH study finds injury risks increased five-fold when both types of work vulnerability were present
Published:
A masked worker riding a bus
At Work article

COVID worries highest among workers with both physical, mental health disabilities

Greater concerns among workers with disabilities stem from their work conditions, not disability status
Published:
Two men lift heavy furniture off a truck
At Work article

Emerging evidence points to negative health effects of physical work demands

Findings on ‘physical activity paradox’ suggest need for more warm-ups, work breaks for labourers: scientist
Published:
View from the back of a man in a suit in an urban street
At Work article

Unemployment benefits linked to lower mortality rates over 10 years: IWH study

Study finds jobless people with income support have 25 per cent lower death rates than those without
Published: