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 blurry image of people at work](/sites/iwh/files/styles/bootstrap_4_col_widescreen/public/iwh/images/invisible_blurry_people.jpg?h=aa28cc4d&itok=nlTjpRrA)
At Work article
Workplaces face many complex challenges when managing episodic disabilities: study
In interviews with IWH, employers describe difficulties supporting workers with invisible, recurring health conditions while respecting their privacy
Published:
![A woman with a bandaged left arm fills out injury claim form](/sites/iwh/files/styles/bootstrap_4_col_widescreen/public/iwh/images/bandage_claim_form_injury.jpg?h=119335f7&itok=b9gE7gW6)
At Work article
Workers exposed to common hazards more likely to report their injuries: IWH study
Study conducted in B.C., Alberta, Ontario found injury reporting linked to hazard exposure and OHS awareness
Published:
![Blurry image of health-care workers running](/sites/iwh/files/styles/bootstrap_4_col_widescreen/public/iwh/images/blurry_hospital_running.jpg?h=4b4a038b&itok=eOxVJw_2)
At Work article
Understanding challenges in hospitals’ workplace violence reporting systems
Institute for Work & Health study on workplace violence reporting in health care examines reasons why incidents are not disclosed
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![A vista of a small town in British Columbia](/sites/iwh/files/styles/bootstrap_4_col_widescreen/public/iwh/images/rural_countryside_hills.jpg?h=119335f7&itok=Ko8v8Om8)
Research Highlights
Urban-rural differences in work disability duration
People who live in more remote areas have more disability days following a work-related injury than people who live in large cities. However, there are exceptions to that pattern. Disability days are highest in the most remote rural areas. But they're second highest in the least remote rural areas, where at least 30 per cent of workers commute to an urban centre.
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![A man kneels as he works with decking boards on a patio](/sites/iwh/files/styles/bootstrap_4_col_widescreen/public/iwh/images/kneeling_deck_builder.jpg?h=0753b624&itok=RZPSEisK)
Sharing Best Evidence
Work activities and the development of osteoarthritis in men and women
A systematic review by the Institute for Work & Health finds strong and moderate evidence that work exposures—including lifting, cumulative physical loads, full-body vibration and kneeling/squatting/bending—can increase the risks of osteoarthritis in men and women. No increased risk was found for sitting, standing and walking (hip and knee osteoarthritis); lifting and carrying (knee osteoarthritis); climbing ladders (knee osteoarthritis); driving (knee osteoarthritis); and highly repetitive tasks (hand osteoarthritis).
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![A health-care worker wearing a face mask and body covering](/sites/iwh/files/styles/bootstrap_4_col_widescreen/public/iwh/images/health-care-worker-mask-covid.jpg?h=d3d2a0e5&itok=34-4BbXr)
At Work article
Anxiety levels among health-care workers during COVID-19 linked to inadequate PPE
Study by OHCOW, with IWH support, draws on survey of 4,000 workers during April 2020
Published:
![Illustration of bar graphs, line graphs and a coronavirus](/sites/iwh/files/styles/bootstrap_4_col_widescreen/public/iwh/images/graphs_arrow_covid.jpg?h=f7cc5f69&itok=5IjwVW4v)
![A roomful of people listen intently to workshop presenter](/sites/iwh/files/styles/bootstrap_4_col_widescreen/public/iwh/images/workshop_presenter_audience.jpg?h=7042d50b&itok=drMM3QgT)
At Work article
Supporting settlement agencies to raise OHS awareness among newcomers
A collaboration involving IWH highlights need to fill important knowledge gap in the settlement services sector
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![Close-up of a faceless jogger, lacing up her running shoes](/sites/iwh/files/styles/bootstrap_4_col_widescreen/public/iwh/images/running_shoes_jogger.jpg?h=2adcd632&itok=clt0jxUi)
Research Highlights
Physical activity levels and work factors over 12 years
Over a 12-year-period, Canadians whose jobs became more physically or mentally demanding became slightly less likely to exercise more. They were also slightly less likely to exercise more when working long hours or working in jobs that offered them little say in how to use their skills.
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![A close-up of a man's hand, holding a joint](/sites/iwh/files/styles/bootstrap_4_col_widescreen/public/iwh/images/cannabis_hand_joint.jpg?h=b1a91ebe&itok=iDTJGe2o)
At Work article
At-work use of cannabis reported by 1 in 12 workers—no change since legalization
In follow-up study of cannabis use before and after legalization in Canada, IWH research team found a rise in casual use, but no increase in at-work or daily use
Published:
![Close-up of two pairs of hands, belong to a counsellor and a patient sitting on a couch](/sites/iwh/files/styles/bootstrap_4_col_widescreen/public/iwh/images/counselling_hands_therapy.jpg?h=62bc044e&itok=vmw47kxA)
Research Highlights
Access to mental health treatment among workers with physical injuries
Among workers with a compensation claim for a work-related musculoskeletal injury, 30 per cent also experience a serious mental condition. However, a minority of these workers receive treatment for their mental health conditions, according to an IWH study conducted in Australia.
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![A young man behind the wheel of a car checks his smartphone](/sites/iwh/files/styles/bootstrap_4_col_widescreen/public/iwh/images/ride_share_driver.jpg?h=51a72048&itok=JvTPe4Wi)
Research Highlights
Exploring the health and safety risks facing ride-share drivers
Ride-share drivers face physical and mental health risks that are not only similar to, but also distinct from, those of taxi drivers. Beyond the risks experienced by taxi drivers, ride-share drivers face stressors unique to this form of work.
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![A tangled telephone cord](/sites/iwh/files/styles/bootstrap_4_col_widescreen/public/iwh/images/communication_breakdown_telephone.jpg?h=2c63913b&itok=Un58_n8x)
Research Highlights
Examining communication and collaboration barriers among health and case management professionals
Communication barriers between health-care providers and case managers appear to stem from differences in communication styles, professional priorities and philosophical perspectives about the timing and appropriateness of return to work. Barriers exist even among practitioners of different health disciplines.
Published:
![blurry silhouettes of two colleagues talking](/sites/iwh/files/styles/bootstrap_4_col_widescreen/public/iwh/images/window_silhouettes_talking.jpg?h=a858b86c&itok=SJNZ5SqU)
At Work article
Poorer post-injury experiences lead to worse RTW outcomes for psychological claimants
IWH’s 12-month follow-up study of injured workers in Australia found many interconnected differences in return-to-work process for physical and psychological claimants
Published:
![A hard hat, placed next to a check list, against a black background](/sites/iwh/files/styles/bootstrap_4_col_widescreen/public/iwh/images/hard_hat_questionnaire.jpg?h=403bab2c&itok=cARa-kSj)
At Work article
Can an eight-item questionnaire pick up on real-world differences in OHS practice?
Study of IWH-OPM finds consistent differences in how high and medium scorers approach health and safety
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![Close-up of Euro bill and map of Europe](/sites/iwh/files/styles/bootstrap_4_col_widescreen/public/iwh/images/european_costs_euro.jpg?h=b1a91ebe&itok=9FE6uiDH)
At Work article
Estimating the societal costs of work injuries and illnesses in five EU countries
New economic burden method developed by IWH used to estimate the value of OHS to workers, employers, society at large
Published:
![Japanese craftsperson stands in front of his workstation, smiling](/sites/iwh/files/styles/bootstrap_4_col_widescreen/public/iwh/images/worker_artist_smiling.jpg?h=f6174459&itok=nzVwaSJN)
Sharing Best Evidence
What workplace interventions help workers with MSDs, pain and mental health conditions return to work?
This update of a previous systematic review sets out to find workplace-based interventions that are effective in helping workers with musculoskeletal, pain-related and/or mental health conditions return to work.
Published:
![A form being filled out, next to a stack of binders and a safety helmet](/sites/iwh/files/styles/bootstrap_4_col_widescreen/public/iwh/images/audit_safety_binders.jpg?h=2992ba0a&itok=1rBcUh16)
At Work article
Employers certified by COR programs have greater reduction in injury rates: studies
Firms in B.C.’s, Alberta’s Certificate of Recognition programs have 12 to 14 per cent greater reduction
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![Wooden blocks spell out the words 'fair,' and 'yes or no?'](/sites/iwh/files/styles/bootstrap_4_col_widescreen/public/iwh/images/fair_unfair_justice.jpg?h=f5f4335b&itok=L7RDq7CU)
At Work article
Claimants’ perceptions of fair treatment linked to lower odds of poor mental health
IWH study found claimants who said case managers treated them with dignity, and gave them needed information, had lower risks of psychological distress
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![A roomful of working adults listen to a presenter](/sites/iwh/files/styles/bootstrap_4_col_widescreen/public/iwh/images/training_workshop_group.jpg?h=c7eedafc&itok=qj4aWusn)
At Work article
Program raised workplace mental health awareness, but not likelihood of policy
A Thunder Bay community-based program led to greater employer knowledge of mental health issues, but little changes on the ground, finds researcher
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