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 homeless young man sits on the ground, in a tunnel
At Work article

IWH review outlines promising strategies to prevent prescribed opioid abuse

Research synthesis by Institute for Work & Health examines programs and policies aimed at reducing the misuse and abuse of prescription opioids and preventing overdose deaths
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A man looks at a blackboard with chalk written money symbols and question marks
Issue Briefing

What do employers spend to protect the health and safety of workers?

While the financial costs of work-related injury and illness are well known, limited information is available on what employers spend to control or eliminate the causes of work-related injury and illness. This Issue Briefing describes the results of a 2017 study to estimate occupational health and safety expenditures among employers from 17 economic sectors in Ontario, Canada.
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Three mature women look at camera
Research Highlights

OHS vulnerability among new immigrants

Recent immigrant workers are 1.6 times more likely than Canadian-born workers to experience occupational health and safety (OHS) vulnerability, defined as exposure to hazards without adequate protection to mitigate those hazards.
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Man in red shirt jogs in a park adjacent to an office building
Research Highlights

Facilities near or at work and off-hours exercise levels

Three in four working Canadians have access near or at their work to a gym, a sports field, a pleasant place to walk, a fitness program, an organized sports team, a health promotion program or a shower/change room. Leisure-time exercise levels are highest for workers with access to all the above. They are twice as likely to exercise in their off-hours as workers with access to none of these.
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A young woman rests her head in her palm, eyes closed
Research Highlights

How workplace support needs differ for younger and older adults with chronic disease

When it comes to workplace supports, people with chronic disease have similar needs, even at different ages and career stages. However, young people face unique challenges related to accessing workplace supports, including a lack of available workplace resources and difficulty overcoming preconceptions around youth and chronic conditions.
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A black and white image of a rope fraying
Research Highlights

Gender differences in the link between psychosocial work exposures and stress

Women’s and men's stress levels are affected differently by psychosocial work exposures such as supervisor or co-worker support, job control, job demand and job insecurity.
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Investigators working behind crime-scene yellow tape
At Work article

Sex/gender analysis: Are risks of violence at work higher for men or women? It depends on type of violence

Men and women face similar risks of physical violence at work, but the risks of sexual violence at work are four times higher for women
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An older woman works in a workshop
At Work article

Sex/gender analysis: Men and women with arthritis have same needs at work, but not the same supports

Study of workers with arthritis finds the need for workplace supports goes unmet more often among women, and that's due to the type of jobs and workplaces women are in
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A black and white image of a rope fraying
At Work article

Sex/gender analysis: Links between psychosocial work factors and stress not always as expected

IWH study examines differences between men and women when it comes to the links between stress and psychosocial work factors such as supervisor support, job control and job security
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A supervisor has a supportive chat with a worker
At Work article

Supervisors who react with support can help injured workers return to the job

Study examining return to work and social support finds importance of supervisors’ first reaction to injury
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Two office workers sit at their computer workstations late into the night
At Work article

Sex/gender analysis: Gender study finds overwork linked to higher risks of diabetes in women, not men

Research by Institute for Work & Health and Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences followed 7,300 Ontario workers for 12 years to examine link between work hours and health outcomes
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Abstract image of one open door, flanked by many closed doors
At Work article

Benefits outweigh costs for workplaces that accommodate people with mental illness

Business case study finds accommodations are a net gain for employers and workers
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Members of a hospital committee listen to presentation by female health care worker
At Work article

Collaborative return-to-work program helps hospital lower injury claims, duration: study

IWH study examining the implementation of a return-to-work program created by hospital unions and management found improvements across many dimensions
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A nurse sits in deserted hospital hallway, looking worried
At Work article

Violence prevention efforts face challenges despite commitment from hospital leaders

IWH implementation study reveals concerns over issues such as staff training, security, reporting
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Man in red shirt jogs in a park adjacent to an office building
At Work article

Workplace facilities and environments can help workers exercise during off-hours

Study suggests employers can promote workers’ activity levels by highlighting amenities near or at work
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A man sits on the steps, holding his head in his hands
At Work article

IWH’s new guide on supporting workers with depression integrates research with practice

Evidence-based guide draws on a systematic review update and consultation with workers and managers
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A worker guides a crane lifting concrete at a construction site
At Work article

Embedding essential skills training in OHS lessons can boost learning: study

A pilot project by the Institute for Work & Health finds improved learning when hoisting and rigging students receive essential skills content as part of OHS training
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Young landscaping worker holds hedge trimmer
At Work article

IWH study estimates costs of non-melanoma skin cancers due to sun exposure at work

Figure of $34.6M for cancers diagnosed in one year is the first estimate in Canada of the economic burden of work-related cases of two common forms of skin cancer
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At Work article

Studies consistent in finding a link between opioids for MSDs and longer work disability

But high risk of bias across available studies limits ability to draw conclusions about cause and effect​
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A downcast woman sits waiting for news in an empty waiting room
At Work article

Family members play important but unacknowledged role in injury aftermath

A study of three Australian compensation systems recommends formal support for burdened family members
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