Document directory

This systematic review set out to find what factors affect the length of time it takes before returning to work. The aim was to identify which workers with acute low-back pain are at high risk of long-term absences and, therefore, in need of extra attention to help them recover and return to work more quickly.

An IWH analysis helps lead to creation of specialized SIEF adjudication team at Ontario's Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, resulting in millions in savings.

What happened to workers' compensation claim rates in Canada during the 2008-2009 recession? This Issue Briefing looks at the research and confirms that, relative to the long-term trend of declining claim rates in North America, the frequency of workers' compensation claims per hours worked tends to go down during recessions.

Three sets of pictograms depict musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) hazards and proper practices in three service sectors: retail, restaurant and greenhouses.

From September to November 2011, the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) consulted with its stakeholders in Ontario as the foundation for developing a strategic plan for the period 2013-2017. This report summarizes the results of that consultation and related survey.

Little information is available on the effectiveness of workplace programs to target depression. This systematic review set out to provide such information. It searched the research literature to look for interventions for managing depression in the workplace that were effective from an employer's point of view.

The proportion of work-related injuries registered as no-lost-time claims (NLTCs) versus lost-time claims (LTCs) increased in Ontario from 1991 to 2006. Based on research from IWH, this Issue Briefing takes a close look at the characteristics of NLTCs in Ontario and the factors that may help explain their increasing share of workers' compensation claims in the province.

Informing Policy: The Institute for Work & Health's 2010 Annual Report

This report explores the factors that affect how long it will take workers to return to work following an absence due to acute low-back pain, based upon the results of a systematic review update conducted by the Institute for Work & Health.

In May 2009, the Institute for Work & Health developed Red Flags/Green Lights: A Guide to Identifying and Solving Return-to-Work Problems to help decision-makers identify and manage return-to-work (RTW) problems. This document reports on a study that evaluated how this guide is being used by various RTW stakeholders.

This is a plain-language report summarizing the findings of an Institute for Work & Health study that explored the experiences of recent immigrants who were injured on the job.

IWH scientists support the work of the Dean panel with "trusted" and "balanced" research and analysis.

The effectiveness of current knowledge transfer and exchange (KTE) practices has not been routinely or consistently evaluated, in part because of a lack of instruments for assessing the impact of KTE activities. This systematic review searched the literature to find instruments that can accurately and reliably measure KTE activities. Although few were found, some showed promise.

The experiences of recent immigrants who are injured on the job, including their knowledge of their rights, encounters with employers and health-care providers, and experiences with injury reporting and claim filing, are detailed in this study report from the Institute for Work & Health.

A systematic review of the literature to find tools that effectively measure the impact of knowledge transfer and exchange (KTE) activities concluded that few well developed instruments are available to evaluate the implementation and impact of knowledge transfer and exchange practices. However, it did find 16 articles describing instruments that showed promise as useful tools in the evaluation of KTE activities, and references for these are provided here.

Workers who suffer permanent impairments from a work injury often rely on workers' compensation benefits to replace lost earnings. But how well are benefit programs fulfilling this role? This Issue Briefing addresses that question.

This national scan from the Institute for Work & Health looks at some of the services, programs and resources on occupational health & safety and workers' compensation that are available to recent immigrants to Canada. It also discusses trends in the types of resources available, identifies important gaps, and highlights case studies of programs that present interesting opportunities for providing this information to newcomers.

A study from the Institute for Work & Health, detailed in this report, suggests emergency department records in Ontario can provide an independent source of reliable surveillance information on acute job-related injuries and illnesses.

Depression in the workplace is widespread, and workplaces feel its financial pinch in the form of absenteeism and presenteeism. Yet workplace programs that specifically target depression remain uncommon, perhaps because little information is available on the effectiveness of these programs when it comes to improving outcomes of importance to employers. This systematic review set out to provide such information and its results are included in this report.

This report shares the findings of a systematic review that looked across a wide variety of research fields to identify tools that can accurately and reliably measure how well KTE activities bring research evidence to practitioners and change their knowledge, attitudes and/or behaviour.

Problematic interactions among health-care providers, injured workers and workers’ compensation boards may delay the return to work of injured workers with complicated claims. The result can be frustration, financial difficulties and mental health problems for injured workers.

From 1999 to 2007, the lost-time claim rate for young Ontario workers (ages 15 to 24) declined more steeply than the adult rate, and as a result the two rates are converging.

This point-of-care tool helps health-care providers safely and effectively manage their patients with chronic non-cancer pain, using prompts, checklists and charts to help determine the appropriate opioid prescription (if any).

A longitudinal study of a representative sample of Canadian workers finds certain work characteristics are linked with precarious employment and put workers at increased risk of poor physical health.

A small but important minority—14 per cent—of injured workers experience recurrent neck pain, accounting for 40 per cent of all lost-time days due to neck pain, according to a study of claims made to Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.

Can a simple tool be developed that will predict a firm’s workplace injury experience based on an assessment of its health and safety policies and practices? This was the question that a team of partners within Ontario's occupational health and safety (OHS) system set out to answer, and it looks like the answer is “yes.” This report describes the team's work developing these potential OHS leading indicators.

A study examining changes in work conditions in three provinces between 1994 and 2003-2005 finds lower levels of job satisfaction, lower levels of decision authority and co-worker support, and higher likelihood of rotating shifts and long hours.

Physiotherapy use and costs to treat musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) at a large Ontario workplace increased substantially over a 10-year period. The potential exists for unequal access to physiotherapy services among workers not privately insured or covered by their workplaces.

This Issue Briefing draws attention to the policy challenge of coordinating and aligning both the goals and the administration of at least seven different disability income security programs in Canada.

Germany's social insurance authority regularly turns to systematic reviews from the Institute for Work & Health because of their quality and reliability.

Agency turns around rise of long-duration claims with a new model informed by IWH research.

Union awareness program draws on IWH research findings to target all new workers–not just workers who are young.

Institute scientists work with WSIB to provide ongoing evaluation of three important programs.

Community research project involving injured workers identifies stigmatizing attitudes as a problem.

IWH joins system partners in the creation of the MSD Prevention Guideline, an essential resource for province's enforcement efforts.

The Systematic Review Program: Solutions. The Institute for Work & Health's 2009 Annual Report

Shift work — employment with anything other than a regular daytime work schedule — makes up a large part of work in the Canadian economy. For at least 50 years, researchers have been exploring the question of whether working shifts poses a health hazard. This briefing summarizes the findings of a selection of this research, including several review articles.

The Occupational Health & Safety Council of Ontario (OHSCO) released its final report on system performance measurements. The report highlights trends of key performance indicators in the Ontario prevention system in 2008.

Report cites IWH research as important in identifying the need for change in WSIB's service delivery model.

This Issue Briefing provides a case study that compares the costs of the workers’ compensation scheme in the state of California with the cost of provincial workers’ compensation schemes in Canada. In California's system, compensation benefits are mainly provided through private insurers, while in Canada they are provided mostly through a single public agency in each province.

Occupational health and safety (OHS) training is an important part of managing workplace hazards and risks, but do they result in fewer work-related injuries and illnesses? This systematic review set out to determine whether OHS training and education programs have a beneficial effect for workers and workplaces.

For long-term and costly workers’ compensation claims, researchers identified four contexts in the return-to-work process that contributed to problems. The risk of a “toxic dose” resulted when problems occurred across the different contexts.

There is strong evidence that ergonomic interventions result in positive financial returns for firms in the manufacturing and warehousing sector and moderate evidence for the administrative and support services and health-care sectors.

One size does not fit all. When it comes to occupational health and safety interventions, small businesses have needs that completely distinct from those of larger organizations.

Ergonomics training, exercise programs, alternative pointing devices and keyboards and so on. A broad range of workplace interventions are available to reduce musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the arm, hand, shoulder and neck. Which ones are effective?

Workers disabled by low-back pain can be grouped into three different groups: (1) those with workplace factors, (2) those with no workplace factors, but greater back pain, and (3) those with multiple factors.

This booklet contains evidence-based information on how people can live with short-term (acute) low-back pain. It contains reassuring advice about the course of typical back pain, as well as information on choosing the right treatment, what works and what doesn’t, and some common myths about back pain.