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Small businesses have unique challenges with occupational health and safety (OHS). This systematic review was conducted to provide an understanding of, and guidance on, how to implement OHS in small businesses, and to identify effective OHS programs.

People with less say about how they do their work—that is, with low job control—are more likely to have poorer health. According to this study on the influence of job control versus other related factors, certain combinations of factors have cumulative effects on workers' health.

Nearly half of those diagnosed with whiplash-associated disorders reported neck pain symptoms one year after their injury. Those with more severe initial symptoms faced even slower recovery, according to a study.

In participatory ergonomics (PE), a team works together to identify risks and change tools, equipment and work processes to improve workplace conditions. PE interventions have been shown to reduce work-related injuries to muscles, tendons, ligaments and other soft tissues. What elements of a participatory ergonomic intervention can help ensure its success in workplaces? This systematic review report answers this important question.

The use of X-rays by chiropractors, especially for low-back pain, has long been controversial. According to this study, instruction at most chiropractic schools seems to be following evidence-based guidelines on the use of X-rays for managing many aspects of low-back pain.

Early return-to-work policy in many jurisdictions is underpinned by the "hurt" versus "harm" concept — that the pain a worker experiences after an injury does not cause harm or inhibit recovery. But there are situations in which this concept does not apply.

Young workers who are not in school have higher injury rates, suggesting that additional workplace training programs may be needed outside of the formal school system to reach more at-risk young workers.

In participatory ergonomics (PE), a team works together to identify risks, and change tools, equipment and work processes to improve workplace conditions. PE programs can reduce work-related injuries to muscles, tendons, ligaments and other soft tissues. This systematic review identifies the factors that can increase the likelihood of a successful PE program in workplaces.

An approach used by the Institute for Work & Health to involve non-researchers in systematic reviews offers several benefits, providing the basis for the inclusion of stakeholders as a permanent step of conducting reviews.

Even after they first return to work, people with MSDs may still experience pain, depressive symptoms and work limitations, according to a study on recurring absences.

This tool, based on IWH's Seven "Principles" for Successful Return to Work, offers guidance to occupational therapists on how to collaborate with workplace parties in the development of successful return-to-work programs.

Despite a lack of official data on the labour force participation of pre-teens and young teens, 12- to 14-year-olds are working and getting exposed to the same OHS risks as other workers, according to a study conducted in Ontario and B.C.

This report contains appendices to the 2008 systematic review on the process and implementation of participatory ergonomics interventions.

Neck pain in workers results from a number of individual and workplace factors. This review examines the role of age, physical fitness, work demands, job insecurity, among others.

Despite reports linking chiropractic care with vertebrobasilar artery (VBA) stroke, this study finds no evidence that visits to a chiropractor increase the risk of a stroke.

Injury/illness prevention and loss control programs help protect workers from injuries, meet regulatory requirements, reduce the negative effects of injuries and manage costs. An IWH systematic review on these programs found strong evidence supporting the effectiveness of disability management/return-to-work programs. Read about the reviews findings and recommendations in this report.

Evidence at Work. The Institute for Work & Health's 2006 Annual Report

This report includes appendices to the systematic review of OHS interventions with economic evaluations.

Before employers invest in workplace health and safety interventions, they want to know the financial implications of their investment. The goal of this review was to explore whether such interventions are worthwhile from an economic point of view. To find an answer, the Institute for Work & Health conducted a systematic review of studies of workplace-based health and safety interventions that also had an economic analysis. This review, as outlined in this final report, sought to answer the following question: What is the credible evidence that incremental investment in health and safety is worth undertaking?

This three-part kit is designed to inform the workplace parties about what musculoskeletal disorders are and how they can be recognized, assessed and controlled to minimize their impact on workers, based upon a guideline developed by system partners in Ontario.

Before employers invest in workplace health and safety interventions, they want to know the financial implications of their investment. The goal of this review was to explore whether such interventions are worthwhile from an economic point of view.

A systematic review finds several studies showing mostly favourable evidence for occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS) interventions. However, a lack of high-quality evidence means recommendations cannot be made in favour or against any particular one.

A study on the challenges injured workers face finds they join peer support groups when they feel misunderstood and unfairly treated.

A study of overall injury risk finds time spent in sports and recreational activities raises the risk of injury more than time spent at work.

Health-care workers are more likely to miss work because of illness and disability than workers in other sectors. This study compares disability management practices across four types of health-care workplaces: hospitals, nursing homes, private clinics and community clinics.

This popular guide outlines seven principles that the research shows are associated with workplace practices that can help ensure the successful return of a worker after injury or illness.

An overall decline in workers' compensation lost-time claim rates in Ontario from 1990 to 2003, partly explained by decreases in the industrial sectors of the number of people working in manual jobs.

A study of a large sample of sawmill workers from 1989 to 1997 finds falls and machinery are the main causes of injuries, but also that injury rates have been on the decline since 1994.

Some social groups are more likely than others to be affected negatively by changes in the labour market. What's more, these groups are also more susceptible to negative health effects of the insecurities that arise with these changes.

Health-care workers face a high risk of developing injuries to their muscles, tendons or other soft-tissues, including back pain. These injuries are also known as musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). IWH conducted a systematic review to summarize the existing scientific literature on the effectiveness of MSD prevention programs for health-care workers.

People with back injuries may experience different patterns of recovery. Knowing how people recover may help clinicians who treat patients with back injuries.

A portion of health-care costs among injured sawmill workers in British Columbia are not reimbursed by the provincial workers' compensation agency, suggesting that prevention efforts could target the more costly injuries to reduce hospital costs.

Rehabilitation programs such as fitness training, exercises and weight training are no better than the usual care to help patients recover from whiplash.

Too much health care too early after a whiplash injury has a negative affect on a patient's recovery, a study finds. It confirms that the results of an earlier study are not due to chance.

Compared to trainees, practising chiropractors use radiography more often. Reasons include attendance at seminars or courses encouraging radiography use, financial pressures or fear of malpractice.

Young workers view workplace injuries as "part of the job," particularly when the injuries don't require medical attention, study finds. Furthermore, these workers generally don't think these less severe injuries are of interest to their managers.

A study of six early return-to-work strategies finds accommodation offers and communication with health-care professionals are two critical factors to success.

Symptoms of depression appear to be relatively common after whiplash injury. They occur soon after the incident and can be persistent, especially if patients have a history of depressive symptoms.

When it comes to injury risk among teenaged and young adult workers, the type of job or workplace matters more than the nature of the young workers themselves.

According to the first ergonomic analysis of job tasks in residential carpentry, some tasks put carpenters at significant risk of injury to the low back. First among them is standing or framing walls.

For regulation to be effective, regulators need to "be in the field" undertaking investigations and actively seeking out cases of non-compliance for regulation to be effective. The mere possibility of being inspected, cited and fined is not as effective as actually being inspected.

Job characteristics are a main risk factor in occupational health and safety among young workers. Reducing the physical hazards of work through improved equipment and the work environment should be an important part of workplace safety, study finds.

Despite the legal requirement in most provinces for employers to provide health and safety to new workers, only one in five new workers actually receive such training, study finds.

A study examining work injury rates for 15- to 24-year-olds in 46 regions across Ontario finds great variation rates among young workers vary greatly across the province.

Passive coping strategies—for example, withdrawing from social activities due to pain or hoping for better pain medications—slow down recovery for people with whiplash, particularly those who also have depressive symptoms.

Health-care workers face a high risk of developing injuries to their muscles, tendons or other soft-tissues, including back pain. Many prevention initiatives have been used to try to prevent these musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) from occurring in health-care workers. However, little is known about the effectiveness of these programs. This report summarizes a systematic review of the literature on the effectiveness of MSD prevention programs for health-care workers.

Young workers are more likely than older workers to sustain work injuries, and as a result, significant resources have been spent on young worker safety programs. This systematic review takes a comprehensive look at the factors that lead young workers to get injured.

What individual, job and workplace factors are associated with occupational disease among young people 12 to 24 years of age? This systematic review report summarizes the factors associated with occupational disease among young workers.