Construction sector

IWH research that specifically involves construction workplaces, workers, unions, employers and/or associations, as well as research on programs that specifically target the construction sector, is collected together here. Not included is IWH research that cuts across all or many sectors, even though it may be relevant to the construction sector. For this reason, visitors are encouraged to explore beyond this page to find equally important information on the prevention of work injury and disability in construction.

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Construction work on the new Victoria Bridge in downtown Saskatoon
At Work article

What research can do: Sector safety group helps members measure OHS with IWH safety culture tool

The IWH-OPM is an eight-item safety culture measure that has been used across Canada and beyond to help workplaces measure OHS performance. Among its most recent applications is its use by the Saskatchewan Construction Safety Association, which is rolling it out, in several waves, to member firms.
Published: November 25, 2022
Workers Health & Safety Centre logo
IWH in the media

Standardized working at heights training improves safety, study

A follow-up study looking at the impact of Ontario’s mandated working at heights training confirms standardized training results in safer work.
Published: Workers Health & Safety Centre, January 2023
IWH Speaker Series
IWH Speaker Series

Preventing falls from heights in construction: a long-term evaluation of Ontario's working-at-heights training standard

In 2015, the province of Ontario implemented a working-at-heights (WAH) training standard requiring most construction workers to take a specific day-long training in fall prevention. A 2019 study conducted by the Institute for Work & Health found the training had positive impact on construction workers' safety knowledge, work practices and injury rates. In this presentation, Dr. Lynda Robson shares new findings on the longer-term impact of the training, drawing on two additional years of follow-up data.
Published: December 2022
Construction work on the new Victoria Bridge in downtown Saskatoon
At Work article

What research can do: Sector safety group helps members measure OHS with IWH safety culture tool

The IWH-OPM is an eight-item safety culture measure that has been used across Canada and beyond to help workplaces measure OHS performance. Among its most recent applications is its use by the Saskatchewan Construction Safety Association, which is rolling it out, in several waves, to member firms.
Published: November 2022
Journal article
Daily Commercial News logo
IWH in the media

Inquest witness pressed on Working at Heights training outcomes

Testimony from a senior Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development (MOL) policy manager on day three of Ontario’s swing stage inquest Feb. 2 revealed the ministry may be recommending changes to Working at Heights (WAH) training as soon as April. Don Wall reports.
Published: Daily Commercial News, February 2022
Canadian Occupational Safety logo
IWH in the media

Ontario ministry could recommend changes to working-at-heights training

A testimony from William Roy, a senior Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development (MOL) policy manager, revealed potential changes to working at heights (WAH) training which could be implemented as soon as April.
The revelation came on day three on Ontario’s swing stage inquest into the 2009 scaffolding collapse at an Etobicoke high rise, in which four people died. Roy's testimony included suggestions for training reforms, contained in a Feb. 2019 report conducted by the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) and commissioned by the Ministry.
Published: Canadian Occupational Safety , February 2022
Journal article
Journal article

Return-to-work after work-related injury in the construction sector: a scoping review

Published: Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, February 2022
Journal article
Journal article

Unionisation and injury risk in construction: a replication study

Published: Occupational & Environmental Medicine, January 2022
Journal article
Journal article

Break-even analysis of Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS) exposure interventions in the construction sector

Published: Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, November 2021
Daily Commercial News logo
IWH in the media

Work-related skin cancer among construction workers set to double by 2060

Cases of work-related non-melanoma skin cancer among construction workers in Ontario are on track to double by 2060. However, according to new research done by the Institute for Work & Health (IWH), if protective equipment and clothing such as long-sleeve shirts, pants and neck coverings are worn by construction workers, up to 6,034 cases of such cancers could be averted over the next three decades. That would result in $38 million in costs (in 2017 Canadian dollars) being saved over a 30-year period, Grant Cameron reports.
Published: Daily Commercial News, July 2021