Cost and benefits

In high-income countries, employer spending on occupational health and safety (OHS) can be substantial. But what are the financial benefits of these expenditures? An Institute for Work & Health (IWH) team recently developed and applied a transparent methodology to estimate the return on investment (ROI) of OHS spending for Ontario employers. In this presentation, IWH Associate Scientist Dr. Basak Yanar and IWH Adjunct Scientist Dr. Cameron Mustard, also former IWH president and senior scientist, share the methodology they used to arrive at the ROI estimates in three important economic sectors: construction, transportation and manufacturing.

Published: February 2023

Published: Disability and Rehabilitation, January 2023

Published: Safety Science, January 2023

An estimate of the return-on-investment in occupational health and safety is not a figure that many individual employers can easily come up with on their own. A team at IWH has come up with an estimate for three Ontario sectors, based on previous research and WSIB data.

Published: July 2022

A study of large employers in the manufacturing, construction and transportation sectors in Ontario found average returns on investment in workplace safety and health ranging from 24% to 114%, according to research by the Institute for Work & Health.

Published: Safety+Health, June 2022

Following a 2017 study to estimate occupational health and safety (OHS) expenditures by employers with 20 or more employees in Ontario, Canada, an Institute for Work & Health (IWH) team has set out to estimate the financial return on those OHS expenditures. This Issue Briefing shares findings from that follow-up study.

Published: May 2022

What kind of government funding best encourages employers to hire and retain persons with disabilities? A research team at the Institute for Work & Health recently explored this question.

Published: May 2022

This report provides evidence-based insights for policy-makers on the design and administration of funding programs for employment services for persons with disabilities that promote gainful and, ideally, sustainable paid employment opportunities.

Published: April 2022

Despite progress to date, persons with disabilities still face discrimination and other barriers to full participation in society. What would be the economic benefits if these barriers are removed? Understanding the magnitude of the benefits can provide invaluable information to policy-makers, disability advocates and industry leaders as they consider the rewards of efforts to improve accessibility. In this presentation, IWH Senior Scientist Dr. Emile Tompa shares a framework his research team developed for estimating the economic benefits of an accessible and inclusive society. He also shares the results of the framework when implemented for the Canadian context. 

Published: February 2022

Published: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, January 2022