Economic evaluations
Economic evaluations in health and safety calculate the costs and benefits of injury, illness and disability prevention programs, both workplace-based and at the systems level. IWH researchers not only answer questions about how and what to measure in an economic evaluation, but also conduct economic evaluations themselves as part of larger studies determining the effectiveness (in terms of both costs and other benefits) of occupational health and safety, return-to-work and other work-related programs that affect health.
Featured

At Work article
Comparing the costs, benefits of silica dust prevention methods for construction workers
Construction workplaces can use different methods to reduce exposure to silica dust and protect workers from cancer down the road. But which methods should they opt for? A cost-benefit analysis led by IWH offers some guidance.
Published: August 20, 2020

Issue Briefing
Estimating the financial return on employers’ investments in the prevention of work injuries in Ontario
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
IWH Speaker Series
IWH Speaker Series
Development and implementation of a framework for estimating the economic benefits of an accessible and inclusive society
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

Research Highlights
The economic benefits of a fully accessible and inclusive Canada
If Canada were a fully accessible and inclusive society, the economic benefits would amount to about $337.7 billion in calendar year 2017. This amount is equal to about 17.6 per cent of the gross domestic product in that year.
Published: November 2021
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
Journal article
Journal article
Describing economic benefits and costs of nonstandard work hours: a scoping review
Published: American Journal of Industrial Medicine, October 2021
Journal article
Journal article
Economic evaluation of interventions to reduce solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure among construction workers
Published: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, May 2021
Journal article
Journal article
Unmet workplace support needs and lost productivity of workers with systemic sclerosis: a path analysis study
Published: Arthritis Care and Research, March 2021
Journal article
Journal article
Development and implementation of a framework for estimating the economic benefits of an accessible and inclusive society
Published: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, January 2021
Journal article
Journal article
Economic burden of work injuries and diseases: a framework and application in five European Union countries
Published: BMC Public Health, January 2021

At Work article
Comparing the costs, benefits of silica dust prevention methods for construction workers
Construction workplaces can use different methods to reduce exposure to silica dust and protect workers from cancer down the road. But which methods should they opt for? A cost-benefit analysis led by IWH offers some guidance.
Published: August 2020