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
Estimating the societal costs of work injuries and illnesses in five EU countries
New economic burden method developed by IWH used to estimate the value of OHS to workers, employers, society at large
Published: January 5, 2020
At Work article
Raising awareness about caregiver supports results in savings for employer: study
Cost-benefit analysis examines information campaign targeting university staff with caregiving duties
Published: July 30, 2019
At Work article
Estimating the societal costs of work injuries and illnesses in five EU countries
To help European Union countries set priorities and analyze potential benefits of tackling work-related hazards, an IWH team developed and implemented a new method for estimating the societal costs of work injuries and illnesses.
Published: January 2020
IWH Speaker Series
IWH Speaker Series
Estimating the economic burden of work injuries and illnesses in the European Union
Knowing the economic burden of work-related illnesses and injuries in a country can help policy-makers set priorities. In a recent project involving five European Union countries, Institute for Work & Health Senior Scientist and labour economist Dr. Emile Tompa, along with post-doctoral fellow Amir Mofidi, developed and executed a new framework for such an estimate. In this presentation, Tompa discusses the approach, its potential, as well as results of the five-country study.
Published: November 2019
At Work article
Raising awareness about caregiver supports results in savings for employer: study
It's one thing to have workplace policies to support employees with unpaid caregiving duties at home. It's another to raise awareness about such policies among staff and their supervisors. That alone can result in savings for the employer, according to a new cost-benefit analysis.
Published: July 2019
Journal article
Journal article
Impact of a caregiver-friendly workplace policies intervention: a prospective economic evaluation
Published: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, June 2019
Journal article
Journal article
What do employers spend to protect the health of workers?
Published: Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, April 2019
IWH in the media
Despite ban, asbestos lingers and takes a toll decades later
Because decades might pass before a person exposed to asbestos develops mesothelioma, asbestosis or the other related diseases, health professionals believe the number and costs of asbestos-related cancers and disease will continue to rise, writes Monique Keiran in a column that cites Institute research.
Published: Times Colonist, January 2019
IWH in the media
Research looks at cost-effectiveness in silica dust exposure fight
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is not always the most cost-effective means of protecting workers from dangers associated with exposure to silica dust, writes Don Proctor, reporting on the findings of an IWH study.
Published: Daily Commercial News, January 2019
Project
Project
Estimating the financial benefits of OHS prevention expenditures: a study of Ontario employers
Status: Ongoing
IWH in the media
Research on silica exposure controls finds PPE comes at a cost
Research estimating cancers averted and intervention costs of two silica control measures offers an important new perspective on the control of occupational cancers. Among the compelling findings, researchers concluded that personal protective equipment (PPE) is not the most cost-effective method of protecting workers from silica exposures, calling into question the common practice of providing PPE to workers exposed to hazardous materials.
Published: Workers Health & Safety Centre, December 2018
At Work article
Calculating the costs of employers’ work-related injury prevention efforts in Ontario
You often hear OHS professionals and advocates talk about the costs of work-related injuries. But what about the costs of preventing the injuries? An IWH research team recently set out to calculate employer OHS investments in Ontario.
Published: November 2018