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
IWH estimates point to positive return on OHS investment in three Ontario sectors
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 29, 2022
Project report
Project report
Economic burden of lung cancer and mesothelioma in Canada due to occupational asbestos exposure (2015)
This November 2015 presentation provides an early look at the results of an economic burden study on the costs to Canadian society of new cases of lung cancers and mesothelioma attributable to occupational asbestos exposures in a particular year.
Published: November 2015
Project
Project
Employer investments in occupational health and safety: establishing benchmarks for Ontario
How much are Ontario employers investing in health and safety in their workplaces. An IWH research team went right to the source, surveying Ontario employers about their firm-level spending on five dimensions of health and safety.
Status: Completed 2017
At Work article
At Work article
Manufacturer learns participatory ergonomics worth the investment
An Ontario textile plant saved over a quarter-of-a-million dollars as a result of implementing a participatory ergonomics program, according to an economic evaluation performed by the Institute for Work & Health.
Published: April 2013
Project
Project
Assessing the human and economic burden of workplace cancer in Canada
Status: Completed 2020
Journal article
Journal article
A systematic review of workplace ergonomic interventions with economic analyses
Published: Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, June 2010
At Work article
At Work article
Easy-to-use tool measures benefits and costs of OHS initiatives
The Institute for Work & Health introduces the Health & Safety Smart Planner – a new, user-friendly tool that is designed to help workplaces understand the full benefits and costs of occupational health and safety programs and interventions.
Published: February 2010
Tools and guides
Health & Safety Smart Planner: Economic evaluation software
This software tool is designed for workplace OHS professionals and consultants to help them calculate the costs and benefits of workplace health and safety initiatives, as well as the costs of health and safety incidents. Economics training is not needed to use this tool because economic principles have been built into it.
Published: January 2010
Journal article
Journal article
A systematic review of occupational health and safety interventions with economic analyses
Published: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, September 2009
Research Highlights
Research Highlights
Manufacturer saves money with participatory ergonomic program
Participatory ergonomic (PE) programs may be worth undertaking based on their financial merits — savings found not in fewer or shorter work-related injury absences but in shorter absences due to non-work injuries.
Published: January 2009
Journal article
Journal article
Systematic review of disability management interventions with economic evaluations
Published: Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, March 2008