Illness/injury prevention

New businesses make a substantial contribution to the economy, with roughly 100,000 created a year in Canada. New businesses and their owners are expected to begin managing occupational health and safety (OHS) by the time they hire their first employee. But against the many demands for their attention, when, why and how does OHS begin to matter to new business owners? In this presentation, a companion piece to a presentation from last year based on survey findings, Dr. Basak Yanar shares insights from interviews with new business owners on how they begin managing OHS and what supports they need.

Published: October 2026

A new study has found that opioid harm rates have increased among injured workers over the last two decades. The study breaks the trends down by occupation, and high-hazard roles saw the biggest increases. However, some typically low-hazard occupations, like clerical and sales jobs, also saw large increases in harms.

Published: October 2026

Published: American Journal of Industrial Medicine, September 2026

Small businesses that implement worker safety strategies and resources early in their operations can significantly reduce injuries and their associated costs. Research from the Institute for Work and Health reviewed existing studies and interviewed 11 individuals to reach this conclusion..

Published: Future Foreman, August 2026

Published: Annals of Work Exposures and Health, August 2026

During the pandemic, workers who contracted COVID-19 from work had better return-to-work rates 18 months later than those with other conditions. Most traditional return-to-work factors, however, did not explain the difference in rates.

Published: July 2026

The “Keep Your Bits” videos that are part of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board’s latest campaign to promote workplace safety among young adults are meant to be funny — not because the content is light, but to get the attention of young people, says the WSIB. As business reporter Patty Winsa writes, job safety is especially important for young and new workers, who are three times more likely to be injured within their first month of employment compared to experienced workers, according to the Institute for Work and Health.

Published: The Toronto Star, July 2026

Published: American Journal of Epidemiology, July 2026

Published: Safety Science, June 2026

Published: Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, June 2026