Illness/injury prevention

IWH has a long history of conducting research to provide practical guidance to employers, workers, OHS professionals and regulators about what works and what doesn’t in injury or illness prevention. This research targets the injury and illness prevention practices of workplaces, as well as the programs developed by governments, health and safety associations and others to support and motivate workplaces to adopt effective practices.

Featured

A bearded male worker in an apron handles decorative blue-teal glass discs displayed on a shelf
At Work article

Consultants play key role in OHS implementation at small firms

An IWH study of small businesses that took part in Ontario's Health and Safety Excellence Program highlights the key factors that contribute their success in the program.
Published: November 8, 2024
A warehouse worker looks at a tablet among stacks of boxes
At Work article

Higher risk of work injuries found among those in precarious jobs: IWH study

Workers in jobs likely to be precarious are more likely to experience a work-related injury or illness in Ontario, including COVID-19. That’s according to a pair of studies that examined whether employment conditions are linked to the rate of work injuries.
Published: September 12, 2024
Graphic of gears indicating meshing of workplace and culture
Impact case study

Safety culture framework in Manitoba incorporates IWH expertise, tools

SAFE Work Manitoba incorporated IWH expertise and tools into the framework of its ambitious safety culture initiative, which aims to make workplace injury prevention a genuine priority among all segments of the population across the province.
Published: November 2018
Chalk drawings of three emojis on a blackboard
At Work article

Slight improvements seen in workplace psychosocial conditions over 10 years

How have psychosocial work conditions changed in Canada over a 10-year time frame? Data from Statscan surveys suggest a slight improvement, but the IWH researchers behind the analysis are cautious in their interpretations.
Published: November 2018
A man looks at a blackboard with chalk written money symbols and question marks
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
A man looks at a blackboard with chalk written money symbols and question marks
Issue Briefing

What do employers spend to protect the health and safety of workers?

While the financial costs of work-related injury and illness are well known, limited information is available on what employers spend to control or eliminate the causes of work-related injury and illness. This Issue Briefing describes the results of a 2017 study to estimate occupational health and safety expenditures among employers from 17 economic sectors in Ontario, Canada.
Published: September 2018
Journal article
Journal article

Occupational health and safety vulnerability of recent immigrants and refugees

Published: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, September 2018
Journal article
Journal article

The economic burden of occupational non-melanoma skin cancer due to solar radiation

Published: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, September 2018
Canadian Occupational Safety logo
IWH in the media

Women in education sector at greater risk of workplace violence

Women working in Ontario’s education sector are four to six times more likely than their male counterparts to require time off work because of being physically assaulted on the job, reports the Canadian Occupational Safety.
Published: Canadian Occupational Safety, August 2018
Three mature women look at camera
Research Highlights

OHS vulnerability among new immigrants

Recent immigrant workers are 1.6 times more likely than Canadian-born workers to experience occupational health and safety (OHS) vulnerability, defined as exposure to hazards without adequate protection to mitigate those hazards.
Published: August 2018
Investigators working behind crime-scene yellow tape
At Work article

Sex/gender analysis: Are risks of violence at work higher for men or women? It depends on type of violence

Men and women face similar risks of physical violence at work, but the risks of sexual violence at work are four times higher for women than for men.
Published: August 2018