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
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
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
Tools and guides
Essential Skills and OHS Training
This guide, based on a research collaboration led by the Institute for Work & Health, provides an overview of the process involved in modifying the curriculum of an existing occupational health and safety (OHS) training program in order to address gaps in essential skills among worker trainees.
Published: April 2018
IWH Speaker Series
IWH Speaker Series
Towards a better understanding of differences in the risk of workplace violence for men and women in Canada
Workplace violence is getting increasing attention, especially within certain industries such as health care and education. This presentation will discuss results from two recently completed studies examining differences in the risk of workplace violence for men and women.
Published: March 2018
Impact case study
IWH research raises awareness of the economic burden of asbestos-related disease as Canada commits to ban
An IWH study estimating the lifetime cost of newly diagnosed cases of mesothelioma and lung cancer due to work-related asbestos exposures in a single year garnered much media and public interest, and was cited by Canadian government in its analysis of the impact of its regulation banning asbestos.
Published: March 2018
Project report
Project report
Safe employment integration of recent immigrants and refugees
This report details the findings of an Institute for Work & Health study on employment preparation process of newcomers in Ontario, with the aim of determining key training and resource needs and opportunities related to safely integrating recent immigrants and refugees into the labour market.
Published: March 2018
Journal article
Journal article
The economic burden of bladder cancer due to occupational exposure
Published: Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, March 2018
At Work article
Newcomers often lack OHS protection and information in their precarious first jobs
They face difficulty finding work, due to language barriers, foreign credentials or lack of Canadian experience. Their first jobs are precarious, sometimes unpaid. To top it off, they receive next to no training on OHS and employment standards issues, as a new IWH study has found.
Published: February 2018
Project report
Project report
Implementing violence prevention legislation in hospitals: final report
This report details the findings of an Institute for Work & Health study that looked at acute-care hospitals in Ontario and how they implemented legislated violence prevention initiatives, to what effect, and the challenges they faced along the way.
Published: February 2018
IWH in the media
New immigrants vulnerable to workplace accidents
New arrivals in Canada face additional vulnerabilities on the job, according to studies by Institute for Work and Health (IWH) in Toronto, writes Ian Harvey.
Published: Daily Commercial News, January 2018
IWH in the media
Marijuana in the workplace: What is unsafe?
The federal government’s commitment to legalize recreational marijuana by July 1, 2018 raises occupational health and safety concerns for many employers. At the Institute for Work & Health (IWH), we have been reviewing the effects of various drugs that act on the central nervous system — including marijuana — on workplace injuries, deaths and near-misses, write IWH's Dr. Andrea Furlan and Dr. Nancy Carnide. What is striking is how little high-quality evidence there is on the impacts of marijuana in the workplace and how inconsistent the existing data is.
Published: The Conversation, January 2018
Journal article
Journal article
Effectiveness of workplace interventions in return-to-work for musculoskeletal, pain-related and mental health conditions: an update of the evidence and messages for practitioners
Published: Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, January 2018