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
IWH Speaker Series
How new businesses get their start in workplace health and safety: implications for research and policy
Published: April 21, 2026
At Work article
IWH study reveals gaps in health and safety knowledge about new businesses
To best prevent injuries, OHS management in small businesses should start early in their lifecycle. But according to a new IWH study, few programs or policies are specifically aimed at helping new businesses start managing OHS.
Published: April 10, 2026
Project
Journal article
Journal article
Gender differences in injuries attributed to workplace violence in Ontario 2002-2015
Published: Occupational and Environmental Medicine, January 2019
Journal article
Journal article
The interplay between supervisor safety support and occupational health and safety vulnerability on work injury
Published: Safety and Health at Work, January 2019
Project
Project
MSD prevention: a practical implementation guide for Newfoundland and Labrador
Status: Completed 2020
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
Journal article
Journal article
Larger workplaces, people-oriented culture, and specific industry sectors are associated with co-occurring health protection and wellness activities
Published: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, December 2018
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
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
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
Journal article
Journal article
The effect of active and passive occupational health and safety (OHS) training on OHS awareness and empowerment to participate in injury prevention among workers in Ontario and British Columbia (Canada)
Published: Safety Science, October 2018