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
![Two ambulance parked at the emergency entrance of a hospital in the night](/sites/iwh/files/styles/bootstrap_6_col_wide/public/iwh/images/hospital_emergency_ambulance.jpg?h=9f5479df&itok=LqVzYblS)
At Work article
Rates of work injuries have declined in Ontario, except the most severe
From 2004 to 2017, rates of work-related injuries requiring an emergency department visit declined in Ontario. But that overall downward trend was driven by injuries that were mild or moderate in severity. Rates of very severe injuries did not fall among men and even increased among women.
Published: July 12, 2024
![A New Zealand construction worker holding papers looking off-camera with a city skyline behind](/sites/iwh/files/styles/bootstrap_6_col_wide/public/iwh/images/Construction_New_Zealand.jpg?h=9f5479df&itok=Sw9c8k-r)
Impact case study
Construction safety org adapts IWH research messages for tradesworker audience
A key program from Construction Health and Safety New Zealand—developed using IWH research—takes a participatory ergonomics approach to better prevent and manage musculoskeletal injuries among construction workers.
Published: February 28, 2024
![A man stands in shadow with head down](/sites/iwh/files/styles/bootstrap_4_col_widescreen/public/iwh/images/man_shadow_sad.jpg?h=aa8305de&itok=cUvk01uW)
At Work article
Therapy can help manage depression, but in Manitoba, access to therapists is a concern
Therapy can help manage depression, according to a new systematic review update. How easy is this recommendation to implement in a province like Manitoba?
Published: August 2017
![A woman with disability works in a bakery](/sites/iwh/files/styles/bootstrap_4_col_widescreen/public/iwh/images/bakery_worker_disability_0.jpg?h=2c877aa5&itok=aeOgzkUo)
Research Highlights
Workers with disabilities report greater OHS vulnerability
Workers with disabilities are more likely to be exposed to hazards at work than other workers, and are more likely to experience vulnerability due to inadequate measures to mitigate those hazards.
Published: July 2017
![Daily Commercial News logo](/sites/iwh/files/styles/bootstrap_4_col_widescreen/public/iwh/images/daily_commercial_news_logo.png?h=3b5d1417&itok=o22XiZaP)
IWH in the media
Construction among highest spending sectors to prevent work-related injuries
The construction sector is in the top five of 17 sectors in terms of spending per worker per year on preventing work-related injury and illness, says the president and senior scientist at the Institute for Work and Health (IWH) who is conducting a pilot study on the matter
Published: Daily Commercial News, May 2017
IWH Speaker Series
IWH Speaker Series
Evaluating the impact of mandatory awareness training in Ontario
In this presentation, Dr. Peter Smith shares the results of a study that examined differences in the level of self-reported occupational health and safety (OHS) awareness and empowerment among employed workers in Ontario before and after the introduction of the mandatory OHS training. He also discusses the implications of the results for future province-wide initiatives focusing on the primary prevention of work-related injuries and illnesses.
Published: April 2017
Journal article
Journal article
The relationship between occupational health and safety vulnerability and workplace injury
Published: Safety Science, April 2017
Project report
Project report
Managing depression in the workplace: a systematic review contextualized for Manitoba
This report provides a synthesis of the relevant research-based evidence on managing depression for the adult working population of Manitoba. The synthesis is based on an international search of the literature, and the findings were then contexualized for Manitoba based on an approach developed by the Institute for Work & Health and Memorial University's SafetyNet Centre for Occupational Health and Safety Research.
Published: March 2017
![Banner for evidence contextualization tool](/sites/iwh/files/styles/bootstrap_4_col_widescreen/public/illustration_calculator_graphs_reports_2.jpg?h=363e3609&itok=kkaVH0Pv)
Tools and guides
Evidence in context for occupational health and safety: operational handbook
This handbook, the product of a research collaboration between the Institute for Work & Health and Memorial University’s SafetyNet Centre for Occupational Health and Safety Research, can be used by occupational health, safety and disability prevention stakeholders seeking to improve policy and/or practice by contextualizing the results of a research synthesis (e.g. a systematic review) to their particular situation (e.g. particular jurisdiction, sector or workplace).
Published: March 2017
Systematic Review
Systematic Review
Effective workplace-based return-to-work interventions: a systematic review update
This report synthesizes the evidence from a systematic review on the effectiveness of workplace-based return-to-work interventions and updates the Institute's 2004 systematic review on the same subject. This update brings in evidence published since 2004, and expands upon the original systematic review by including work absences due not only to musculoskeletal disorders, but also to mental health and pain-related conditions.
Published: February 2017
Project report
Project report
Auditing the internal responsibility system in Ontario's mining industry
IWH, in collaboration with Workplace Safety North, piloted a workplace questionnaire to measure perceptions of practices related to the internal responsibility system in Ontario's mining sector. This February 2017 presentation provides an overview of the development of the instrument, called the Internal Responsibility System Climate Assessment and Audit Tool (IRS CAAT), and the psychometric analysis of that instrument at four mining operations.
Published: February 2017
![Hand completing questionnaire](/sites/iwh/files/styles/bootstrap_4_col_widescreen/public/iwh/images/hand_completing_questionnaire.jpg?h=6f8e8448&itok=gGyrS7U6)
At Work article
OHS vulnerability as defined by IWH tool linked to self-reported injury rates
So you've answered 27 questions on the OHS Vulnerability Measure. What does your score say about your injury risk?
Published: February 2017