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
Project
Project

Evaluating prevention strategies to reduce the risk of work-related cancers in Ontario’s construction sector

An IWH study is estimating future incidences cancers among construction workers in Ontario as a result of workplace exposures, and estimating the costs and benefits of intervention programs to reduce these exposures.
Status: Completed 2021
Project
Project

Evaluating an internal responsibility system audit tool for Ontario’s mining sector

IWH researchers tested the reliability and validity of the Internal Responsibility System Climate Assessment and Audit Tool (IRS CAAT), which embodies internal responsibility best practices for Ontario’s underground mines.
Status: Completed 2017
Project
Project

Evaluating the implementation and effectiveness of Ontario’s working-at-heights training standard

IWH researchers are examining the effectiveness of Ontario’s mandatory working-at-heights training standard and what is being learned about its implementation in construction workplaces.
Status: Ongoing
Project
Project

Identifying relevant OHS leading indicators in Manitoba's construction sector

IWH is collaborating with the Construction Safety Association of Manitoba (CSAM) to identify relevant leading indicators of injury and illness in the province’s construction sector, and to encourage their use through tools that creates a conversation about best practices in the sector.
Status: Completed 2019
Project
Project

Addressing literacy and numeracy gaps among workers in an OHS training program: a pilot study

Can we improve occupational health and safety (OHS) outcomes by embedding literacy and numeracy into OHS training? IWH researchers aimed to find out, by assessing a hoisting and rigging program that embeds these essential skills into the training.
Status: Completed 2017
The Sarnia Observer logo
IWH in the media

Bill introduced to end asbestos use in the province

Sarnia-Lambton MPP Bob Bailey is calling on Ontario to ban asbestos, a substance that has had a deadly impact in his community. “In my riding of Sarnia-Lambton, there are many, many families who have buried loved one because of the mesothelioma they developed from exposure to asbestos while at work,” Bailey said. Paul Morden reports in an article that cites Institute for Work & Health research on the burden of asbestos.
Published: Sarnia Observer, December 2016
Sawmill in B.C.
Impact case study

IWH eight-item tool helping WorkSafeBC assess workplace cultures, interact with employers

The IWH Organizational Performance Metric (IWH-OPM) helps WorksafeBC act on a review recommendation to assess safety culture in the province's workplaces.
Published: December 2016
Lee-Anne Lyon-Bartley at Carillion Canada
Impact case study

OHS leader Carillion Canada uses IWH’s vulnerability measure to identify areas for continuous improvement

Despite a strong OHS record, construction and facilities management company sees benefit of learning more through use of IWH's OHS Vulnerability Measure.
Published: December 2016
Management and workers at K-W Hydro share a chat
Impact case study

Reduced soft-tissue injuries at Ontario utility attributed to work by ergonomics team set up during IWH study

Ten years after it took part in a participatory ergonomics study, Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro's change team was still going strong.
Published: December 2016
Lee-Anne Lyon-Bartley at Carillion Canada
At Work article

Vulnerability survey helps employer assess worker OHS awareness, empowerment

Health and safety leader Carillion Canada uses IWH’s new measure to identify weaknesses in organization.
Published: November 2016