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

Impact case study

Saskatchewan’s construction safety group uses IWH tool to improve safety culture

This case study details how the Saskatchewan Construction Safety Association (SCSA) members have been analyzing IWH-OPM scores to adjust their safety practices and how SCSA has been using the data to tailor their outreach.

Published: February 10, 2025

Jars of cannabis on a store display, as seen from outside

Issue Briefing

Cannabis use by workers before and after legalization in Canada

Since 2018, when non-medical use of cannabis was legalized in Canada, a pair of Institute for Work & Health (IWH) studies was conducted to explore the implications of this change for workplaces. This briefing sums up their findings.

Published: December 5, 2024

At Work article

Success stories offer new guidance to organizations on path of OHS change

Breakthrough change model finds external influence, new OHS knowledge, health and safety champion among catalysts for sustained change

Published: November 2014

A mature man doing exercises with hand weights with help from a physiotherapist

At Work article

Preventing upper extremity MSDs: What the latest research says

IWH systematic review recommends workplace-based resistance training to help prevent and manage upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms and disorders

Published: November 2014

Overhead image of a busy, open-concept office

At Work article

IWH eight-item questionnaire may predict future claims rates

The IWH-OPM, developed as part of the Institute’s leading indicators research, found to predict future claims rates in a sample of Ontario firms

Published: August 2014

At Work article

Ontario firm uses OLIP to track health and safety in suppliers

Real estate services company shares story of how it puts leading indicators to use

Published: August 2014

IWH Speaker Series

Preventing musculoskeletal disorders: Findings from a systematic review update

Workers in all industries are vulnerable to painful and potentially disabling injuries and disorders of the neck, shoulders, upper arms, forearms, elbows, wrists and hands—areas known as the upper extremities. The Institute for Work & Health (IWH) has conducted a systematic review on the effectiveness of workplace intervention programs to prevent and manage upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). In this plenary, the team shares the updated findings and the key messages from the latest research available.

Published: June 2014

Impact case study

WorkSafeNB adopts IWH’s tool to benchmark health and safety

Institute expertise tapped to evaluate agency's safety perception tool--and to provide a better alternative.

Published: June 2014

IWH Speaker Series

A model of "breakthrough change" in workplace health and safety performance

What do workplaces that manage to turn around their poor health and safety records have in common? In an innovative, case-study-based study called "Breakthrough Change," Dr. Lynda Robson examined the experiences of four Ontario workplaces that dramatically brought down their injury claim rates over a 10-year period. In this plenary, she shares the common themes that have emerged from her study—some of them unexpected.

Published: May 2014