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
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
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
Project
Project
Developing a framework for understanding and measuring OHS vulnerability
IWH researchers looked for a better way to measure occupational health and safety (OHS) vulnerability among workers, one that moves beyond the demographic characteristics of workers to look at the factors in their workplaces that put them at increased risk of injury and illness.
Status: Completed 2016
Impact case study
Expert panel reshapes Ontario's OHS system
IWH scientists support the work of the Dean panel with "trusted" and "balanced" research and analysis.
Published: July 2011
Project report
Project report
Benchmarking organizational leading indicators for the prevention and management of injuries and illnesses: final report
Can a simple tool be developed that will predict a firm’s workplace injury experience based on an assessment of its health and safety policies and practices? This was the question that a team of partners within Ontario's occupational health and safety (OHS) system set out to answer, and it looks like the answer is “yes.” This report describes the team's work developing these potential OHS leading indicators.
Published: January 2011
Impact case study
German MSD campaign incorporates IWH systematic review findings
Germany's social insurance authority regularly turns to systematic reviews from the Institute for Work & Health because of their quality and reliability.
Published: November 2010
Journal article
Journal article
Process and implementation of participatory ergonomic interventions: a systematic review
Published: Ergonomics, October 2010
Impact case study
Ontario prevention system produces MSD toolkit
IWH joins system partners in the creation of the MSD Prevention Guideline, an essential resource for province's enforcement efforts.
Published: September 2010
Journal article
Journal article
Workplace health understandings and processes in small businesses: a systematic review of the qualitative literature
Published: Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, June 2010
Journal article
Journal article
Systematic review of the role of occupational health and safety interventions in the prevention of upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms, signs, disorders, injuries, claims and lost time
Published: Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, June 2010
Journal article
Journal article
Occupational safety and health interventions to reduce musculoskeletal symptoms in the health care sector
Published: Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, June 2010
Journal article
Journal article
Effectiveness of health and safety in small enterprises: a systematic review of quantitative evaluations of interventions
Published: Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, June 2010