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 support for 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

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