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
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
Issue Briefing
Effectiveness of targeted OHS labour inspections
This Issue Briefing takes a close look at the design and outcomes of three North American studies and how they inform our understanding of the effectiveness of targeted labour inspections on occupational health and safety (OHS) outcomes.
Published: September 2012
Journal article
Journal article
A systematic review of the effectiveness of occupational health and safety training
Published: Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health, January 2012
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
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