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
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
At Work article
At Work article
Picture this: Using visual symbols to identify MSD hazards
Institute for Work & Health (IWH) researchers are playing a role in developing novel pictograms that convey both musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) hazards and controls.
Published: April 2010
Sharing Best Evidence
Effectiveness of OHS education and training
Occupational health and safety (OHS) training is an important part of managing workplace hazards and risks, but do they result in fewer work-related injuries and illnesses? This systematic review set out to determine whether OHS training and education programs have a beneficial effect for workers and workplaces.
Published: January 2010
Systematic Review
Systematic Review
Systematic review of the effectiveness of training and education for the protection of workers
Occupational health and safety (OHS) training is an important part of managing workplace hazards and risks. However, many OHS stakeholders want to know whether training can meet the goals of decreasing workplace injuries and illness, and whether the cost of training programs can be justified. This report shares the findings of systematic review to determine whether OHS training and education programs have a beneficial effect on workers and firms.
Published: January 2010
Project
Project
Breakthrough change: understanding why and how workplaces make large improvements in OHS performance
What does it take for organizations to make large and intentional improvements in their occupational health and safety (OHS) performance? What happens in these organizations that does not happen in others like them that do not experience “breakthrough change.” IWH researchers looked for answers.
Status: Completed 2016
Issue Briefing
Declining trends in young worker injury rates, 2000 to 2007
Although young males have typically had higher work-related injury rates than older ones, this trend has changed in some parts of Canada, where young men now have rates similar to those of older men. This Issue Briefing presents a detailed breakdown of workplace injury rates for men and women in three provinces over time, and suggests potential reasons for the trends.
Published: October 2009
Impact case study
Health and safety association uses regional injury rates to target services
Knowledge exchanges across the prevention system helps research findings reach front-line consultants and shape service delivery model.
Published: September 2009
Journal article
Journal article
A systematic review of occupational health and safety interventions with economic analyses
Published: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, September 2009
Impact case study
Manitoba launches safety initiative for immigrants
Research by IWH team confirms for Manitoba the need to increase OHS awareness among newcomers.
Published: September 2009
Issue Briefing
“Newness” and the risk of occupational injury
Research is emerging that “newness” is associated with a higher risk of work injury. Whether it’s young workers, workers of all ages new to their jobs, recent immigrants or employees in newly established firms, the evidence indicates that these workers face higher injury rates and/or more hazardous jobs. This Issue Briefing summarizes the key research behind these findings and explores the implications for policy-makers and health and safety service providers.
Published: May 2009