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
![Two ambulance parked at the emergency entrance of a hospital in the night](/sites/iwh/files/styles/bootstrap_6_col_wide/public/iwh/images/hospital_emergency_ambulance.jpg?h=9f5479df&itok=LqVzYblS)
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
![A New Zealand construction worker holding papers looking off-camera with a city skyline behind](/sites/iwh/files/styles/bootstrap_6_col_wide/public/iwh/images/Construction_New_Zealand.jpg?h=9f5479df&itok=Sw9c8k-r)
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
![A female construction worker stands next to a steel girder](/sites/iwh/files/styles/bootstrap_4_col_widescreen/public/iwh/images/construction_woman_steel.jpg?h=45261ab4&itok=0k8LwBhC)
Tools and guides
Implementing MSI prevention programs: Advice from workplaces for workplaces
This resource, developed with partners in Newfoundland and Labrador, provides research and practice evidence on musculoskeletal injuries (MSI) prevention practices and programs for workplaces to consider and implement. The resource describes the evidence in three main sections: awareness, training, and hazard identification and solutions.
Published: February 2021
![Three construction workers smile for the camera](/sites/iwh/files/styles/bootstrap_4_col_widescreen/public/iwh/images/construction_workers_three.jpg?h=1a74c229&itok=C_CoAZtN)
At Work article
Union firms have lower lost-time claim rates, study in ICI construction confirms
Five years ago, an IWH study found lower lost-time injury claim rates in unionized firms in Ontario's industrial, commercial and institutional construction sector. A new study uses more recent data to see if it can replicate the observed "union safety effect."
Published: January 2021
Project report
Project report
Updating a study on the union effect on safety in the ICI construction sector
IWH updated a previous study on the union safety effect in Ontario's industrial, commercial and institutional construction sector. Like the first study, the update found unionization was associated with a lower risk of injuries requiring time away from work, including both musculoskeletal and critical (more severe) injuries.
Published: January 2021
IWH Speaker Series
IWH Speaker Series
The union effect on safety in the ICI construction sector: a study update
A study conducted several years ago by the Institute for Work & Health found unionized companies in Ontario's institutional, commercial and industrial (ICI) construction sector had a lower rate of lost-time injury claims than their non-unionized counterparts, after accounting for other factors like company size. In this presentation, Dr. Lynda Robson shares an update of that study, using data from 2012-2018. She discusses whether the latest results support what's called a "union safety effect", and how findings vary by company size and types of construction work.
Published: January 2021
Project
Project
Occupational injury risks in Ontario
This project will build occupational health and safety data capacity in Ontario that can support and evaluate prevention activities.
Status: Ongoing
Project
Project
Understanding OHS motivations and needs in small business
By looking at small businesses engaged with WSIB's Health and Safety Excellence Program, this IWH project is looking for effective approaches to delivering OHS services to small businesses and help them improve their safety cultures and outcomes.
Status: Ongoing
IWH Speaker Series
IWH Speaker Series
Safe work integration of newcomers: Employer perspectives
Employers play an important role in the safe and sustained work integration of immigrants and refugees in Canada. Despite this, we know little about employers’ expectations, experiences and challenges in relation to the hiring and retaining of newcomers. In this presentation, Dr. Basak Yanar shares insights gained through a recently completed project on the work integration of newcomers. She discusses the perspectives of employers, as well as the experiences of immigrant-serving organizations that work with employers in promoting safe and sustainable work integration.
Published: October 2020
![A lone roofing worker sits perched on top of a new being built](/sites/iwh/files/styles/bootstrap_4_col_widescreen/public/iwh/images/roofer_heights_construction_0.jpg?h=069c9bcd&itok=gmdxWdJC)
Research Highlights
Evaluating the effectiveness of mandatory working-at-heights training standards
The introduction of a mandatory training standard for construction workers using fall protection equipment is associated with a 19.6 per cent reduction in the incidence rate of lost-time claims due to falls targeted by the intervention. This decline is larger than an overall decline in injuries in the sector during the same time frame. Reductions in incidence rates are also largest among the smallest employers.
Published: September 2020
Journal article
Journal article
Preventing fall-from-height injuries in construction: effectiveness of a regulatory training standard
Published: Journal of Safety Research, September 2020
![Construction equipment amid dusk and haze](/sites/iwh/files/styles/bootstrap_4_col_widescreen/public/iwh/images/construction_dust_silica_0.jpg?h=f7165f20&itok=n3J_mXrc)
At Work article
Comparing the costs, benefits of silica dust prevention methods for construction workers
Construction workplaces can use different methods to reduce exposure to silica dust and protect workers from cancer down the road. But which methods should they opt for? A cost-benefit analysis led by IWH offers some guidance.
Published: August 2020