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
At Work article
Estimating the societal costs of work injuries and illnesses in five EU countries
To help European Union countries set priorities and analyze potential benefits of tackling work-related hazards, an IWH team developed and implemented a new method for estimating the societal costs of work injuries and illnesses.
Published: January 2020
Journal article
Journal article
Understanding the organizational performance metric, an occupational health and safety management tool, through workplace case studies
Published: International Journal of Workplace Health Management, January 2020
Tools and guides
Safe Work Toolkit for Newcomers (Ontario)
This toolkit contains everything needed to deliver instructional sessions to newcomers in Ontario on their occupational health and safety (OHS) and workers' compensation rights and responsibilities.
Published: December 2019
IWH Speaker Series
IWH Speaker Series
Estimating the economic burden of work injuries and illnesses in the European Union
Knowing the economic burden of work-related illnesses and injuries in a country can help policy-makers set priorities. In a recent project involving five European Union countries, Institute for Work & Health Senior Scientist and labour economist Dr. Emile Tompa, along with post-doctoral fellow Amir Mofidi, developed and executed a new framework for such an estimate. In this presentation, Tompa discusses the approach, its potential, as well as results of the five-country study.
Published: November 2019
Video
Video
Participatory approach to health and safety in long-term care
Long-term care homes are high-risk environments, and strategies to reduce workplace injuries are essential to protecting long-term care workers and the quality of care provided to residents. This video whiteboard explains why and how a participatory approach to injury prevention can help prevent injuries by involving front-line staff in the identification and control of workplace hazards.
Published: October 2019
IWH in the media
As teachers report more violent incidents in schools, boards struggle
In school boards across Canada, more educators say they’re being hurt on the job, according to data reviewed by The Globe and Mail. But there are gaps in data collection, and debates over the reasons for the rise in reports of violence, writes Carolyn Alphonso, citing IWH Senior Scientist Dr. Peter Smith.
Published: The Globe and Mail, September 2019
IWH in the media
New beginnings: Recent immigrants need more support to reduce their heightened risk of injury
A recent study spanning across the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada found newcomers are at a higher risk of work-related injury and illness. Canadian Occupational Safety editor Amanda Silliker speaks to health and safety professionals and researchers in Canada, including IWH's Dr. Basak Yanar, about ways to reduce risks among recent immigrants.
Published: Canadian Occupational Safety, August 2019
At Work article
Review confirms prevention system’s message about injury risks and new workers
If you've been spreading the message about new workers facing higher risks of injury, rest assured. A first ever systematic review on job tenure and injury risks, conducted by IWH, confirms that message.
Published: July 2019
Research Highlights
How do OHS leaders use health and safety benchmarking?
Workplace health and safety leaders use benchmarking reports on health and safety performance to help inform decision-making and improve occupational health and safety performance. That's according to an interview-based study of OHS leaders who took part in an IWH leading indicators research project.
Published: July 2019
IWH in the media
Guest column: T.O. council's decision on construction tendering makes sense
On June 19th , Toronto City Council voted overwhelmingly to maintain its contractual relationship with the province’s major construction union. It's a longstanding relationship that militates towards high quality work, safer job sites and a robust training sector, writes guest columnist Phil Gillies, who points to IWH research on the union safety effect to support one of his arguments.
Published: Toronto Sun, July 2019