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
Supportive supervisors help reduce risks when workers face hazards, lack protection
Workers are vulnerable to injuries or illnesses when they're exposed to hazards and lacking protective factors such as OHS policies, awareness or empowerment. However, supportive supervisors can help lower the likelihood of injuries even when workers are vulnerable, according to a new study.
Published: February 2019
IWH in the media
Despite ban, asbestos lingers and takes a toll decades later
Because decades might pass before a person exposed to asbestos develops mesothelioma, asbestosis or the other related diseases, health professionals believe the number and costs of asbestos-related cancers and disease will continue to rise, writes Monique Keiran in a column that cites Institute research.
Published: Times Colonist, January 2019
IWH in the media
Research looks at cost-effectiveness in silica dust exposure fight
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is not always the most cost-effective means of protecting workers from dangers associated with exposure to silica dust, writes Don Proctor, reporting on the findings of an IWH study.
Published: Daily Commercial News, January 2019
IWH in the media
Women four times more likely to experience sexual assault at work
Violence-related injuries at work are on the rise across Canada and this is especially the case for women, according to two recent studies conducted at the not-for-profit Institute for Work and Health, writes IWH Senior Scientist Dr. Peter Smith.
Published: The Conversation, January 2019
Impact case study
Ontario Mining Association endorses safety climate and assessment audit tool
A tool designed to measure "two sides of the coin"—OHS systems and culture—developed by Workplace Safety North with IWH expertise, has been endorsed by Ontario's mining association, and now is in demand well beyond the province and the sector.
Published: January 2019
Project
Journal article
Journal article
Gender differences in injuries attributed to workplace violence in Ontario 2002-2015
Published: Occupational and Environmental Medicine, January 2019
Journal article
Journal article
The interplay between supervisor safety support and occupational health and safety vulnerability on work injury
Published: Safety and Health at Work, January 2019
Project
Project
MSD prevention: a practical implementation guide for Newfoundland and Labrador
Status: Completed 2020
Project
Project
Occupational health and safety performance in Ontario's unionized construction sector
A previous Institute study found that, during the period 2006-2012, unionized contractors in Ontario's industrial, commercial and institutional sector had higher no-lost-time claim rates and lower lost-time claim rates than their non-unionized counterparts, suggesting unionized contractors may do better at encouraging injury reporting and reducing injury risk. A new IWH study is replicating the methods of this previous study for the time period 2012-2017.
Status: Completed 2020