Participatory ergonomics
IWH has been researching participatory ergonomics (PE) since the early 2000s. PE programs encourage an organization’s workers, supervisors and other workplace parties to jointly identify and remove the hazards or risk factors in their workplace that can cause or aggravate work-related injuries, including musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). PE programs aim to reduce the incidence of MSDs, decrease the losses associated with injury-related absences and claims, and increase productivity by improving work methods and product quality.
Featured

Video
Participatory approach to health and safety in long-term care
Involve front-line staff when identifying and controlling hazards at long-term care homes. Those who do a job every day know the associated hazards best. A participatory approach can help prevent injuries.
Published: October 2, 2019

Research Highlights
Implementing participatory ergonomics in the long-term care sector
It can be challenging to tackle long-standing musculoskeletal hazards in busy, high turnover settings such as long-term care homes. Despite this, an IWH study finds a participatory approach—one that involves frontline workers—can be successfully implemented and sustained.
Published: February 2022
Journal article
Journal article
Implementation of participatory organizational change in long term care to improve safety
Published: Journal of Safety Research, September 2021
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
Journal article
Journal article
Process evaluation of a participatory organizational change program to reduce musculoskeletal and slip, trip and fall injuries
Published: Applied Ergonomics, April 2018

At Work article
Long-term care home sees safety culture change after participatory ergonomics study
Find out how a participatory ergonomics program changed the safety culture of a long-term care home.
Published: May 2017

Impact case study
Reduced soft-tissue injuries at Ontario utility attributed to work by ergonomics team set up during IWH study
Ten years after it took part in a participatory ergonomics study, Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro's change team was still going strong.
Published: December 2016

At Work article
Ontario utility continues to benefit years after joining participatory ergonomics study
Reduced soft-tissue injuries at Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro attributed to work by participatory ergonomics team set up during study by IWH and others more than 10 years ago.
Published: November 2016

IWH in the media
Making the business case for safety: Case study shows benefits of participatory ergonomics continue for years
Implementing a participatory ergonomics program takes time and money. To get your company’s senior management on board with such a program, show them this case study from the Institute for Work & Health (IWH), which shows how an Ontario utility continued to benefit years after implementing a participatory ergonomics program.
Published: OHS Insider, October 2016
Journal article
Journal article
Dissemination and use of a participatory ergonomics guide for workplaces
Published: Ergonomics, January 2016
Project
Project
Evaluating the implementation of a participatory organizational change intervention in long-term care
The Public Services Health & Safety Association’s EPIC (Employees Participating in Change) program aims to reduce musculoskeletal disorders and slip, trip and fall injuries in the long-term care sector. IWH is evaluating the implementation and effects of this organizational-level participatory ergonomics program.
Status: Completed 2019