Small business health and safety

New businesses make a substantial contribution to the economy, with roughly 100,000 created a year in Canada. New businesses and their owners are expected to begin managing occupational health and safety (OHS) by the time they hire their first employee. But against the many demands for their attention, when, why and how does OHS begin to matter to new business owners? In this presentation, a companion piece to a presentation from last year based on survey findings, Dr. Basak Yanar shares insights from interviews with new business owners on how they begin managing OHS and what supports they need.

Published: October 2026

Small businesses that put worker safety strategies and resources in place soon after beginning operation can help “decrease injuries and related burden,” according to a study from the Institute for Work and Health.

Published: Safety+Health, August 2026

Small businesses that implement worker safety strategies and resources early in their operations can significantly reduce injuries and their associated costs. Research from the Institute for Work and Health reviewed existing studies and interviewed 11 individuals to reach this conclusion..

Published: Future Foreman, August 2026

Small businesses often experience higher worker injury and fatality rates than large organizations in the same sector due to limited health and safety knowledge and resources. A recent study conducted by the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) addressed gaps in research on new businesses – often classified as small businesses – and occupational health and safety (OHS).

Published: Workers Health & Safety Centre, May 2026

About 100,000 businesses are created in Canada each year that will employ workers. Many of these new firms are small and staffed by short‑tenure employees, two factors linked to higher injury risk. But as Shane Mercer reports, in an IWH study sample, only a tenth has put in place all available safety measures, while as many as a quarter has implemented none.

Published: Canadian Occupational Safety, April 2026

New businesses are too seldom the focus of occupational health and safety (OHS) research even though they may present risks to worker health and safety. To better understand how new businesses start engaging with OHS, a study team conducted a survey of owners of new Ontario businesses from diverse sectors. In this presentation, Dr. Lynda Robson shares results from the study. She discusses what study participants reported about their OHS management activities, OHS information sources, experiences with the Ontario OHS system, barriers to taking OHS actions, and preferences for receiving OHS information. The presentation also highlights factors associated with OHS management initiation, the value of applying a research-based behaviour change framework to the study, and the implications of the study for research and policy.

Published: April 2026

Workers in small businesses have higher rates of work-related injuries and fatalities than those in larger businesses, even within the same sector. To best prevent injuries, OHS management in these businesses should start early in their life cycle. But according to a new IWH study, few programs or policies are specifically aimed at helping new businesses start managing OHS.

Published: April 2026

Published: Environmental Health Insights, March 2026

Published: American Journal of Industrial Medicine, January 2026

According to a study by the Institute for Work and Health (IWH), small businesses participating in health and safety incentive programs, such as the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) Health & Safety Excellence Program (HSEp), are better able to make positive health and safety changes in their workplace, despite facing challenges like limited time and resources. Participants in these programs achieve significant benefits, such as increasing health and safety awareness and effective implementation of occupational health and safety (OHS) policies. However, small businesses often require additional support due to resource constraints and limited OHS knowledge.

Published: Workplace Safety & Prevention Services, March 2025