Small business health and safety
IWH research that specifically looks at injury prevention, return to work and other work-health issues in small businesses is collected together here. However, not included is IWH research that cuts across all sizes of business, including small business. For that reason, visitors are encouraged to explore beyond this page to find equally important information on the prevention of work injury and disability in small businesses.
Featured
IWH Speaker Series
How new businesses get their start in workplace health and safety: implications for research and policy
Published: April 21, 2026
At Work article
IWH study reveals gaps in health and safety support for new businesses
To best prevent injuries, OHS management in small businesses should start early in their lifecycle. But according to a new IWH study, few programs or policies are specifically aimed at helping new businesses start managing OHS.
Published: April 10, 2026
Research Highlights
Improving health and safety in small businesses
Health and safety interventions in small businesses can improve safety-related attitudes, behaviour and health. Evidence supports two intervention types: a combination of training and safety audits; and a combination of engineering controls, training, safety audits and rewards.
Published: January 2010
At Work article
At Work article
Nachemson lecture: Health and safety in small workplaces
Dr. Joan Eakin, a professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, will talk about the challenges of ensuring worker health and safety in small businesses at the 2009 Alf Nachemson Memorial Lecture, taking place November 25 in Toronto.
Published: October 2009
IWH Speaker Series
IWH Speaker Series
A systematic review of health and safety in small enterprises: Findings from quantitative and qualitative literature
In this presentation, Institute Scientists Dr. Ellen MacEachen and Dr. Curtis Breslin outline the key findings from a systematic review of international peer-reviewed literature to identify effective occupational health and safety interventions and implementation directions for small businesses.
Published: February 2009
At Work article
At Work article
Small firms need OHS services tailored to their needs
When it comes to occupational health and safety (OHS), small businesses are not large firms on a smaller scale. They have unique features that affect their approach to workplace health and safety, and these features should be taken into account by OHS professionals and policy-makers when designing s
Published: February 2009
Systematic Review
Systematic Review
Effectiveness and implementation of health and safety programs in small enterprises: a systematic review of quantitative and qualitative literature
Small businesses have unique challenges with occupational health and safety (OHS). Overall, workers in small business have a higher risk of injury than workers in large firms, yet small-business owners and their workers may not have a sense of this increased risk because a work injury in any one small workplace is relatively rare. This reports shares the findings of a systematic review conducted to provide an understanding of, and guidance on, how to implement OHS in small businesses and what OHS programs are most likely to work.
Published: December 2008
Sharing Best Evidence
Improving health and safety in small businesses
Small businesses have unique challenges with occupational health and safety (OHS). This systematic review was conducted to provide an understanding of, and guidance on, how to implement OHS in small businesses, and to identify effective OHS programs.
Published: January 2008
Project