Training

IWH research on occupational health and safety (OHS) training focuses on its effectiveness—from the effectiveness of delivery methods and contents to the effectiveness of training programs overall. OHS training, mandated by workplace health and safety laws in jurisdictions across Canada and beyond, is considered an important part of managing workplace hazards and risks. Such training may involve instruction on identifying occupational risks and how to control them, learning about safe workplace practices and how to properly use personal protective equipment.

Canadian HR Reporter logo
IWH in the media

Which is better, online or in-person learning?

As many workplaces moved to online environments during the pandemic, training and development followed suit and many employees took courses in a virtual environment. John Dujay shares results of an Institute for Work & Health review that compares the effectiveness of online training with that of in-person training.
Published: Canadian HR Reporter, August 2022
A woman takes notes at a desk while attending a videoconference on the computer monitor
Research Highlights

Comparing real-time online work-related training with face-to-face formats

Work-related training delivered through synchronous or real-time online formats can be just as effective as face-to-face training in building workers’ knowledge or skills. This finding is based on a relatively sparse body of research looking at training aimed at adult learners at the undergraduate level or higher.
Published: August 2022
Project
Project

Evaluating the effectiveness of distance learning in delivering Ontario's JHSC certification training

An IWH team is measuring the relative effectiveness of three different modes of delivering training: in-class, distance and e-learning.
Status: Ongoing
A lone roofing worker sits perched on top of a new being built
At Work article

Ontario’s working-at-heights training led to safer practices, reduced injury claims rates

Ontario's mandatory training standard for construction workers at risk of falls from heights was effective in reducing claims rates—especially among small employers and high-risk subsectors—an IWH evaluation study found.
Published: April 2019
Workers Health & Safety Centre logo
IWH in the media

Regulated working at heights training works and needed: studies

Two recently released Ontario studies demonstrate why mandatory, standardized working at heights training is so critical to worker well-being. One study undertaken by the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) conducted an evaluation of the impact the province’s working at heights training standard had on workers and their work sites. A second and earlier probe prepared by the Ministry of Labour (MOL) for the Chief Prevention Officer undertook root cause analysis of worker deaths from falls from heights.
Published: Workers Health & Safety Centre, April 2019
Daily Commercial News logo
IWH in the media

WAH training standards show 'significant' results: IWH

Findings of a study evaluating the effectiveness of Ontario’s working at heights (WAH) training standards, conducted by a team of researchers at the Institute for Work and Health (IWH), were revealed recently during the Ontario General Contractors Association’s Leadership Day and COR Open House in Mississauga, Ont., Angela Gismondi reports.
Published: Daily Commercial News, March 2019
Project report
Project report

Evaluation of the implementation and effectiveness of the Ontario working-at-heights training standard: executive summary

This summary shares the highlights from an Institute for Work & Health evaluation of the implementation and effectiveness of a mandatory working-at-heights training program introduced in Ontario in 2015. Ontario employers were required to ensure that workers on construction projects who worked at heights had successfully completed the training by October 2017.
Published: February 2019
IWH Speaker Series
IWH Speaker Series

Evaluating the implementation and effectiveness of Ontario’s working-at-heights training standards

In 2015, Ontario's Ministry of Labour implemented regulations defining working-at-heights (WAH) training program standards and establishing a program for approving training providers in the province. In this presentation, Dr. Lynda Robson shares findings from a study that examined the reach and effectiveness of the training standard.
Published: February 2019
Project report
Project report

Evaluation of the implementation and effectiveness of the Ontario working-at-heights training standard: final report

The Institute for Work & Health shares the findings from its evaluation of the implementation and effectiveness of a mandatory working-at-heights training program introduced in Ontario in 2015. Ontario employers were required to ensure that workers on construction projects who worked at heights had successfully completed the training by October 2017.
Published: February 2019
IWH Speaker Series
IWH Speaker Series

Assessing workplace training for skin exposure prevention

For almost 20 years, the Centre for Research Expertise in Occupational Disease has studied skin exposure prevention strategies, including worker training on this common hazard. In this presentation, Dr. Linn Holness shares research findings on training effectiveness, highlighting gaps, barriers and facilitators to training implementation.
Published: December 2018