Work precarity and vulnerability
“Precarious” is a word often used to describe work that is characterized by low pay, low job security and little protection. “Vulnerable” is a word often used in the health and safety world to describe those who are at an increased risk of work injury or disease. At the Institute for Work & Health (IWH), an evidence-based framework has been developed that defines OHS vulnerability as being exposed to hazards without having adequate protection. This page pulls together research on OHS vulnerability and work precarity.
Featured
At Work article
Precarious jobs linked to suicide, drug poisoning, and alcohol-related deaths: IWH study
An IWH study investigated whether job quality—measured in terms of employment stability, hours and wages—is linked to suicide, drug poisoning, and alcohol-attributable mortality.
Published: April 15, 2025
Journal article
Journal article
The development of a conceptual model and self-reported measure of occupational health and safety vulnerability
Published: Accident Analysis and Prevention, June 2015
At Work article
IWH research on vulnerable workers leads to tool for measuring risk factors
29-item survey gauges vulnerability via workplace hazards, policies, procedures and worker awareness.
Published: April 2015
IWH Speaker Series
IWH Speaker Series
Developing a measure of OHS vulnerability
The term "vulnerability" is used increasingly in occupational health and safety (OHS) in Ontario. Although certain groups in the labour market (e.g. younger workers, temporary workers or immigrants) are often labelled as “vulnerable workers,” there is very little discussion about what the broader workplace and occupational factors are that lead to increased risk of injury among these groups, and whether these risk factors are similar across the groups. In this plenary, Dr. Peter Smith, a scientist at the Institute for Work & Health, provides an overview of the conceptual framework of OHS vulnerability. He also shares preliminary findings from a survey capturing different dimensions of OHS vulnerability across a sample of workers in Ontario and British Columbia.
Published: January 2015
Project
Project
Developing a framework for understanding and measuring OHS vulnerability
IWH researchers looked for a better way to measure occupational health and safety (OHS) vulnerability among workers, one that moves beyond the demographic characteristics of workers to look at the factors in their workplaces that put them at increased risk of injury and illness.
Status: Completed 2016
At Work article
At Work article
Economic crisis taking toll on worker health, IWH research suggests
Work insecurity and unemployment can have a negative effect on the physical and mental health of workers. This is according to new research and analysis from the Institute for Work & Health.
Published: October 2009
Issue Briefing
Unemployment and mental health
Researchers have been looking at how unemployment affects mental health since the Great Depression of the 1930s, if not earlier. This body of research has shown that becoming unemployed has a negative impact on mental health. Also, people with mental health problems are more likely than others to become unemployed. This Issue Briefing summarizes the key research behind these findings and explores the implications for policy-makers and health and safety service providers.
Published: August 2009
At Work article
At Work article
Young worker injury – it’s the job that matters
In terms of injury risk, the type of job or workplace matters more than the nature of the young workers themselves.
Published: April 2006
At Work article
At Work article
Institute scientists define and track precarious employment in Canada
Dr. Emile Tompa talks about how precarious employment can affect workers' health and well-being
Published: February 2006