Workers' compensation benefits

Workers' compensation is a form of insurance providing wage replacement and medical benefits to workers injured in the course of their employment. Eligibility for, and awarding of, benefits to injured workers are determined by workers’ compensation boards, which are funded through employer premiums. IWH research focuses on trends in workers’ compensation benefits, their adequacy and equity, and their effects on workers.

Featured

A man sitting on a couch holds his shoulder in pain
At Work article

IWH study finds 7 in 10 injured workers still experience pain more than a year after injury

A high proportion of injured workers in Ontario experience persistent pain for well over a year after their work-related injury. According to an IWH study of workers' compensation lost-time claimants, 70 per cent of workers experience pain 18 months after their work injury.
Published: September 30, 2022
Closeup of hands around documents and a laptop in a business meeting
At Work article

What research can do: IWH input contributes to enhancement of WSIB’s Health and Safety Index

When the WSIB reviewed its Health and Safety Index, IWH researchers provided advice on index methodology. An impact case study summarizes how enhancements to the index incorporated that advice.
Published: May 26, 2022
NSC Safety + Health
IWH in the media

Study finds long-term pain an issue for many injured workers

A recent study of injured workers in Ontario “reinforces the importance of modified duties (if necessary) and return-to-work planning,” researcher say after results showed 70% experienced persistent pain 18 months after being injured.
Published: Safety+Health, November 2022
Canadian HR Reporter logo
IWH in the media

7 in 10 injured workers still experience pain 18 months later

Seven in 10 workers who were injured on the job in Ontario still experience pain 18 months after the incident, Jim Wilson reports on findings from an IWH study.
Published: Canadian HR Reporter, November 2022
A man sitting on a couch holds his shoulder in pain
At Work article

IWH study finds 7 in 10 injured workers still experience pain more than a year after injury

A high proportion of injured workers in Ontario experience persistent pain for well over a year after their work-related injury. According to an IWH study of workers' compensation lost-time claimants, 70 per cent of workers experience pain 18 months after their work injury.
Published: September 2022
Logo of The Tyee
IWH in the media

Unreported job injuries: ‘The elephant in the workplace’

While the frustrations of those seeking help from British Columbia’s system for compensating injured workers have been well-documented, much less is known about the many people who are injured at work but never make a claim, writes Andrew MacLeod, reporting on an IWH study on the extent of claim suppression in B.C.
Published: The Tyee, June 2022
Journal article
Closeup of hands around documents and a laptop in a business meeting
At Work article

What research can do: IWH input contributes to enhancement of WSIB’s Health and Safety Index

When the WSIB reviewed its Health and Safety Index, IWH researchers provided advice on index methodology. An impact case study summarizes how enhancements to the index incorporated that advice.
Published: May 2022
A young woman looks at her phone in frustration and exasperation
At Work article

Poor interactions with case managers linked with risk of mental illness later on

A new Ontario study finds face higher risks of serious psychological distress among injured workers who report not being treated with respect or not given the information they need in their interactions with case managers.
Published: March 2022
A blurry image of a hospital waiting room
At Work article

Over a third of work-related ER visits in Ontario don’t show up as WSIB claims

About 35 to 40 per cent of emergency department visits in Ontario for the treatment of work-related injuries and illnesses don't show up as workers' compensation claims⁠—indicating a level of under-reporting that's consistent with previous estimates.
Published: March 2022
Journal article
Journal article

Language accommodations in workers' compensation: comparing Ontario and Quebec

Published: New Solutions, January 2022