January 2018

Young people with arthritis find disclosing their condition a challenge: IWH study

If you were 22, trying to get a career started, and you had arthritis, would you tell your boss or co-workers about it? Institute for Work & Health (IWH) Associate Scientist Dr. Arif Jetha recently looked into the experiences of young people with chronic conditions. And he heard from participants who faced difficult choices around whether or not to disclose their health conditions. His study, published in the journal Disability and Rehabilitation, explored the issues.

Read what the study found

People with disabilities face greater OHS vulnerability, according to IWH study

People with disabilities have a tough time getting hired, research elsewhere has shown. Now, a new IWH study suggests that, when they do find jobs, they may be more vulnerable to workplace health and safety risks than their peers without disabilities. The study used an occupational health and safety (OHS) vulnerability framework developed at IWH. It found low OHS empowerment and inadequate OHS practices and policies were more prevalent among study participants with disabilities than those without.

Read about the study

How IWH researchers addressed essential skills gaps in an OHS training program

Can an OHS training program be improved by modifying it to address gaps in essential skills? In a new study, a research team at IWH pilot-tested a modified version of a hoisting and rigging training program offered by the Labourers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA) Local 506. The changes were made to address trainees’ skills gaps in numeracy and document use that were related to the job. Last November, the team presented its findings, and that presentation is now available as a slidecast. Good news: it turns out the trainees in the program modified to address essential skills did better.

Watch the slidecast

Do workers exercise more when their employers offer health promotion programs?

Many workplaces offer wellness programs and facilities that support physical activity near or at work. But do these offerings actually get workers to exercise more? IWH’s Mustard Post-doctoral Fellow Dr. Avi Biswas recently conducted a study on the link between access to such programs/facilities and the leisure time physical activity of employees. The results are encouraging. He shared his findings at a recent IWH presentation, now available as a slidecast.

Watch the slidecast

A new year reminder: IWH plenaries now named IWH Speaker Series

The Institute’s plenary series is now named IWH Speaker Series: New and Emerging Research in Work and Health. The hour-long public presentations by work and health researchers from IWH, across Canada and around the world, are usually held Tuesdays at 11 a.m. at the Institute’s downtown Toronto location. People who can’t attend in person can watch the presentation via a live stream. Please check the schedule often for upcoming presentations, including one on the burden of occupational cancer, coming up next week.

See the series schedule

CRE-MSD webinars: evidence on safe client handling, and apps to support good posture

If you’re interested in preventing injuries among health-care workers, don’t miss two webinars being offered by the Centre of Research Expertise for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (CRE-MSD) this month. On January 19, IWH Scientist Dr. Dwayne Van Eerd provides an overview of the latest evidence on awkward postures when handling clients or patients in a health-care setting. Then, on January 31, two CRE-MSD researchers review SafeBack and PostureCoach, two prototype smartphone apps designed to help health-care workers adopt safer postures. Both webinars require advanced registration.

See the CRE-MSD events page

Uyen Vu
Communications Associate
613-979-7742
uvu@iwh.on.ca