What we do
The Institute for Work & Health (IWH) is an independent, not-for-profit research organization. The Institute has been described as one of the top five occupational health and safety research centres in the world.
At IWH, our goal is to protect and improve the health of working people by providing useful, relevant research. We conduct and share research with policy-makers, workers and workplaces, clinicians and health & safety professionals.
Our research is driven by two broad goals. The first is to protect healthy workers by studying the prevention of work-related injury and illness. This type of research includes studies of workplace programs, prevention policies and the health of workers at a population level. The second is to improve the health and recovery of injured workers. We conduct research on treatment, return to work, disability prevention and management, and compensation policies.
The Institute’s work environment is unique. Scientists from different disciplines work collaboratively with each other and with our knowledge transfer and exchange staff. We also work closely with our external partners to help ensure our research has value in real-world settings.
Scientists, students and policy-makers from around the world come to the Institute on a regular basis to collaborate, learn and consult with us.
How we operate
The Institute operates with support from the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB). In addition to this core funding, IWH scientists are also awarded grants from funding agencies across North America. Among these are the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
IWH’s Board of Directors includes senior business, labour and academic leaders. A Scientific Advisory Committee provides guidance on our research activities. Its members are senior researchers in workplace health and safety, clinical treatment, population health, workers’ compensation and law.
The Institute has an arm's-length relationship with the WSIB. IWH’s president plays an active role on the WSIB's Research Advisory Council. The WSIB chair and vice-president, policy & research are members of the IWH Board.
The Institute has formal affiliations with four universities: University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, McMaster University and York University. Our association with universities and our access to workplaces and data sources from the WSIB and Statistics Canada have made IWH a respected research and training centre.
