Research that matters to protecting the health and safety of workers

The Institute for Work & Health (IWH) is a Canadian leader in work injury and disability prevention research. An independent, not-for-profit organization, IWH conducts and shares actionable research to promote, protect and improve the health and safety of working people.

Latest news & findings

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Opioids and Work: Evidence, Perspectives and Looking Ahead [in-person event]

On Wednesday, March 20, join us for a full-day, in-person workshop on opioid-related harms among workers. The workshop will bring together employers, researchers, workers, policy-makers and health-care professionals to identify and discuss the underlying contributors to opioid harms and the workplace or policy initiatives that can tackle the issues. Register to save your spot for this in-person event.

Learn more & register

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IWH Speaker Series: Understanding OHS motivations and needs in small businesses

On March 19, Dr. Basak Yanar and Dr. Cameron Mustard will share findings from a study of small businesses in the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB)'s Health and Safety Excellence program. They will discuss businesses’ motivations for taking part in the program, their OHS needs and challenges, and their perceptions of the program’s support.

Register now

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Join our Board of Directors

Are you interested in contributing to the governance of IWH? We are now accepting applications from skilled and qualified leaders who are interested in sitting as members of the IWH Board of Directors. Board members play a vital role in championing the mission and work of IWH and contributing to its strategic directions. Applications will be accepted until April 14, 2024.

Learn more

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Construction safety org adapts IWH research messages for tradesworker audience

A key program from Construction Health and Safety New Zealand takes a participatory ergonomics approach to better prevent and manage musculoskeletal injuries among construction workers. This impact case study details how this evidence-based program was developed using insights from IWH research and tailored to suit those in the construction industry.

Read more

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IWH Speaker Series recording: Is precarious employment an occupational hazard?

Precarious employment has become more common in the Canadian labour market, as well as in the labour markets of other high-income countries. In this presentation, Dr. Faraz Vahid Shahidi examines the consequences of precarious employment for health and safety at work. Drawing on compensation claims data, Dr. Shahidi asks whether workers exposed to precarious employment – such as temporary, part-time, and low-wage jobs – are more likely to experience an occupational injury or illness.

Watch the webinar recording

IN THE CURRENT ISSUE...

Institute study examines the effectiveness of working-at-heights training standard

A new data tool highlights patterns of opioid-related harms among Ontario workers

New versions of job accommodation planning tool help employers support staff with episodic disabilities

And more....

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Tools and guides

Integrate evidence-based policies and practices into your occupational health and safety, return-to-work and rehabilitation programs. IWH has created a number of tools and guides based on our research findings that can help improve program outcomes.

View tools and guides

Impact case studies

Find out how IWH research is making a difference. Read our impact case studies, in which policy-makers, workplaces and other stakeholders in health, safety and disability prevention tell how IWH research helped improve their policies, programs and practices.

Go to case studies

Research summaries

Whether it’s a policy briefing, a systematic review summary or the highlights of a specific research project, we’ve compiled a number of plain-language summaries to help you understand the research we’re doing, what we have found, and how we found it.

Get the summaries

Events

Learn directly from the researchers themselves about their latest findings in health, safety and disability prevention. We host regular presentations (in person or live stream) through our IWH Speaker Series and our annual Nachemson lecture.

See upcoming events