Trusted research, with reach and impact
The Institute for Work & Health (IWH) is an independent, multidisciplinary, not-for-profit research organization located in Ontario, Canada. IWH conducts and mobilizes research that supports policy-makers, employers and workers in creating healthy, safe and inclusive work environments.
Latest news & findings
IWH network event gathers safety leaders to share ideas, resources
This spring, attendees of IWH's second annual IWH Connects meeting had a chance to exchange ideas about research and resources for organizations in three key areas: building employer confidence in disability, equity, inclusion and accessibility practices; promoting health and safety in linguistically diverse workplaces; and addressing the psychosocial work environment.
IWH rates high in trust, relevance, value in new stakeholder survey
One way the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) makes sure it meets its mission is to conduct stakeholder surveys, roughly every two years. In these surveys, stakeholders are asked whether they agree that the Institute’s research is trustworthy, unbiased, relevant and useful. With these questions, IWH seeks to measure how stakeholders view the calibre of its research and its value to them.
Precarious jobs linked to suicide, drug poisoning, and alcohol-related deaths: IWH study
In Canada and other high-income countries, rates of suicide, drug poisoning, and alcohol-attributable mortality—sometimes referred to as “deaths of despair”—have increased over time. An IWH study investigated whether job quality—measured in terms of employment stability, hours and wages—is linked to these causes of deaths.
IWH Speaker Series: Good jobs, bad jobs, and ‘deaths of despair’
Not all jobs are created equal, and research has shown that low-quality jobs can have a range of health impacts for a worker. On April 22, Dr. Faraz Vahid Shahidi will discuss a study that examines whether job quality—having a “good” or “bad” job—is linked to what some call “deaths of despair”: deaths caused by suicide, drug poisoning and alcohol.
IWH Speaker Series
Learn directly from IWH researchers themselves about their latest findings in health, safety and disability prevention. Coming up next:
Preventing PTSI work disability at first responder organizations: an environmental scan
Presented by Emile Tompa.
Date: Tuesday, May 27, 2025, 11:00AM EST
Explore the site
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.
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.
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.