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

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Do you find the information from the Institute for Work & Health trustworthy? Do you think it’s relevant,  useful and unbiased? As a valued subscriber to an IWH newsletter or e-alert, your feedback is important to us. Please take a few minutes to answer just nine questions and let us know if we’re on the right track. The survey is up only for a short time, so please take the survey now.

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Cannabis use by workers before and after legalization in Canada

On October 17, 2018, the non-medical use of cannabis was legalized in Canada. To examine the implications of this change for workplaces, the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) embarked on two research projects. The first project set out to explore changes in cannabis consumption habits among workers; changes in their perceptions about such consumption; and associations between cannabis consumption and occupational injury risks. The second project looked at the use of cannabis to treat symptoms in the aftermath of a work-related injury/illness. This Issue Briefing provides an overview of findings from these two studies.

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Which workers and jobs will be most affected by machine learning?

Machine learning is being adopted by more and more Canadian workplaces. Given this technology’s ability to learn, adapt and generate work outputs, it also has the potential to perform job tasks in place of humans. But which workers might be most affected by the use of machine learning? An IWH study explores this question.

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Picture of a server, sitting with her head in her hand. The text next to the image reads: "Deciding when you are ready to tell your employer you may need accommodations at work is one of the most personal decisions anyone can make." - Person with multiple sclerosis. DCIDE can help. Free online tool to help workers think about whether to share information about their health at work. Learn more: aced.iwh.on.ca/dcide

New tool for deciding whether to share health information at work

Join us on November 19 as Dr. Monique Gignac introduces a new tool called DCIDE. The tool is designed to help workers consider whether to disclose a chronic health condition at work. Why are workplace disclosure decisions so difficult? Gignac will share research findings on this question and describe how DCIDE can help.

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A bearded male worker in an apron handles decorative blue-teal glass discs displayed on a shelf

Consultants play key role in OHS implementation at small firms

Time and resource constraints may make it hard for small businesses to access health and safety support programs. But, as an IWH study finds, small businesses gain from even limited participation in such programs. The study, based on interviews with small businesses that took part in Ontario's Health and Safety Excellence Program, also highlights factors that contribute to their success in the program.

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IWH Speaker Series

Learn directly from IWH researchers themselves about their latest findings in health, safety and disability prevention. The IWH Speaker Series is a livestream webinar series that features new study findings from the Institute for Work & Health. The webinars are usually held once a month, on a Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. EST. Recordings are also available to watch on demand.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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