Events

Upcoming events

14 Feb 2023

IWH Speaker Series

Estimating the financial benefits of OHS spending: a study of Ontario employers

Cameron Mustard, Institute for Work & Health; Basak Yanar, Institute for Work & Health

In high-income countries, employer spending on occupational health and safety (OHS) can be substantial. But what are the financial benefits of these expenditures? An Institute for Work & Health (IWH) team recently developed and applied a transparent methodology to estimate the return on investment (ROI) of OHS spending for Ontario employers. In this presentation, IWH Associate Scientist Dr. Basak Yanar and IWH Adjunct Scientist Dr. Cameron Mustard, also former IWH president and senior scientist, share the methodology they used to arrive at the ROI estimates in three important economic sectors: construction, transportation and manufacturing.

Past events

17 Jan 2023

IWH Speaker Series

Racial and ethnic inequities in the return-to-work of workers following an injury or illness: Findings from a systematic review

Arif Jetha, Institute for Work & Health; Faraz Vahid Shahidi, Institute for Work & Health

Research in the field of occupational health has consistently found evidence of racial inequities, with workers of colour facing more frequent, severe, and disabling injury and illness when compared to white workers. In this presentation, Dr. Arif Jetha and Dr. Faraz Vahid Shahidi describe findings from a recent systematic review of literature examining racial inequities in the return-to-work (RTW) process. They synthesize existing evidence which has focused on racial and ethnic inequities in the re-integration of injured or ill workers. They also discuss opportunities to address obstacles faced by workers of colour in RTW and provide recommendations for future research.

13 Dec 2022

IWH Speaker Series

Preventing falls from heights in construction: a long-term evaluation of Ontario's working-at-heights training standard

Lynda Robson, Institute for Work & Health

In 2015, the province of Ontario implemented a working-at-heights (WAH) training standard requiring most construction workers to take a specific day-long training in fall prevention. A 2019 study conducted by the Institute for Work & Health found the training had positive impact on construction workers' safety knowledge, work practices and injury rates. In this presentation, Dr. Lynda Robson shares new findings on the longer-term impact of the training, drawing on two additional years of follow-up data.

15 Nov 2022

IWH Speaker Series

Persistent pain: its role in work absence, health, and employment after a disabling work-related injury

Kathleen Dobson, Institute for Work & Health

Among working-aged adults, one of every six injuries that need medical attention are caused by work exposures, with over a third of these injuries leading to periods of work absence or disability. Chronic or persistent pain may occur after an injury. It is currently unclear how many workers experience persistent pain and how it impacts worker health and function, return to work and disability benefit expenditures. In this presentation, Dr. Kathleen Dobson shares findings from a study of Ontario workers experiencing a work-related injury or illness focusing on the prevalence of persistent pain, and its association with return-to-work outcomes.

View all past events