Past events
IWH Speaker Series
What the future of work looks like to young people with disabilities
Arif Jetha, Institute for Work & Health
What do young people with disabilities think about when they weigh their job options and consider their career goals? Given the massive changes expected in the world of work—changes brought on by the rise of automation, digital technologies, new forms of work, among others—what barriers and opportunities do young people with disabilities perceive on the horizon? In this presentation, IWH Scientist Dr. Arif Jetha shares findings from his interview-based study of young adults with disabilities. He also discusses what support they need to meet the challenges and take advantage of the potential opportunities of a changing labour market.
IWH Speaker Series
Uncovering the impact of a depressive episode on employment earnings of Canadian workers
Kathleen Dobson, Institute for Work & Health
Despite much attention being paid to the employment outcomes of Canadians experiencing depression, we still know little about the long-term impact of depression on their work earnings. In this presentation, IWH Associate Scientist Kathleen Dobson shares findings from her novel study using data linkages to uncover the impact of a depressive episode on employment earnings over a decade.
IWH Speaker Series
Workplace COVID-19 protections and transmission: Findings from population-level data in Canada
Peter Smith, Institute for Work & Health
From the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, public health strategies to reduce the spread of the coronavirus recognized workplaces as a potential site of transmission. However, there remain large information gaps about workplace COVID-19 protection practices and COVID-19 transmission at work. In this presentation, Dr. Peter Smith shares findings from two recently completed studies from a collaboration between the Institute for Work & Health and Public Health Ontario. The first describes the type and prevalence of infection control practices at work sites that continued to operate. The second study estimates rates of COVID-19 cases due to workplace outbreaks across industry groups in Ontario between April 2020 and March 2021.
IWH Speaker Series
Estimating the nature and extent of claim suppression in British Columbia's workers' compensation system
Ron Saunders, Institute for Work & Health; John O'Grady, Prism Economics and Analysis
To what extent are workers in British Columbia pressured or induced to not report or claim benefits for their work-related injuries and illnesses? A study on the nature and extent of claim suppression in B.C. was recently conducted by Institute for Work & Health and Prism Economics and Analysis. In this presentation, study co-leads Dr. Ron Saunders and John O'Grady share what they found.
IWH Speaker Series
What can hospital emergency records tell us about the incidence of work-related traumatic injuries in Ontario?
Cameron Mustard, Institute for Work & Health
Every year, hospital emergency departments in Ontario treat an average of 100,000 cases of work-related injuries or illnesses. What can the records of these cases tell us about the reporting of work-related injuries and illnesses to Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB)? In this presentation, Dr. Cameron Mustard shares findings from research comparing WSIB claims data with records of hospital emergency department visits over a fifteen-year period (2004-2017).
IWH Speaker Series
The health paradox of physically demanding work: What is it and should we be concerned?
Aviroop Biswas, Institute for Work & Health
Emerging research describes a physical activity paradox: physically demanding work characterized by heavy lifting, repetitive exertion and awkward body postures can increase a worker’s risk of cardiovascular conditions and mortality, going against our well-known understanding of the health benefits associated with regular physical activity during leisure time. Dr. Aviroop Biswas explains what we know so far about this physical activity paradox and shares findings from his own research about the paradox among Canadian workers.
IWH Speaker Series
Differences in the return-to-work process for work-related psychological and musculoskeletal conditions: findings from an Australian cohort
Peter Smith, Institute for Work & Health
Many workers’ compensation agencies across Canada have begun accepting claims for chronic mental stress that results from work. In other jurisdictions where psychological claims have been accepted, such types of claims have been linked with greater costs and longer time off compared to physical claims. The potential reasons for these differences have not been well understood. In this IWH Speaker Series presentation, Dr. Peter Smith presents findings from a cohort study of 869 workers’ compensation claimants in the Australian state of Victoria. He highlights differences between the two groups of claimants (psychological and musculoskeletal) in their experiences of the claim and return-to-work processes, and discusses lessons for Canadian jurisdictions.
IWH Speaker Series
Fragmentation in the future of work: Exploring the impact of the changing nature of work on vulnerable workers
Arif Jetha, Institute for Work & Health
The future of work is characterized by diverse social, technological, economic, environmental and political changes, including artificial intelligence and the automation of jobs, an aging workforce, climate change. These are expected to disrupt every industry, transform working conditions and affect the types and availability of jobs. Despite a growing discourse on the changing nature of work, there is a limited understanding of how the future of work will impact vulnerable labour market groups. In this presentation, Dr. Arif Jetha outlines nine major trends that may shape the future of work and have a specific impact on vulnerable workers.
IWH Speaker Series
Ontario Life After Workplace Injury Study: What we've learned so far
Cameron Mustard, Institute for Work & Health
The Ontario Life After Workplace Injury Study (OLAWIS) is looking at the long-term health and labour market outcomes of workers disabled by work injury or illness after they are no longer receiving benefits or services from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. As part of the study, over 1,130 eligible claimants were interviewed at 18 months post-injury and asked about a wide range of factors, including their work status and income, physical and mental health, case manager and health-care provider interactions, and employer return-to-work support. In this presentation, Dr. Cameron Mustard shares what the researchers have learned so far about this group of injured workers.
IWH Speaker Series
The union effect on safety in the ICI construction sector: a study update
Lynda Robson, Institute for Work & Health
A study conducted several years ago by the Institute for Work & Health found unionized companies in Ontario's institutional, commercial and industrial (ICI) construction sector had a lower rate of lost-time injury claims than their non-unionized counterparts, after accounting for other factors like company size. In this presentation, Dr. Lynda Robson shares an update of that study, using data from 2012-2018. She discusses whether the latest results support what's called a "union safety effect", and how findings vary by company size and types of construction work.
IWH Speaker Series
Does it matter what workers’ reasons are for disclosing or not disclosing a disability at work? Why and how?
Monique Gignac, Institute for Work & Health
Deciding whether or not to disclose a disability to others at work is a complex consideration. People with many chronic mental and physical health conditions, often called episodic disabilities, experience times of relative wellness punctuated by intermittent periods of activity limitations. How do they decide whether or not to disclose their health conditions? In this presentation, Dr. Monique Gignac shares findings from her study examining participants' reasons and goals for disclosing—and whether these matter to work support outcomes.
IWH Speaker Series
More than just COVID-19 prevention: Exploring the links between PPE, safe work protocols and workers' mental health
Peter Smith, Institute for Work & Health
We have heard a lot about the importance of personal protective equipment (PPE) and infection control procedures (ICP) in reducing workplace COVID-19 transmission. A new study, conducted jointly with the Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW), set out to explore their importance in protecting workers' mental health. In this presentation, Dr. Peter Smith shares results from two surveys, one conducted among health-care workers and the other among the broader Canadian workforce. The findings provide important insights into the additional benefits of adequate design and implementation of employer-based infection control practices—beyond reducing COVID-19 transmission.
IWH Speaker Series
Safe work integration of newcomers: Employer perspectives
Basak Yanar, Institute for Work & Health
Employers play an important role in the safe and sustained work integration of immigrants and refugees in Canada. Despite this, we know little about employers’ expectations, experiences and challenges in relation to the hiring and retaining of newcomers. In this presentation, Dr. Basak Yanar shares insights gained through a recently completed project on the work integration of newcomers. She discusses the perspectives of employers, as well as the experiences of immigrant-serving organizations that work with employers in promoting safe and sustainable work integration.
IWH Speaker Series
Have cannabis use and perceptions about workplace use changed since legalization?
Nancy Carnide, Institute for Work & Health
Are workers using and thinking differently about cannabis at work now that the non-medical use of cannabis is legal? A team at the Institute for Work & Health led by Associate Scientist Dr. Nancy Carnide is answering this question through annual surveys of Canadian workers, asking about their use and understanding of, as well as their perceptions about, cannabis at work. In this presentation, Dr. Carnide shares early results from her comparison of workers’ pre- and post-legalization responses to questions about cannabis at work.
IWH Speaker Series
Developing practical recommendations for integrating workplace safety and wellness initiatives
Aviroop Biswas, Institute for Work & Health
Workplace wellness programs that also emphasize occupational health and safety (OHS) activities can have greater benefits to the overall health and safety of workers than those that focus on OHS or individual behaviour change alone. When OHS and wellness efforts are coordinated and not in competition for organizational resources, they also benefit the broader organization. In this presentation, Dr. Avi Biswas draws on a recently concluded study to offer practical guidance to employers on integrating safety and wellness activities. He outlines findings of a review of existing research, cross-referenced with stakeholder insights, and highlights what matters most to workplaces when integrating safety and wellness initiatives.
IWH Speaker Series
Introducing the new CSA standard for work disability management systems
Emile Tompa, Institute for Work & Health
Every year, tens of thousands of Canadians become disabled and are unable to work, thereby becoming excluded from the many health advantages of workforce participation. In response to the growing concerns about managing disability in the workplace, the CSA Group, in conjunction with the Centre for Research on Work Disability Policy (CRWDP) and Conestoga College, has developed a new standard called the Work Disability Management Systems Standard (CSA Z1011). In this presentation, CRWDP director and IWH Senior Scientist Dr. Emile Tompa highlights components of the standard, which sets out best practices on injury/illness rehabilitation, return-to-work plans, and accommodation of workers with disabilities.
IWH Speaker Series
Capacity building and evaluation of OHS training in settlement agencies
Basak Yanar, Institute for Work & Health; Eduardo Huesca, Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers
Newcomers to Canada are at an increased risk of workplace injury and illness, due in part to a lack of knowledge about their rights and responsibilities in occupational health and safety (OHS). Settlement agencies are well-positioned to promote OHS awareness among newcomers, but some may lack the resources and capacity to do so. In this presentation, Institute for Work & Health (IWH)'s Dr. Basak Yanar joins Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW)'s Eduardo Huesca to talk about the development and delivery of the OHS capacity-building workshops for settlement agencies. They will share results of an evaluation capturing the experiences of service providers and newcomer clients, and discuss opportunities for Ontario’s OHS system partners to further support the settlement sector.
IWH Speaker Series
Supporting hospital staff to manage aggressive patient behaviour: A randomized controlled trial
Dr. Lesley Wiesenfeld, Mount Sinai Hospital, Sinai Health System; Mavis Afriyie-Boateng, Mount Sinai Hospital, Sinai Health System; Carla Loftus, Mount Sinai Hospital, Sinai Health System
As in many other hospitals, staff at Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital were experiencing high rates of workplace violence. In response, a multidisciplinary team developed a program to standardize practices for identifying and managing patients with aggressive behaviour. Given the dearth of evaluation studies on this type of workplace intervention, the team also set up a randomized controlled study on the program's effectiveness. They share results in this IWH Speaker Series presentation.
IWH Speaker Series
Estimating the economic burden of work injuries and illnesses in the European Union
Emile Tompa, Institute for Work & Health; Amir Mofidi, Institute for Work & Health
Knowing the economic burden of work-related illnesses and injuries in a country can help policy-makers set priorities. In a recent project involving five European Union countries, Institute for Work & Health Senior Scientist and labour economist Dr. Emile Tompa, along with post-doctoral fellow Amir Mofidi, developed and executed a new framework for such an estimate. In this presentation, Tompa discusses the approach, its potential, as well as results of the five-country study.
IWH Speaker Series
The effectiveness of COR in preventing work injury: lessons from Alberta and B.C.
Christopher McLeod, Institute for Work & Health
Certificate of Recognition (COR) programs are voluntary audits that recognize employers for having strong occupational health and safety (OHS) practices. In this presentation, IWH Scientist Dr. Chris McLeod shares his research in British Columbia and Alberta on the effectiveness of COR programs in preventing work-related injury.