Past events

22 Oct 2019

IWH Speaker Series

Trends in depression and anxiety among Canadian labour force participants (2000-2016)

Kathleen Dobson, Institute for Work & Health

Despite much effort aimed at improving the mental health of Canadians, we still know little about the prevalence of two common mental health conditions across the working population. In this presentation, IWH Research Associate Kathleen Dobson shares her doctoral research exploring trends in depression and anxiety disorders in the Canadian workforce, from 2000 to 2016. She also highlights the challenges in creating high-quality population-based evidence about the labour force’s mental health.

28 May 2019

IWH Speaker Series

The link between workplace injury and fatality risks and the use of substances affecting the central nervous system

Nancy Carnide, Institute for Work & Health

Prescription and recreational drugs that act on the central nervous system can have many adverse effects, including cognitive and psychomotor impairment. An IWH systematic review has looked into the link between workplace injury and fatality risks and the use of such substances—including opioids, benzodiazepines and cannabis. In this presentation, Dr. Nancy Carnide shares findings from that systematic review.

26 Feb 2019

IWH Speaker Series

Evaluating the implementation and effectiveness of Ontario’s working-at-heights training standards

Lynda Robson, Institute for Work & Health

In 2015, Ontario's Ministry of Labour implemented regulations defining working-at-heights (WAH) training program standards and establishing a program for approving training providers in the province. In this presentation, Dr. Lynda Robson shares findings from a study that examined the reach and effectiveness of the training standard.

4 Dec 2018

IWH Speaker Series

Assessing workplace training for skin exposure prevention

Linn Holness, Centre for Research Expertise in Occupational Disease

For almost 20 years, the Centre for Research Expertise in Occupational Disease has studied skin exposure prevention strategies, including worker training on this common hazard. In this presentation, Dr. Linn Holness shares research findings on training effectiveness, highlighting gaps, barriers and facilitators to training implementation.

27 Nov 2018

IWH Speaker Series

Promoting labour market transitions for young adults with chronic disabling conditions: a systematic review

Arif Jetha, Institute for Work & Health

Young adulthood is an important phase of life when most people establish their careers. And yet, it's a time when many young adults with disabling health conditions find themselves excluded from the labour market. A systematic review led by Dr. Arif Jetha examined work-focused interventions to support the transition of these young adults into the labour market. In this presentation, he shares findings and highlights the effectiveness of these interventions across different career stages and disability types.

20 Nov 2018

IWH Speaker Series

Clearing the haze: Understanding how Canadian workers use and perceive cannabis at work

Nancy Carnide, Institute for Work & Health

Recreational cannabis is now legal in Canada and many surveys suggest employers are concerned about the potential implications for workplaces. In this presentation, Dr. Nancy Carnide shares preliminary findings of a survey of workers, conducted in June 2018, aimed at understanding patterns of workplace cannabis use and the social norms and perceptions about such use.

6 Nov 2018

IWH Speaker Series

An impact analysis of two silica dust exposure reduction strategies

Emile Tompa, Institute for Work & Health

Crystalline silica dust exposure is common in the construction sector. Inhalation of silica dust is known to cause lung cancer, silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, rheumatoid arthritis and tuberculosis. In this presentation, Dr. Emile Tompa examines the implementation of two approaches to reducing exposure: use of personal protective equipment (i.e. respirators) by all exposed individuals and use of engineering controls (e.g. wet method) wherever and whenever feasible. He shares findings from an impact analysis based on data spanning 30 years.

2 Oct 2018

IWH Speaker Series

Introducing the new MSD Prevention Guideline for Ontario

Richard Wells, Centre of Research Expertise for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (CRE-MSD)

The Centre of Research Expertise for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (CRE-MSD) kicks off Global Ergonomics Month with the launch of the new MSD Prevention Guideline for Ontario. This initiative builds on a previous guideline and toolboxes, developed in 2005-2006 by the Ontario health and safety system under the auspices of the Occupational Safety and Health Council of Ontario (OSHCO). In this presentation, CRE-MSD's Dr. Richard Wells provides an overview of the updated content and the host of tools and resources to meet the needs of workplaces of all types and sizes. He also outlines the new guideline's three interlinked sources: Quick Start (an introductory guideline for micro and very small businesses), Basic and Comprehensive.

25 Sep 2018

IWH Speaker Series

Challenges in designing organizational and system-level interventions to prevent work disability

William Shaw, University of Connecticut Health Center

Interventions to prevent work disability can vary widely. They can include: changes in laws and regulations; provider training and education; outreach and support to workers and supervisors; modified employer policies and practices; and changes in insurance and medical reimbursement policies. Given the very wide band of possible strategies in this area, researchers and policy makers face some serious design challenges when developing feasible and effective interventions. In this presentation, Dr. Bill Shaw discusses three intervention design issues: reach, implementation, and organizational structure. He draws on published and ongoing studies to discuss feasibility constraints, design assumptions and evaluation methods.

26 Jun 2018

IWH Speaker Series

Prevention of work injuries using a systematic KTE approach: Experiences from a research project in Denmark

Johnny Dyreborg, National Research Centre for the Working Environment

In a two-part presentation, Dr. Johnny Dyreborg summarizes findings from a systematic review on the effectiveness of safety interventions and describe an interactive approach of knowledge exchange. In the first part of the presentation, he shares preliminary results from a recent review that evaluated a range of different types of safety interventions directed at reducing workplace injuries. In the second part, he discusses the shortcomings of review methodology that decontextualizes research findings. He also outlines an interactive knowledge exchange approach for implementing evidence-based ‘best practice’ injury prevention at the workplace, one that builds on IWH's Knowledge Transfer and Exchange (KTE) methods.

12 Jun 2018

IWH Speaker Series

Challenges in accommodating mental and physical health conditions: What workplace parties are saying

Monique Gignac, Institute for Work & Health

In this presentation, Dr. Monique Gignac shares findings from a study examining organizational perspectives on implementing work disability prevention and management practices, as well as key issues in supporting workers with chronic, episodic conditions.

5 Jun 2018

IWH Speaker Series

The effects of gradual return to work on sustained return to work

Esther Maas, Partnership for Work, Health, and Safety, University of British Columbia

Gradual return to work (GRTW) provides workers recovering from an injury with the opportunity to limit or modify work tasks and gradually build up work hours and work load with the goal of returning to full hours and duties. In this presentation, Dr. Esther Maas presents her research, which used detailed administrative workers’ compensation calendar data on return-to-work (RTW) in British Columbia to explore the effect of GRTW on sustained RTW. She also discusses opportunities for using population-based data to analyse the costs and effects of GRTW to improve RTW outcomes.

29 May 2018

IWH Speaker Series

Superior Mental Wellness @ Work: Results of a comprehensive employee mental health project in northwestern Ontario

Vicki Kristman, Lakehead University; Lynda Fraser, Thunder Bay District Health Unit; Susan Armstrong, Thunder Bay District Health Unit

The Superior Mental Wellness @ Work project is a two-year multi-component initiative aimed at promoting workplace environments that reduce psychological hazards and maintain positive mental health for employees in Thunder Bay and District. In this presentation, members of the project team provide an overview of the project and outline results of the overall program evaluation.

22 May 2018

IWH Speaker Series

Reporting and consequences of workplace violence in six Ontario hospitals

Peter Smith, Institute for Work & Health

We currently do not know what proportion of workplace violence incidents in Ontario are captured by each hospital’s reporting system. We also lack information on reasons for not reporting workplace violence incidents. Dr. Peter Smith of the Institute for Work & Health provides findings from a survey in late 2017 of over 1,000 workers in six Ontario hospitals on the incidence, reporting and consequences of workplace violence. He also discusses the implications of these findings on the interpretation of Ontario's new mandatory indicator of workplace violence.

1 May 2018

IWH Speaker Series

Who claims for injury: comparing self-reported injury data and accident compensation claims

Michelle Poland, University of Otago, New Zealand

How well does compensation claims data capture actual injury trends? Research in several different jurisdictions has suggested that workers' compensation claims data represents only a fraction of actual injuries at work. A recent study examined whether a similar pattern of under-reporting exists in New Zealand, where the universal, no-fault accident compensation environment should theoretically remove common barriers to filing claims. In this IWH Speaker Series presentation, lead researcher Michelle Poland shares results of her findings and their broader implications.

27 Mar 2018

IWH Speaker Series

Towards a better understanding of differences in the risk of workplace violence for men and women in Canada

Peter Smith, Institute for Work & Health

Workplace violence is getting increasing attention, especially within certain industries such as health care and education. This presentation will discuss results from two recently completed studies examining differences in the risk of workplace violence for men and women.

20 Mar 2018

IWH Speaker Series

Flame retardants in e-waste recycling: an emerging occupational hazard

Victoria Arrandale, Occupational Cancer Research Centre

With the growth of electronic waste recycling in Ontario and other parts of Canada, concerns about several occupational hazards are coming to the fore. In this presentation, Dr. Victoria Arrandale summarizes results from the first study of flame retardant chemicals in the Canadian e-waste industry, as well as the effects of other hazards in the e-waste environment.

30 Jan 2018

IWH Speaker Series

Systematic review of workplace interventions to manage depression

Emma Irvin, Institute for Work & Health; Kim Cullen, Institute for Work & Health; Dwayne Van Eerd, Institute for Work & Health

By the year 2020, depression will be the second leading cause of disability worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. What effective intervention approaches for managing depression can workplaces offer to help employees either stay at work while experiencing symptoms, or return to work after a depression-related absence? In this presentation, an Institute for Work & Health team share findings from a recent systematic review of the scientific literature on this question.

16 Jan 2018

IWH Speaker Series

The burden of occupational cancer

Paul Demers, Occupational Cancer Research Centre

In October 2017, the Occupational Cancer Research Centre (OCRC) and Cancer Care Ontario released a report on the impact of workplace carcinogens in Ontario. The report, Burden of Occupational Cancer in Ontario: Major Workplace Carcinogens and Prevention of Exposure, focused on carcinogens that are well-established causes of cancer—​for example, solar ultraviolet radiation, asbestos, diesel engine exhaust and crystalline silica—as well as commonly known or suspected carcinogens found in Ontario workplaces. In this presentation, the first in the newly named IWH Speaker Series, Dr. Paul Demers shares the report's key findings. He also discusses policy recommendations aimed at the government, Ontario’s occupational health and safety system, employers and non-governmental organizations.

12 Dec 2017

IWH Speaker Series

Availability of caregiver-friendly workplace policies: an international scoping review

Allison Williams, McMaster University

Where are caregiver-friendly workplaces commonly found? What sectors are they in and what characteristics do their policies share? In this plenary, Dr. Allison Williams shares findings from her scoping review on the availability of workplace policies to support employees who have additional off-work responsibilities of caring for loved ones.