Evaluating hazard awareness and mitigation training in Northern Ontario workplaces
Reasons for the study
Hazard awareness and mitigation are important components of occupational injury and illness prevention activities. Training on occupational hygiene and specific workplace hazards is thought to improve hazard awareness and build confidence in initiating effective mitigation activities within a workplace; but few evaluations of the experiences of workers and workplaces engaged in this type of training have been undertaken. In addition, it is important to also understand the wider impacts of training at the workplace level.
This mixed-methods study seeks to evaluate hazard awareness training delivered by Workplace Safety North to up to 10 workplaces. Workplace Safety North is a Health and Safety Association funded by the province of Ontario, with a focus on businesses in Northern Ontario
Objectives of the study
- Examine the impact of training on improving the accuracy of hazard assessment within the workplace.
- Evaluate changes in knowledge, self-efficacy, and hazard prevention activities in the workplace post-training.
- Examine how increased capacity in hazard assessment and mitigation affects employee awareness and participation in injury prevention activities in the workplace.
- Identify barriers to implementing hazard assessment and mitigation strategies in the workplace, and ways these are addressed.
- Explore the delivery of hazard assessment and mitigation training among workplaces as a feasible solution to improving safety awareness and safety practices in workplaces.
Target audience
The findings of this study are relevant to multiple partners in the occupational health and safety prevention system. These include organizations that provide training and workplaces who need to both identify and develop mitigation strategies for work-related hazards.
Project status
Ongoing
Research team
Collaborators and partners
Workplace Safety North
Funded by
Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB)