Plain-language summaries
Institute for Work & Health (IWH) plain-language summaries condense research findings in various formats. At Work articles explain study results with comments from the study leads. Research Highlights summarize journal articles in easy-to-read, digest formats. Sharing Best Evidence summaries highlight findings from systematic reviews and other types of reviews conducted or led by IWH researchers. Issue Briefings discuss key research findings from IWH or elsewhere on topics that are of particular interest to policy-makers.
At Work article
Understanding western Canada's high risk of work injury
What is driving the higher risk of job injury in western Canada? New research from the Institute for Work & Health suggests it goes beyond the type of work found in the west.
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At Work article
Breakthrough change: Finding and describing firms that make large OHS improvements
What changes, why and who’s driving the change in firms that make large improvements in workplace health and safety? Possible answers are coming from the first phase of an ongoing study at the Institute for Work & Health that is exploring the process of “breakthrough change.”
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At Work article
The mouse that roared: Quivering mouse may reduce shoulder pain
A vibrating computer mouse that reminds users to move their hands and rest their arms eases office workers’ shoulder pain, but gets mixed reviews from users in a pilot study conducted by researchers at the Institute for Work & Health.
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Issue Briefing
Effectiveness of targeted OHS labour inspections
This Issue Briefing takes a close look at the design and outcomes of three North American studies and how they inform our understanding of the effectiveness of targeted labour inspections on occupational health and safety (OHS) outcomes.
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At Work article
Show and tell: Visual symbols inform vulnerable workers about MSDs
Visual symbols or pictograms, along with training, are a promising approach to protect vulnerable workers from musculoskeletal disorders, according to a collaborative evaluation involving the Institute for Work & Health.
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At Work article
Temp agency workers falling through cracks in OHS system
The complex employment relationship between temporary agency workers, temp agencies and client employers creates loopholes and incentives that may leave low-wage temp agency workers more vulnerable to workplace injuries, says new research from the Institute for Work & Health.
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At Work article
Training promotes safer practices
A systematic review led by the Institute for Work & Health shows that training positively influences worker practices, making it an important part of multi-component health and safety programs.
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At Work article
Study finds persistence of higher injury risk for new workers
We know that newly hired workers face a higher injury rate. Recent research from the Institute for Work & Health finds that the higher risk of work injury among new workers has persisted over the past ten years. This suggests workplaces need to do more to ensure new workers get the training and supervision they need to stay safe on the job.
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At Work article
New IWH senior scientist highlights chronic disease
The health of older workers is a focus of research for the Institute for Work & Health and its newest senior recruit.
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Sharing Best Evidence
Factors affecting RTW following acute low-back pain
This systematic review set out to find what factors affect the length of time it takes before returning to work. The aim was to identify which workers with acute low-back pain are at high risk of long-term absences and, therefore, in need of extra attention to help them recover and return to work more quickly.
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At Work article
What’s next for RAACWI?
Funding for the Research Action Alliance on the Consequences of Work Injury ended this spring, but that didn’t stop the group from making plans for the future. First comes funding, then comes expansion?
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At Work article
Case management potential area for return-to-work improvement
A survey of employees and supervisors about their company’s return-to-work process points to case management as both a lynchpin of the process and a potential area for improvement—a finding that may resonate beyond this one workplace.
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At Work article
Grant round-up: IWH research aims for practical results
Here’s a quick preview of five research projects at the Institute for Work & Health that recently got the ‘green light.’ They promise to bring results that can help prevent workplace injury and disability.
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At Work article
Experience rating focuses on post-injury practices, IWH study suggests
Experience rating can lead to unintended consequences if emphasis on prevention isn’t front-and-centre, says new research from the Institute for Work & Health.
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At Work article
Getting back on the horse: Return to work has beneficial effect on health
Returning to work after an injury is good for people, both physically and mentally, according to a new systematic review.
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At Work article
Research 101: Disseminating findings
In this series, we are taking you behind the scenes of a research project at the Institute for Work & Health (IWH), from start to finish.
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At Work article
The impact of the recession on workers’ compensation claims
The recent recession resulted in a substantial decline in the number of workers’ compensation claims, a decline much greater than the reduction in hours of work, according to the latest Issue Briefing from the Institute for Work & Health.
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Issue Briefing
The Canadian recession and the compensation of work-related injury and illness
What happened to workers' compensation claim rates in Canada during the 2008-2009 recession? This Issue Briefing looks at the research and confirms that, relative to the long-term trend of declining claim rates in North America, the frequency of workers' compensation claims per hours worked tends to go down during recessions.
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At Work article
Increasing psychological demands elevate risk of depression
New, policy-relevant research from the Institute for Work & Health on Canadian workers finds that increases in job demands can increase the risk of depression.
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At Work article
IWH research helps shape new work integration initiative
In November 2010, Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board introduced the new Work Reintegration Program. Many of its features address problems with the old vocational rehabilitation program that were described by Institute for Work & Health research.
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