Work and health within broader societal context

Work has a role to play in producing and maintaining inequalities in population health. But broader conditions outside work—such as economic conditions, housing affordability and access to childcare—can impact employment quality and worker health and safety. Similarly, social and income support systems can shape the experiences of workers facing a job interruption, and accessibility legislation can impact employment opportunities for persons living with disabilities. Our research explores how workers and workplaces are affected by changes to labour, social and health laws and policies, as well as by macro economic and societal conditions.

Latest findings

A nail technician works on a client's nails

Arts-based study reveals complexities of working as a nail technician

Workplace hazards have been the focus of many studies on the health and safety of nail salons and their workers. An arts-based study strived to demonstrate the complexity of nail technicians’ relationships to their work, finding both harms and joys.
A man sits on a dimly lit staircase.

Precarious jobs linked to suicide, drug poisoning, and alcohol-related deaths: IWH study

An IWH study investigated whether job quality—measured in terms of employment stability, hours and wages—is linked to suicide, drug poisoning, and alcohol-attributable mortality.
A warehouse manager delivers safety training to a worker

Meeting on newcomer workers’ health inspires ideas for research and collaboration

Newcomer workers have a higher risk getting injured or ill at work than Canadian-born workers. In a step to address this longstanding issue, IWH recently hosted over 50 stakeholders to discuss the health and safety challenges these workers face.