Scientific reports

Amick B, Farquhar A, Grant K, Hunt S, Kapoor K, Keown K, Lawrie C, McKean C, Miller S, Murphy C, Nichol K, Roche M, Sackville-Duyvelshoff C, Shermer P, Speers J, Swift M, Szabo M, Vandevis T, Young J

Can a simple tool be developed that will predict a firm’s workplace injury experience based on an assessment of its health and safety policies and practices? This was the question that a team of partners within Ontario's occupational health and safety (OHS) system set out to answer, and it looks like the answer is “yes.” This report describes the team's work developing these potential OHS leading indicators.

Published: January 2011

Speers J, Robson LS, Mustard C

The Occupational Health & Safety Council of Ontario (OHSCO) released its final report on system performance measurements. The report highlights trends of key performance indicators in the Ontario prevention system in 2008.

Published: April 2010

Robson LS, Stephenson C, Schulte P, Amick B, Chan S, Bielecky A, Wang A, Heidotting T, Irvin E, Eggerth D, Peters R, Clarke J, Cullen KL, Boldt L, Rotunda C, Grubb P

Occupational health and safety (OHS) training is an important part of managing workplace hazards and risks. However, many OHS stakeholders want to know whether training can meet the goals of decreasing workplace injuries and illness, and whether the cost of training programs can be justified. This report shares the findings of systematic review to determine whether OHS training and education programs have a beneficial effect on workers and firms.

Published: January 2010

Breslin FC, Wood M, Mustard C

This report from the Institute for Work and Health and the Ontario Association of Youth Employment Centres looks at work injuries and health and safety knowledge among a high-risk group of workers: young people aged 15 to 24 who are out of school, especially those with less than a high school diploma.

Published: May 2009

Amick B, Kennedy CA, Dennerlein JT, Brewer S, Catli S, Williams R, Serra C, Gerr F, Irvin E, Mahood Q, Franzblau A, Van Eerd D, Evanoff B, Rempel D

Injuries to the upper extremity are common among workers, accounting for about 30 per cent of lost-time claims in Ontario in 2006. The upper extremity includes the neck, shoulder, upper arm, elbow, forearm, wrist and hand. The systematic review described in this report looked at the effectiveness of interventions to prevent upper extremity disorders and traumatic injuries. Note that this systematic review was updated in 2016.

Published: December 2008

MacEachen E, Breslin FC, Kyle N, Irvin E, Kosny A, Bigelow P, Mahood Q, Scott-Dixon K, Morassaei S, Facey M, Chambers L, Couban R, Shannon HS, Cullen KL, Amick B

Small businesses have unique challenges with occupational health and safety (OHS). Overall, workers in small business have a higher risk of injury than workers in large firms, yet small-business owners and their workers may not have a sense of this increased risk because a work injury in any one small workplace is relatively rare. This reports shares the findings of a systematic review conducted to provide an understanding of, and guidance on, how to implement OHS in small businesses and what OHS programs are most likely to work.

Published: December 2008

Van Eerd D, Cole DC, Irvin E, Mahood Q, Keown K, Theberge N, Village J, St Vincent M, Cullen KL, Widdrington H

This report contains appendices to the 2008 systematic review on the process and implementation of participatory ergonomics interventions.

Published: January 2008

Van Eerd D, Cole DC, Irvin E, Mahood Q, Keown K, Theberge N, Village J, St Vincent M, Cullen KL, Widdrington H

In participatory ergonomics (PE), a team works together to identify risks and change tools, equipment and work processes to improve workplace conditions. PE interventions have been shown to reduce work-related injuries to muscles, tendons, ligaments and other soft tissues. What elements of a participatory ergonomic intervention can help ensure its success in workplaces? This systematic review report answers this important question.

Published: January 2008

Brewer S, King E, Amick B, Delclos GL, Spear J, Irvin E, Mahood Q, Lee L, Lewis C, Tetrick L, Gimeno D, Williams R

Injury/illness prevention and loss control programs help protect workers from injuries, meet regulatory requirements, reduce the negative effects of injuries and manage costs. An IWH systematic review on these programs found strong evidence supporting the effectiveness of disability management/return-to-work programs. Read about the reviews findings and recommendations in this report.

Published: December 2007

Tompa E, Dolinschi R, de Oliveira C, Irvin E

Before employers invest in workplace health and safety interventions, they want to know the financial implications of their investment. The goal of this review was to explore whether such interventions are worthwhile from an economic point of view. To find an answer, the Institute for Work & Health conducted a systematic review of studies of workplace-based health and safety interventions that also had an economic analysis. This review, as outlined in this final report, sought to answer the following question: What is the credible evidence that incremental investment in health and safety is worth undertaking?

Published: July 2007

Tompa E, Dolinschi R, de Oliveira C, Irvin E

This report includes appendices to the systematic review of OHS interventions with economic evaluations.

Published: July 2007

Amick B, Tullar J, Brewer S, Irvin E, Mahood Q, Pompeii L, Wang A, Van Eerd D, Gimeno D, Evanoff B

Health-care workers face a high risk of developing injuries to their muscles, tendons or other soft-tissues, including back pain. Many prevention initiatives have been used to try to prevent these musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) from occurring in health-care workers. However, little is known about the effectiveness of these programs. This report summarizes a systematic review of the literature on the effectiveness of MSD prevention programs for health-care workers.

Published: December 2006

Breslin FC, Day D, Tompa E, Irvin E, Bhattacharyya S, Clarke J, Wang A, Koehoorn M

What individual, job and workplace factors are associated with occupational disease among young people 12 to 24 years of age? This systematic review report summarizes the factors associated with occupational disease among young workers.

Published: September 2006

Van Eerd D, Brewer S, Amick B, Irvin E, Daum K, Gerr F, Moore S, Cullen KL, Rempel D

The most common occupational health complaints among computer users are visual problems such as eye discomfort and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) such as pain in the neck and upper extremities. This report shares the findings of a systematic review to identify studies that evaluated the effects of workplace interventions on visual or upper extremity MSDs among computer users.

Published: January 2006

Bigelow P, Robson LS

The use of occupational health and safety (OHS) audits has grown in recent years, and is now seen as an effective method for ensuring compliance and improving the performance of prevention systems. IWH carried out a narrative literature review in order to determine what is known about the reliability and validity of these audit instruments, as outlined in this report.

Published: December 2005

Breslin FC, Day D, Tompa E, Irvin E, Bhattacharyya S, Clarke J, Wang A

Studies have found that young workers are more likely than older workers to sustain work injuries and, as a result, significant resources have been spent on young worker safety programs. However, these programs were developed without a comprehensive look at the factors that lead young workers to get injured. IWH undertook a systematic review, detailed in this report, to determine what factors are associated with work injury and illness among young workers.

Published: December 2005

Institute for Work & Health, IBM Business Consulting Services

This report shares the findings of a study looking at the effects of New Experimental Experience Rating (NEER), an employer incentive program of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board in Ontario. The study is based on case studies in the health-care, transportation and manufacturing sectors.

Published: June 2005

Robson LS, Clarke J, Cullen KL, Bielecky A, Severin C, Bigelow P, Irvin E, Culyer AJ, Mahood Q

Occupational health and safety management systems (OHSMSs) have developed considerably over the last 20 years, yet little is known about their effectiveness. This report summarizes the findings of a systematic review on the facilitators and barriers to the adoption and effectiveness of OHSMSs.

Published: January 2005

Cole DC, Rivilis I, Van Eerd D, Cullen KL, Irvin E, Kramer D

The inappropriate design of workplaces and work processes contributes significantly to the development of common work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). By improving ergonomic aspects of work and workplaces, it should be possible to prevent or reduce these disorders and increase productivity. One practice advocated for improving workplace design and processes is participatory ergonomics. This report shares the findings of a systematic review on the effectiveness of workplace-based participatory ergonomic interventions in improving workers' health.

Published: January 2005

Franche RL, Cullen KL, Clarke J, MacEachen E, Frank JW, Sinclair S, Reardon R

This report contains appendices to the systematic review of the quantitative and qualitative literature of workplace-based return-to-work interventions.

Published: January 2004