Illness/injury prevention

This project aims to develop data and researcher capacity that will generate evidence on the broader economic business impacts of prevention activities and evaluate future prevention programs and interventions that are supported by the WSIB, and the provincially-funded health and safety associations, to make Ontario the best and safest place to work.

Status: Ongoing

Published: Disability & Rehabilitation, May 2026

Published: American Journal of Industrial Medicine, May 2026

About 100,000 businesses are created in Canada each year that will employ workers. Many of these new firms are small and staffed by short‑tenure employees, two factors linked to higher injury risk. But as Shane Mercer reports, in an IWH study sample, only a tenth has put in place all available safety measures, while as many as a quarter has implemented none.

Published: Canadian Occupational Safety, April 2026

New businesses are too seldom the focus of occupational health and safety (OHS) research even though they may present risks to worker health and safety. To better understand how new businesses start engaging with OHS, a study team conducted a survey of owners of new Ontario businesses from diverse sectors. In this presentation, Dr. Lynda Robson shares results from the study. She discusses what study participants reported about their OHS management activities, OHS information sources, experiences with the Ontario OHS system, barriers to taking OHS actions, and preferences for receiving OHS information. The presentation also highlights factors associated with OHS management initiation, the value of applying a research-based behaviour change framework to the study, and the implications of the study for research and policy.

Published: April 2026

Workers in small businesses have higher rates of work-related injuries and fatalities than those in larger businesses, even within the same sector. To best prevent injuries, OHS management in these businesses should start early in their life cycle. But according to a new IWH study, few programs or policies are specifically aimed at helping new businesses start managing OHS.

Published: April 2026

The Institute for Work and Health (IWH) conducted a study to assess how immigrant workers are being supported and protected in the workplace. The study informed the development of Immigrant Workers and Language Diversity at Work: What Employers Can Do to Keep Workers Safe—a resource that provides practical guidance for addressing language barriers.

Published: The Trusted Leader Blog, March 2026

Published: American Journal of Industrial Medicine, March 2026

Published: Environmental Health Insights, March 2026

Published: American Journal of Industrial Medicine, February 2026