Illness/injury prevention

IWH has a long history of conducting research to provide practical guidance to employers, workers, OHS professionals and regulators about what works and what doesn’t in injury or illness prevention. This research targets the injury and illness prevention practices of workplaces, as well as the programs developed by governments, health and safety associations and others to support and motivate workplaces to adopt effective practices.

Featured

A landscape worker cutting grass.
At Work article

IWH study reveals gaps in health and safety knowledge about new businesses

To best prevent injuries, OHS management in small businesses should start early in their lifecycle. But according to a new IWH study, few programs or policies are specifically aimed at helping new businesses start managing OHS.
Published: April 10, 2026
IWH Speaker Series
IWH Speaker Series

Evaluating the impact of mandatory awareness training in Ontario

In this presentation, Dr. Peter Smith shares the results of a study that examined differences in the level of self-reported occupational health and safety (OHS) awareness and empowerment among employed workers in Ontario before and after the introduction of the mandatory OHS training. He also discusses the implications of the results for future province-wide initiatives focusing on the primary prevention of work-related injuries and illnesses.
Published: April 2017
Journal article
Project report
Project report

Managing depression in the workplace: a systematic review contextualized for Manitoba

This report provides a synthesis of the relevant research-based evidence on managing depression for the adult working population of Manitoba. The synthesis is based on an international search of the literature, and the findings were then contexualized for Manitoba based on an approach developed by the Institute for Work & Health and Memorial University's SafetyNet Centre for Occupational Health and Safety Research.
Published: March 2017
Banner for evidence contextualization tool
Tools and guides

Evidence in context for occupational health and safety: operational handbook

This handbook, the product of a research collaboration between the Institute for Work & Health and Memorial University’s SafetyNet Centre for Occupational Health and Safety Research, can be used by occupational health, safety and disability prevention stakeholders seeking to improve policy and/or practice by contextualizing the results of a research synthesis (e.g. a systematic review) to their particular situation (e.g. particular jurisdiction, sector or workplace).
Published: March 2017
Systematic Review
Systematic Review

Effective workplace-based return-to-work interventions: a systematic review update

This report synthesizes the evidence from a systematic review on the effectiveness of workplace-based return-to-work interventions and updates the Institute's 2004 systematic review on the same subject. This update brings in evidence published since 2004, and expands upon the original systematic review by including work absences due not only to musculoskeletal disorders, but also to mental health and pain-related conditions.
Published: February 2017
Project report
Project report

Auditing the internal responsibility system in Ontario's mining industry

IWH, in collaboration with Workplace Safety North, piloted a workplace questionnaire to measure perceptions of practices related to the internal responsibility system in Ontario's mining sector. This February 2017 presentation provides an overview of the development of the instrument, called the Internal Responsibility System Climate Assessment and Audit Tool (IRS CAAT), and the psychometric analysis of that instrument at four mining operations.
Published: February 2017
Hand completing questionnaire
At Work article

OHS vulnerability as defined by IWH tool linked to self-reported injury rates

So you've answered 27 questions on the OHS Vulnerability Measure. What does your score say about your injury risk?
Published: February 2017
Canadian Occupational Safety logo
IWH in the media

Increased OHS vulnerability linked to higher rates of self-reported injury: study

Workers who report being vulnerable because they are exposed to job hazards from which they are not adequately protected by workplace policies, awareness programs or empowerment mechanisms also report much higher rates of work-related injury.
Published: Canadian Occupational Safety, January 2017
Project
Project

Evaluating prevention strategies to reduce the risk of work-related cancers in Ontario’s construction sector

An IWH study is estimating future incidences cancers among construction workers in Ontario as a result of workplace exposures, and estimating the costs and benefits of intervention programs to reduce these exposures.
Status: Completed 2021
Project
Project

Evaluating an internal responsibility system audit tool for Ontario’s mining sector

IWH researchers tested the reliability and validity of the Internal Responsibility System Climate Assessment and Audit Tool (IRS CAAT), which embodies internal responsibility best practices for Ontario’s underground mines.
Status: Completed 2017