Return to work, accommodation and support

An IWH study found that among a group of injured workers in Ontario, those who experienced severe pain were more likely to use opioids than those who had no or only mild pain—regardless of whether they felt they had to return to work too soon, or were offered work accommodations.

Published: February 2025

People who have previously experienced a work-related injury are more likely to experience opioid poisonings and other opioid-related harms than the general population. That’s according to research conducted by the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) and the Occupational Cancer Research Centre (OCRC), using data from 1.7 million Ontario workers who had an accepted lost-time workers’ compensation claim between 1983 and 2019.

Published: Rehab & Community Care Medicine , February 2025

Published: Occupational and Environmental Medicine, February 2025

The mental health of injured workers isn’t a one-size-fits-all. A study by IWH highlights how workers with physical injuries often struggle with mental health challenges that affect their recovery and ability to return to work. The findings carry critical implications for workplace safety professionals, employers, and compensation boards, writes Shane Mercer.

Published: Canadian Occupational Safety, January 2025

Mental health is often thought of as the presence or absence of a mental health condition such as depression or an anxiety disorder. However, the complete mental health model suggests that mental health is also comprised of one’s level of emotional, psychological and social wellbeing. How does this holistic way of framing mental health help us understand the return-to-work experiences of injured workers? In this presentation, Dr. Kathleen Dobson shares results from a recent study examining various mental health profiles among a group of physically injured workers in Ontario. She discusses why it is important to define “mental health” in occupational research, how this framework helps highlight the diverse mental health experiences that injured workers have and how these experiences may impact their return to work.

Published: January 2025

Published: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, January 2025

Published: PLoS ONE, January 2025

Published: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, January 2025

Published: Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, January 2025

Decision-Support for Communicating about Invisible Disabilities that are Episodic (DCIDE) is a free tool that aims to help workers consider whether or not to share some personal health information with others at work. 

Published: December 2024