Videos & presentations

Participatory approach to health and safety in long-term care

Long-term care homes are high-risk environments, and strategies to reduce workplace injuries are essential to protecting long-term care workers and the quality of care provided to residents. This video whiteboard explains why and how a participatory approach to injury prevention can help prevent injuries by involving front-line staff in the identification and control of workplace hazards.

Posted October 2019

Supervisor's response to work injury matters

Supervisors are busy. They’re always juggling multiple demands for their time and attention. But that moment when they learn a worker is injured, do they react with concern and empathy or blame and skepticism? As this research-based video from Institute for Work & Health (IWH) sums up, a supervisor’s response can make a difference to whether an injured worker returns to work successfully within a few months. It’s one of the ways supervisors matter.

Posted September 2019

Sitting or standing? Which is best?

If you’re confused by seemingly duelling headlines about the negative health effects of prolonged sitting and prolonged standing, this video may help clear things up. Two of the scientists behind these headlines work at the Institute for Work & Health, so we put them before the camera, side by side, to sort out the take-away message.

Posted November 2018

Trouvez les travailleurs à protéger

La vulnérabilité en santé et en sécurité au travail ne dépend pas de qui vous êtes. Elle dépend des fonctions que vous accomplissez. Nos recherches montrent qu’il existe une meilleure façon de repérer les travailleurs vulnérables.

Posted August 2017

Find the workers you need to protect

How do you tell which workers are vulnerable to injury? Occupational health and safety (OHS) vulnerability is not about who people are. It's about the work they do. Use the OHS Vulnerability Measure to identify workers you need to protect.

Posted August 2017

Creating effective return-to-work programs for workers with MSDs

What workplace-based interventions are effective in helping workers with musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) recover and return to work after a period of work absence? This is the question that a team of researchers from the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) in Toronto, Canada, and the Institute for Safety, Compensation and Recovery Research (ISCRR) in Melbourne, Australia, set out to answer through a systematic review of high quality research on the topic.

Posted May 2017

Celebrating 20 years of the DASH Outcome Measure

In 1996, when the DASH was developed by the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) and the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons, no measure had previously existed to assess the disability and function of the arm, shoulder and hand as a whole. Today, this outcome measure is used across the world, and is available in 55 languages and dialects. Developers of the DASH talk about why they think the tool has stood the test of time.

Posted January 2017

Preventing upper extremity injuries at work

Strong evidence suggests that workplace-based resistance training can help prevent and manage musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) of the upper extremity, which includes the neck, shoulder, arm, elbow, wrist and hand. That’s one of the key findings coming out of a systematic review conducted by the Institute for Work & Health (IWH).

Posted October 2016

The effect of COR certification on injury rates

We looked at the injury rates of firms that received COR Certification for occupational health and safety.

Posted June 2016

Understanding injury risk and recovery among shift workers

Research evidence has been accumulating on the adverse health consequences of night, evening and rotating shift work. New research is now suggesting that, not only are shift workers at greater risk of work injury, they are more likely to have a harder time recovering should an injury occur. What's more, injury rates don't improve when shift workers switch into regular 9-to-5 work schedules, as Mustard Post-doctoral fellow Dr. Imelda Wong explains.

Posted November 2015

Supporting workers with arthritis through job accommodations

A study about workplace supports for people with arthritis suggests that many affected workers don’t feel they need frequent help. The study, conducted by the Institute for Work & Health (IWH), also finds that people who can access the workplace supports often report better outcomes at work. That can mean less job disruption, greater ability to concentrate on tasks and fewer changes to work hours.

Posted September 2015

Divergent trends in work-related and non-work-related injury rates in Ontario

Work-related injury rates in Ontario fell by 30 per cent from 2004 to 2011. In contrast, rates of injuries outside of work did not change. According to a study by the Institute for Work & Health (IWH), if injuries due to leisure, recreation or other non-work activities had fallen at the same rate as work-related injuries, the province would have seen 200,000 fewer injuries in 2011.

Posted February 2015

Exploring the role of gender in work-related injury, chronic illness and recovery

Institute Scientist Dr. Peter Smith talks about his five-year research program into how sex and gender shape risk of work injury, time off work after a work injury, and the relationship between the work environment and chronic illnesses.

Posted September 2014

Health and safety issues for low-wage temp agency workers

The complex employment relationship between temporary agency workers, temp agencies and client employers creates loopholes and incentives that may leave low-wage temp agency workers more vulnerable to workplace injuries, says research from the Institute for Work & Health.

Posted July 2014

Nachemson 2013: Unique research-policy partnership

Dr. Mieke Koehoorn, co-lead of the Partnership for Work, Health & Safety at the University of British Columbia and recipient of the 2013 Alf Nachemson Memorial Lectureship, talks about the unique research-policy partnership between the University of British Columbia and WorkSafeBC.

Posted November 2013

Nachemson 2013: Impact of research on policy

Dr. Mieke Koehoorn, co-lead of the Partnership for Work, Health & Safety at the University of British Columbia and recipient of the 2013 Alf Nachemson Memorial Lectureship, gives examples of the way in which research has had an impact on policy in British Columbia.

Posted November 2013

Nachemson 2013: Challenges in the research-policy relationship

Dr. Mieke Koehoorn, co-lead of the Partnership for Work, Health & Safety at the University of British Columbia and recipient of the 2013 Alf Nachemson Memorial Lectureship, talks about the challenges facing researchers in developing strong working relationships with policy-makers.

Posted November 2013

Bearing the brunt: Co-workers’ experiences of work reintegration processes

Presented on at IWH Speaker Series presentation.

Presenters: Debra Dunstan, University of New England, Australia

Thirty years after OHSA: Keeping pace with the changing world of work

Presented on at Alf Nachemson Memorial Lecture presentation.

Presenters: Michael Silverstein, University of Washington

Understanding “under-reporting” in occupational health and safety

Presented on at IWH Speaker Series presentation.

Presenters: Joan Eakin, University of Toronto; Dana Howse, University of Toronto; Linn Holness, Centre for Research Expertise in Occupational Disease

Supervisors’ perspectives on work accommodation: The case of cancer

Presented on at IWH Speaker Series presentation.

Presenters: Ziv Amir, University of Salford, UK

Occupational exposure to ultraviolet radiation: Current knowledge and future challenges

Presented on at IWH Speaker Series presentation.

Presenters: Thomas Tenkate, Ryerson University

Implementing a global ergonomics program and metric system at Magna International Inc.

Presented on at IWH Speaker Series presentation.

Presenters: Gary Au, Magna International

Measuring workplace psychological health and safety

Presented on at IWH Speaker Series presentation.

Presenters: John Oudyk, Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers Inc.

Developing a consensus statement on the use of research evidence in injury compensation systems

Presented on at IWH Speaker Series presentation.

Presenters: Alex Collie, Institute for Safety, Compensation and Recovery Research

Towards a transformative view of evaluation

Presented on at IWH Speaker Series presentation.

Presenters: Sanjeev Sridharan, St. Michael's Hospital

New models for occupational cancer surveillance in Canada

Presented on at IWH Speaker Series presentation.

Presenters: Paul Demers, Occupational Cancer Research Centre

The management of OHS and return-to-work issues in temporary work agencies

Presented on at IWH Speaker Series presentation.

Presenters: Ellen MacEachen, Institute for Work & Health

Is safe production an oxymoron?

Presented on at IWH Speaker Series presentation.

Presenters: Mark Pagell, York University

Repeat workers’ compensation claims

Presented on at IWH Speaker Series presentation.

Presenters: Jacob Etches, Institute for Work & Health

Pictograms development and evaluation project

Presented on at IWH Speaker Series presentation.

Presenters: Trevor King, Institute for Work & Health; Kim Grant, Workplace Safety & Prevention Services

Research informing public policy: Workers’ compensation in California

Presented on at Alf Nachemson Memorial Lecture presentation.

Presenters: Robert Reville, RAND

Interview with Dr. Sullivan prior to the 2010 Nachemson lecture

Presented on at Alf Nachemson Memorial Lecture presentation.

Presenters: Terrence Sullivan, Cancer Care Ontario

Repeat workers' compensation claims - who is at risk?

Presented on at IWH Speaker Series presentation.

Presenters: Alex Collie, Institute for Safety, Compensation and Recovery Research

Health-care workers who experience mental health issues: "It’s not OK to be not OK"

Presented on at IWH Speaker Series presentation.

Presenters: Sandra Moll, McMaster University

The role of organizational policies and practices in return to work: Findings from the readiness for return-to-work cohort

Presented on at IWH Speaker Series presentation.

Presenters: Ben Amick, Institute for Work & Health

Mortality following unemployment in Canada, 1991-2001

Presented on at IWH Speaker Series presentation.

Presenters: Cameron Mustard, Institute for Work & Health

Examining trends in the incidence and cost of workers’ compensation claims in the Ontario and British Columbia long-term care sectors, 1998-2007

Presented on at IWH Speaker Series presentation.

Presenters: Cameron Mustard, Institute for Work & Health

The Ontario Health Study: Creating platforms for revolutionary science and transformational biology

Presented on at IWH Speaker Series presentation.

Presenters: Lyle Palmer, Ontario Health Study

A delicate dance with many partners: Immigrant workers’ experiences of injury reporting and claim filing

Presented on at IWH Speaker Series presentation.

Presenters: Agnieszka Kosny, Institute for Work & Health

Light's contributions to well-being: implications for workplaces

Presented on at IWH Speaker Series presentation.

Presenters: Jennifer Veitch, National Research Council (NRC) Institute for Research in Construction

Precarious employment and the internal responsibility system

Presented on at IWH Speaker Series presentation.

Presenters: Wayne Lewchuk, McMaster University

Improving quality and performance in health services: Reflections from Cancer Care Ontario

Presented on at Alf Nachemson Memorial Lecture presentation.

Presenters: Terrence Sullivan, Cancer Care Ontario

Occupational safety in hospital nursing: organizational contexts

Presented on at IWH Speaker Series presentation.

Presenters: Sean Clarke, RBC Chair in Cardiovascular Nursing Research

The challenges of estimating exposure to workplace carcinogens in Canada

Presented on at IWH Speaker Series presentation.

Presenters: Paul Demers, Occupational Cancer Research Centre

Examining changes in injuries submitted as no-lost-time claims in Ontario between 1991 and 2006

Presented on at IWH Speaker Series presentation.

Presenters: Peter Smith, Institute for Work & Health

Where should we be going, and how should we get there?

Presented on at IWH Speaker Series presentation.

Presenters: Ben Amick, Institute for Work & Health

Worker representation in OHS – a good idea going where?

Presented on at IWH Speaker Series presentation.

Presenters: Andy King, United Steel Workers

Futures studies: its role in setting research agendas for work and health

Presented on at IWH Speaker Series presentation.

Presenters: Niki Ellis, Institute for Safety, Compensation and Recovery Research

Modeling work disability prevention: An unmet challenge yet

Presented on at IWH Speaker Series presentation.

Presenters: Patrick Loisel, Work Disability Prevention CIHR Strategic Training Program

Work disability prevention knowledge transfer initiatives for physical therapists in Alberta

Presented on at IWH Speaker Series presentation.

Presenters: Doug Gross, University of Alberta

The impact of temporary employment and job tenure on sickness absence

Presented on at IWH Speaker Series presentation.

Presenters: Heather Scott-Marshall, Institute for Work & Health; Emile Tompa, Institute for Work & Health

Trying to get back: The challenges faced by registered nurses returning to work

Presented on at IWH Speaker Series presentation.

Presenters: Laurie Clune, Institute for Work & Health