Working conditions + health

IWH scientists conduct studies on the association between the health of workers and work situations, jobs and industries. Work situations include precarious employment, as well as workplace factors such as the organization of work, safety training, hazard exposures and more.

At Work articles

Many questions need examining to establish effects of legalized cannabis on work safety (Fall 2017)

Setting the record straight (Fall 2017)

Standing too long at work carries twice the risk of heart disease as sitting too long (Fall 2017)

Workers with disabilities report greater hazard exposure and lower protection (Fall 2017)

Young adults with chronic conditions often struggle to access workplace supports (Fall 2017)

Therapy can help manage depression, but in Manitoba, access to therapists is a concern (Summer 2017)

Researcher on health risks of sedentary life shifts focus to workplace interventions (Spring 2017)

Paper on aging and MSDs draws on WHO framework (Winter 2017)

Key differences found in return-to-work process for MSD and psychological claims (Summer 2016)

Distinct types of OHS vulnerability seen in young, temporary, small business employees (Fall 2015)

Research highlights

The role of chronic conditions and physical job demands on differences in work activity limitations between women and men (2017)

Are older workers off work longer after an injury because of the nature of their injuries? (2016)

Pain and long-term absences among Canadian nurses with MSIs (2013)

Changing work conditions in three provinces (2011)

Ontario youth work injury rate declining more steeply, converging with adult rate (2011)

Precarious employment may affect worker health (2011)

What is the association between occupation and suicide risk among working Canadians? (2010)

Smoking, physical activity levels vary in different groups (2009)

Unstable work increases risk of unwanted sexual advances (2009)

Work factors affect off-the-job drinking habits (2009)

Media releases

22 June 2016: PREMUS keynote recommends equal time standing and sitting, and frequent posture changes during work day

21 June 2016: Safety climate and safety leadership key factors in workplace MSD prevention programs: PREMUS keynote

Plenaries

Workplace violence in Canada (March 27, 2018)

The burden of occupational cancer (January 16, 2018)

Availability of caregiver-friendly workplace policies: an international scoping review (December 12, 2017)

Hand-arm vibration syndrome: a common but under-recognized problem (November 21, 2017)

Have we learned enough for workplace Parkinson's disease prevention? (February 28, 2017)

Life course concepts in the work experiences of people with arthritis (November 22, 2016)

The health of truck drivers: Moving forward with a program of applied health research (May 17, 2016)

Workplace traumatic brain injury: prevention and rehabilitation (March 22, 2016)

Stealth ergonomics: Incorporating MSD prevention into organizations' goals and systems (December 8, 2015)

Can "flexicurity" policies protect workers from the adverse health consequences of temporary employment? (November 17, 2015)

Preventing injury among caregivers (September 22, 2015)

Work and mental health: capturing natural experiments with longitudinal datasets (June 24, 2015)

Pain and prejudice: What science can learn about work from the people who do it (February 2, 2015)

Examining gender/sex differences in work injury risk, consequences of work injury and the relationship between work stress and chronic disease (October 14, 2014)

Different but equal: Workforce participation of people with episodic disabilities (April 15, 2014)

Income security and labour-market engagement: Envisioning the future of work disability policy in Canada (February 11, 2014)

Geographic variation in work injuries: An analysis of individual and area-level factors within Canada (November 13, 2013)

Health-care workers and antineoplastic drugs: Evaluating the risks and identifying determinants of exposure (October 15, 2013)

Serving the food nation: Assessing body mass index and self-perceived weight in the food service worker population (February 19, 2013)

Occupational exposure to ultraviolet radiation: Current knowledge and future challenges (October 23, 2012)

New models for occupational cancer surveillance in Canada (April 17, 2012)

Health and wellness of southern Ontario truck drivers (February 21, 2012)

Plastics and breast cancer: A lens on women working in the auto sector (December 13, 2011)

The impact of job strain on the risk of depression (October 25, 2011)

Breast cancer and shift work: mechanisms and measurement (June 13, 2011)

Mortality following unemployment in Canada, 1991-2001 (January 11, 2011)

The Ontario Health Study: Creating platforms for revolutionary science and transformational biology (December 14, 2010)

Light's contributions to well-being: implications for workplaces (November 29, 2010)

Precarious employment and the internal responsibility system (November 23, 2010)

Occupational safety in hospital nursing: organizational contexts (November 11, 2010)

The challenges of estimating exposure to workplace carcinogens in Canada (November 2, 2010)

The impact of temporary employment and job tenure on sickness absence (May 4, 2010)

Income dynamics and adult mortality in Canada and the United States (December 8, 2009)

Job quality: What is it, why does it matter, and how can it be improved? (November 17, 2009)

Occupational exposures and cancer risk (November 4, 2009)

Enacting the service role: Implications of “backstage” behaviour by service agents in response to customer aggression (May 26, 2009)