Home Health & Safety: Resources & Tools Research Occupational H&S Practices Research

Occupational H&S Practices Research

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Find evidence-based tools and current research initiatives focused on the study of OHS Practices

The Occupational Health and Safety Act sets out the rights and duties of all parties in the workplace, as well as the procedures for dealing with workplace hazards and for enforcement as needed. All workplace parties have a responsibility for promoting health and safety in the workplace and a role to play to help the workplace be in compliance with the statutory requirements set out under the Act1.

This section offers evidences based research tools and resources to help employers enhance their occupational health and safety practices to prevent injuries in the workplace and meet the OHSA guidelines.

1 Guide to the Occupational Health and Safety Act

Evidence-Based Tools & Resources:

Systematic Literature Review on the Effects of Occupational Safety & Health

The aim of this review was to assess whether OHS legislative and regulatory policy could improve the working environment in terms of reduced levels of industrial injuries and fatalities, musculoskeletal disorders, worker complaints, sick leave, and adverse occupational exposures. .Jun 10, 2019

A Meta-Analysis of the Relationship Between Ageing & Occupational Safety & Health

Does ageing have a preventive or an aggravating effect on occupational health and safety (OHS)? How do the potential moderators of measurement of accidents, gender, occupation and cut-off age influence the relationship between ageing and OHS? Read this study for a meta-analysis of evidence. Jan 22, 2019

Gender Differences in Injuries Attributed to Workplace Violence in Ontario 2002-2015

Researchers at the Institute for Work and Health conducted a research study to analyze the trends of workplace violence for men and women in Ontario. This progressive study outlines findings from both claims data and hospital records. Sep 26, 2018

Assessment of Safety Climate within Food Manufacturing Facilities

WSPS is partnering with a research team from Ryerson University interested in understanding the safety climate at food processing facilities. The goal of the study is to better understand why the food processing sector faces challenges with respect to compliance with the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act. Sep 26, 2018

Addressing Essential Skills Gaps in an OHS Training Program

WSPS recently supported a research team at the Institute for Work and Health, who have found that modifying an OHS training program have a positive impact on the learning capability of workers. They have outlined the 12 step process in this guide for any organization to easily embed essential skills into their OHS Training. May 16, 2018

Occupational Health & Safety Legislative Gap Analysis of the Food Processing Sector in Ontario, Canada

With support from WSPS, researchers at Ryerson University conducted a study to uncover the occupational health and safety issues in food processing facilities. After a survey of 127 managers and coordinators, the analysis indicated that there were key concerns in relation to occupational and safety. Overall, the top three OHS concerns indicated by all respondents were: 1) manual material handling; 2) slips, trips and falls; and 3) energized equipment. Mar 28, 2018

Health & Safety Smart Planner: Economic Evaluation Software

Researchers at the Institute for Work and Health have developed a computer software that allows organizations to conduct economic evaluations. The Health & Safety Smart Planner is a software tool designed to calculate the costs and benefits of workplace health and safety initiatives, as well as the costs of health and safety incidents. Mar 28, 2018

Organization Performance Metric (OPM)

Over the last 5 years, WSPS partnered with the Institute for Work and Health, and the Ontario prevention system to develop an 8-item assessment tool that can be used to evaluate occupational health and safety performance. The tool has since been validate to acutely predict performance in companies that participated in the project. It has also been adopted by New Brunswick as the provincial OHS performance metric. Learn more by reading the WSPS Network News article Assess your OHS performance in just 5 minutes or visit the IWH Organizational Performance Metric (IWH-OPM) project page. Mar 01, 2018

Toking 9 to 5? Clearing the Haze on Cannabis Consumption in the Canadian Workplace

With the pending federal legislation to legalize recreational cannabis across Canada it is imperative for employers to understand the impact this will have on the health and safety of employees. WSPS is collaborating with the Institute for Work and Health (IWH) on a research project that will offer better understanding of current workplace consumption patterns, perceptions of the impact of cannabis on OHS, workplace social norms around cannabis, and perceptions around employee rights to use cannabis. Mar 01, 2018

Assessing the Effectiveness of Joint Health & Safety Committees - Evidence Based Tool

The Centre for Research Excellence in Occupational Disease (CREOD) has been gathering evidence to get a better understanding of the role, structure, resources and functioning of Joint Health and Safety Committees (JHSCs). Available is the self-assessment tool for JHSCs to generate feedback on committee processes and be a mechanism for enhancing communication and consensus with regards to its performance. Mar 01, 2018

OHS Vulnerability Measure

With support from WSPS, the Institute for Work and Health (IWH) has developed the OHS Vulnerability Measure. This tool measures the extent to which workers may be vulnerable to occupational health and safety risks at work. Read more on the Institute for Work & Health website. Mar 01, 2018

Ontario Leading Indicators Project (OLIP)

The Ontario Leading Indicator Project was conducted from 2011-2014 between WSPS, the Ontario health and safety associations (HSA's) and Institute for Work and Health (IWH). This project aimed to identify organizational and management measures that can be used as indicators to predict future health and safety performance. Over 1,200 WSPS firms have participated in this project, helping to develop and benchmark leading indicators for the prevention of workplace injuries and illnesses. Learn more by visiting the WSPS & the Ontario Leading Indicators Project or the IWH Ontario Leading Indicators Project (OLIP). Feb 28, 2018

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