What work and health challenges may arise by 2040?
A study team outlined a wide range of plausible futures and their potential implications in their report, and includes key questions for #OHS professionals, policy-makers and researchers: buff.ly/4vnYUbi
#FutureOfWork #OccupationalHealthAndSafety
There's only a week left to apply for the Syme Research Training Awards! 👇
Learn more and apply by Friday, April 24 here: www.iwh.on.ca/opportunitie...
Our next IWH Speakers Series is only a week away! Register here: www.iwh.on.ca/events/speak...
Some employers use visuals to relay safety info to workers with limited language skills.
But not all safety symbols are universally understood. Be sure to explain what visuals mean and check that workers understand.
Read about how to keep workers safe in language-diverse workplaces buff.ly/wiNPbKM
Text reads: "Call for applications: Board of Directors"
Join our Board of Directors! 👇
We are seeking applications from skilled leaders interested in sitting as members of the IWH Board of Directors. Board members play a vital role in championing IWH's mission and work, and contributing to its strategic directions.
Apply by April 30: buff.ly/Hq23PsB
What can employers do to help #ImmigrantWorkers with limited language proficiency to stay safe on the job? Read more about this and other strategies in a free, online resource called: "Immigrant workers and language diversity at work: What can employers do to keep workers safe?" at: buff.ly/VX45SQV
Text reads: "Fatal drug overdoses more common among lower-income and unemployed Canadians: IWH study." An arrow indicates to click through to the next image.
Text reads: "Compared to those with the highest income, overdose deaths among those with the lowest income were 7 times higher for women and five times higher for men." A bar graph shows overdose rates for men and women along 5 groups of income from lowest to highest. It depicts the rate of overdose deaths, by income, per 100,000 people over a year. The bars are highest for the lowest income group, and decline on a gradient to the highest income group.
Text reads: "Compared to those working full-time hours, overdose deaths among those wo were unemployed were 6 times higher for women and four times higher for men." A bar graph shows overdose rates for men and women along 5 groups of employment: not in the labor force, unemployed, part-time, full-time, and long hours (over 48 per week). It depicts the rate of overdose deaths, by income, per 100,000 people over a year. The bars are highest for those not in the labor force, and decline on a gradient to the those with full-time hours.
Text reads: "Compared to those working full-time hours, overdose deaths among those wo were out of the labor force were 10 times higher for women and six times higher for men." A bar graph shows overdose rates for men and women along 5 groups of employment: not in the labor force, unemployed, part-time, full-time, and long hours (over 48 per week). It depicts the rate of overdose deaths, by income, per 100,000 people over a year. The bars are highest for those not in the labor force, and decline on a gradient to the those with full-time hours.
A new IWH study looked at how sociodemographic factors measured by the Canadian census were linked with drug #overdose deaths. The researchers found that deaths were highest among those with the lowest income, and those who were not working or #unemployed.
Read about the study: buff.ly/JEIrqt3
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Text reads: "At the next IWH Speaker Series presentation... How new businesses get their start in workplace health and safety: implications for research and policy. Presenter: Lynda Robson. Date: Tuesday, April 21, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m."
On April 21, Dr. Lynda Robson will share findings from a study on how new businesses in Ontario get their start in workplace health and safety. She will highlight important themes and discuss implications for research and policy.
Register: buff.ly/foXnlm4
#NewBusiness #SmallBusiness #OHS
Have you used IWH research, shared it with colleagues, endorsed it to your network, or referenced it in your communication materials? We want to hear from you!
Your stories will help us assess the impact of our work and improve its usefulness to our stakeholders and partner: buff.ly/u3yRhFq
Text reads: "PTSI treatment program delivers benefits for first responders, but no change in return-to-work rates."
First responders face high rates of #PostTraumaticStressInjuries.
An evaluation of a treatment program tailored to these workers found that participants didn't show improvements in #ReturnToWork outcomes. But most completed the whole program, and 1/4 saw symptom improvements: buff.ly/f57CioR
#PTSI
Text reads: "Vulnerability to hazards and poor psychosocial safety combine to add to a worker’s risk of injury. Efforts to reduce both physical and mental health injuries at work should address both psychosocial safety and physical safety."
(2/2) Read about the study: buff.ly/I7U8Seu
Text reads: "How does psychosocial safety at work impact injury risk? An Institute for Work & Health study examined how psychosocial stress, when combined with physical hazards, affects workers' injury risk."
Text reads: "Psychosocial safety refers to an organization’s commitment to workers’ mental health and wellbeing. It is characterized by: how effectively leadership communicates and takes action to prevent workplace hazards that arise as a result of policies, job design or management practices (i.e., psychosocial hazards), and whether workers feel heard when they raise concerns about these risks."
Text reads: "1. The study found workers with poor psychosocial safety have more than 2x the risk of a work-related injury (physical and mental health) compared to workers with good psychosocial safety."
Text reads: "2. Workers who are exposed to hazards without adequate protections (e.g., organizational policies and practices) have more than 3x the risk of work-related injury (physical and mental health)."
(1/2) You may have heard about the importance of #PsychosocialSafety in the workplace for workers' #MentalHealth. But how might it affect a worker's injury risk?
Text reads: "Syme Research Training Awards in Work and Health. Now accepting applications! Apply by April 24, 2026"
Are you a master's or doctoral-level researcher interested in the intersection of #WorkAndHealth?
Apply by April 24 for IWH's S. Leonard Syme Research Training Awards! Candidates from any disciplinary background are eligible: buff.ly/r0y8JCz
#InjuryPrevention #OHS #Research #ResearchAward 🧪
How are injured workers using #cannabis to manage their symptoms?
IWH Scientist Dr. Nancy Carnide recently explored this question through interviews with Ontario workers who have sustained a #WorkInjury. She shares the findings in our latest IWH Speaker Series presentation: buff.ly/sO1rZKH
#NerdAlert: @iwhresearch.bsky.social's librarians publish a weekly list of the recent peer-reviewed journal articles related to #work and #Health, #OHS, #WorkersComp. #PublicHealth #CanLab #HiddenGem
www.iwh.on.ca/journal-arti...
For resources on how to prevent RSIs, check out the webpage from Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety buff.ly/xciO4Oo
#InternationalRepetitiveStrainInjuryAwarenessDay #RSIDay #RSI #PreventRSI
Text reads: "Repetitive Strain Injury Awareness Day. February 28, 2026"
Today, February 28, is International Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) Awareness Day.
RSIs are painful disorders affecting tendons, muscles, nerves and joints in the neck, back, chest, shoulders, arms and hands. They can be caused by ordinary repetitive movements workers do in all types of industries.
En 2040, quel avenir pour la #SST? Dans l'étude de @iwhresearch.bsky.social, avec la collaboration de Bertrand Galy de l'#IRSST, explorez plusieurs futurs… 📖 www.irsst.qc.ca/actualites/id/3426/sante... #FuturDuTravail
"Using cannabis to manage symptoms of work-related injuries: Experiences of injured workers in Ontario" upcoming scientific webinar on Tuesday, Feb 24, 11 AM from the Institute for Work & Health www.iwh.on.ca/events/speak... @iwhresearch.bsky.social @oniwg.bsky.social #InjuredWorkers #CdnLab #Health
Text reads: "At the next IWH Speaker Series presentation...Using cannabis to manage symptoms of work-related injuries: Experiences of injured workers in Ontario. Presenter: Nancy Carnide. Date: Tuesday, February 24, 11 to 12 p.m."
On Feb 24, Dr. Nancy Carnide shares findings from interviews with Ontario workers with a #WorkInjury. She discusses:
-their decisions to use #cannabis
-their perceptions of its impacts, and
-their experiences using cannabis while returning to work.
Register: buff.ly/FsMMuu2
#RTW #ReturnToWork
Text reads: "3. Which workers and jobs will be most affected by machine learning?"
Text reads: "2. Precarious jobs linked to suicide, drug poisoning, and alcohol-related deaths: IWH study"
Text reads: "1. Injured workers face mental health challenges beyond diagnosable conditions"
3. Which workers and jobs will be most affected by machine learning? buff.ly/SeRcjeJ
2. Precarious jobs linked to suicide, drug poisoning, and alcohol-related deaths: IWH study: buff.ly/D9W7HFp
1. Injured workers face mental health challenges beyond diagnosable conditions: buff.ly/sV69mDc
Text reads: "5. Employers face challenges in supporting public safety personnel with post-traumatic stress injuries"
Text reads: "4. In-person or online: Does it make a difference for OHS training?"
ICYMI—We rounded up the top 5 most read summaries of IWH research last year:
5. Employers face challenges in supporting public safety personnel with post-traumatic stress injuries:https://buff.ly/FisRQxp
4. In-person or online: Does it make a difference for OHS training? buff.ly/dZ2QMhT
At the latest IWH Speaker Series, Dr. Dwayne Van Eerd discussed the lessons learned from Alberta #FirstResponder organizations when putting #PTSI disability prevention programs in place.
Watch the full presentation on YouTube, @IWHresearch: buff.ly/QcjZchS
#Police #Firefighters #Paramedics
Jetha will discuss how AI can be leveraged to prevent workplace injury and illness, including priority areas where AI has potential, barriers to adoption, and how OHS stakeholders can support safe AI adoption. Learn more: buff.ly/T8ExKVQ
On February 12, IWH Associate Scientific Director Dr. Arif Jetha will present findings from his research on #AI use for #OHS at a virtual Research Day by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB).
Text box against decorative graphic reads: "4. AI as a co-worker. As AI works alongside human workers, jobs and the nature of work will change. New health and safety risks may also arise."
Text box against a decorative graphic reads: "Rising isolation. Rising isolation, mental distress and polarization are weakening workplace relationships. Health and safety practices will need to prioritize inclusion and resilience."
Text box against a decorative graphic reads: "6. Growing global and social tensions. Political tensions, global conflict and cyber threats may have ripple effects for workplaces. How might this affect workers' safety and trust in institutions?"
Text box against a decorative graphic reads: "7. Precarious work becoming more common. Workers will increasingly face high costs, insecure work, and strained public systems. What role do workplaces have in supporting employees through these challenges?"
Text box against a decorative graphic reads: "These scenarios highlight the complexity facing OHS professional in the years to come. Read the 'Work & Health 2040' report: iwh.on.ca/scientific-reports"
Text box against a decorative graphic reads: "What work and health challenges may arise by 2040? An Institute for Work & Health study found that the future of work and health may be shaped by 7 major changes."
Text box against a decorative graphic reads: "1. Eroding trust in institutions. As people lose trust in large institutions, will health and safety guidance be trusted and acted upon?"
Text box against a decorative graphic reads: "2. Multiple generations in the workplace. People are living and working longer. Different generations are working together and may require different workplace supports."
Text box against a decorative graphic reads: "3. Climate change impacts. Climate changes like excessive heat or poorer air quality will create new health and safety challenges."
By 2040, the #FutureOfWork and health will be shaped by rapid transformations across many areas.
What does that mean for #OHS professionals and policy-makers promoting workers' #HealthAndSafety?
An IWH study explored a wide range of plausible futures and potential implications: buff.ly/qiPHCwB
Dr. Arif Jetha speaks at the PAIQ launch event.
As #AI becomes more integrated into workplaces, how can we ensure that #JobQuality—and the #HealthAndSafety of workers—remains a top priority?
The Partnership on AI and Quality of work (PAIQ) project, led by IWH's Dr. Arif Jetha, hopes answer that question over the next 7 years: buff.ly/ec7JHms
Text reads: "At the next IWH Speaker Series presentation... Understanding PTSI program implementation processes in Alberta first responder organizations. Presenter: Dwayne Van Eerd. Date: Tuesday, January 27, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m."
Next week, on January 27, join Dr. Dwayne Van Eerd as he shares findings from interviews conducted with Alberta #FirstResponders. He discusses their experiences with #PTSI disability prevention program implementation: buff.ly/9Jx18Ch
