News

New paper: Does intra-provincial mobility matter as much as inter-provincial mobility?

January 2024: This paper uses residential and employer location from workers’ compensation data to identify non-mobile workers (working and living in the same region of BC), intra-provincially mobile workers (working and living in different regions of BC) and inter-provincially mobile workers (working in BC and living outside BC) to estimate differences in work disability duration. The findings suggest that work disability duration was longest for inter-provincially mobile workers, even after matching workers on similar characteristics. Differences were attenuated in some industries (e.g., natural resources and mining), possibly due to more familiarity with mobile workers, and/or greater ability to accommodate workers. Read more in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Presentations at Cascadia 2024

January 2024: PWHS PhD student Xiaocong Guo will present on heat-related illness and injury in BC in 2021 compared to 2001-2020; Research Associate Robert Macpherson will present on work injury among fisheries, aquaculture, maritime and land transportation workers, and Director of Privacy and Operations Suhail Marino will present posters evaluating OHS management systems at the Annual Cascadia Symposium on Environmental, Occupational, and Population Health, January 11-12, 2024 in Blaine, WA.

Registration, lodging and call for abstracts for Cascadia 2024: Occupational, Environmental & Population Health Conference

November 2024: The call for abstracts is open for podium presentations, ignite talks, and posters. Abstracts that relate to any occupational, environmental, or population health topics are welcome. Registration and hotel booking are now live.

Alberta Construction Safety Association (ACSA) Conference

November 2023: Our team is really looking forward to the upcoming ACSA Conference Nov 22-23! Chris McLeod will be speaking on a panel on improving psychological health and safety at work, and our team will host a breakout session on OHS strategies and solutions for small and micro construction firms.

Were you a restaurant or bar worker during COVID-19?

October 2023: The FABS study is interviewing employees who were bullied, harassed, and/or experienced violence in the workplace. We offer $75 for participation and interviews can be conducted in Spanish, Filipino, Punjabi, Farsi, Vietnamese, Chinese, and English. Share your story!

Call for proposals: Workers’ Health and Return to Work in a Changing World of Work

September 2023: The Policy and Practice in Return to Work after Work Injury (PPRTW) Research Group is presenting a conference in person at the University of Ottawa June 9 to 11, 2024. The conference will also include a tribute to the late professor Katherine Lippel, an international leader in labour and health policy, and founder of the research group holding the conference. Researchers, students, injured or ill workers, community members, advocates and policy-makers are invited to submit presentation proposals.

Presentation at the Annual Conference of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology

September 2023: PWHS PhD student Xiaocong (Maggie) Guo is presenting on the burden of occupational heat-related illness in BC and the impact of heatwaves on Sept 19 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, at the Annual Conference of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology.

Save the date: Cascadia 2024

September 2023: The Cascadia Occupational, Environmental & Population Health 2024 Conference will be held on January 11 & 12, 2024, at Semiahmoo Resort in Washington State. Watch for abstract submission and registration details to come!

Cameron Mustard award applications now being accepted

August 2023: The Institute for Work & Health is now accepting applications for its inaugural Cameron Mustard Early Career Accelerator Award. The application deadline is Friday September 29, 2023.

New paper: Do regional labor market conditions matter for temporary work disability duration?

May 2023: This paper uses claims data from five Canadian provincial workers’ compensation systems to estimate how much variance in work disability duration was due to differences between regions, what regional labour market characteristics were associated with work disability duration, and what characteristics best explained regional differences in work disability duration. The findings suggest that while regional labour market conditions matter for work disability duration, system-level differences in workers’ compensation and health care are more important factors.

New paper: Continuation of telework in the post-pandemic era

May 2023: This study investigated preference to continue teleworking post-pandemic and the determinants of this preference among healthcare employees who teleworked during the pandemic. An overwhelming majority (99%) preferred to continue teleworking to some degree and the majority (52%) preferred to telework for all work hours. Read more in Healthcare Management Forum.

Day of Mourning

April 28, 2023: Today, Canada is observing the National Day of Mourning to remember and honour those who have lost their lives or been injured due to workplace tragedies. Find a listing of Day of Mourning events and livestreams here.

Syme Research Training Awards Applications Now Being Accepted

The Institute for Work & Health (IWH) is now accepting applications for its 12-month S. Leonard Syme Research Training Awards in Work and Health. The awards are for young researchers at the master’s or doctoral level intending to study work and health.

New paper: Do patterns of past asbestos use and production reflect current geographic variations of cancer risk?

February 2023: This paper describes geographic variation in incidence of mesothelioma across BC and Ontario regions from 1993-2016, in comparison to the prevalence of certain occupations, and point sources of historical asbestos production and use. Certain occupations such as construction trades workers were more likely to be overrepresented in regions with high mesothelioma rates. Read more in Cancer Causes and Control.

Mustard Postdoctoral Research Award in Work and Health

January 2023: The Institute for Work & Health is now accepting applications for its Mustard Postdoctoral Research Award in Work and Health. The application deadline is Friday March 24, 2023.

Presentations at Cascadia 2023

January 2023: PWHS postdoctoral fellow Sonja Senthanar and former PWHS PhD student Anita Minh, now a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Washington, will address precarious work in a plenary session; PhD student Xiaocong Guo will present a poster on heat-related illness and injury; and research associate Robert Macpherson will give a presentation on regional labour market conditions at the Annual Cascadia Symposium on Environmental, Occupational, and Population Health, January 5-6, 2023 in Blaine, WA.

We are hiring! Seeking a research associate

December 2022: PWHS is seeking a research associate to join our research team to lead work on evidence syntheses (including systematic reviews, meta-analyses, scoping reviews, and briefing notes) in the area of occupational epidemiology and work and health research to inform policies and practices, specifically around asbestos exposure and lung cancer.

New paper: Heat-related illness among workers in BC

December 2022: This paper describes the incidence of heat-related illness among workers in BC from 2001-2020. Rates were higher among male workers, younger workers, and among those working in occupations related to primary industry; trades, transport and equipment operators; and processing, manufacturing, and utilities. Read more in Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Virtual Seminar: Safer Workplaces in Manufacturing

November 2022: Chris McLeod will give a virtual talk discussing the effectiveness of HC management systems for the Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium on Dec 1 at 9:30 am PST. Register here, or learn more about our research in this area.

Call for abstracts for IDIVOSH Global Forum

November 2022: The inaugural edition of the IDIVOSH global forum, June 12-14 2023 in Montreal, will focus on the theme Immigration, Diversity of the Workforce, Precariousness and Vulnerabilities in Occupational Health and Safety. Abstracts are due January 9, 2023.

New paper: An evaluation of violence prevention education in healthcare

November 2022: This paper used a realist evaluation approach to identify when, how and why healthcare workers learn and apply violence prevention education and provides practical evidence for healthcare stakeholders to inform education, policy and practice decisions to increase the education effectiveness. Read more in Safety Science.

New paper: Differences in Modified-Return-to-Work by Immigration Characteristics Among a Cohort of Workers in British Columbia, Canada

November 2022: This paper investigates differences in modified-return-to work (MRTW) after a work-related injury by immigration characteristics – defined as a Canadian-born worker versus a worker who immigrated via the economic, family member or refugee/other humanitarian classification. Immigrant workers who arrived to Canada as a family member or as a refugee/other immigrant had a reduced odds of MRTW within the first 30 days of work disability for a back strain, concussion and limb fracture, compared to Canadian-born workers. Read more in Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation.

Call for abstracts for the Cascadia Symposium on Environmental, Occupational, and Public Health

October 2022: Abstracts are now being accepted for podium presentations, ignite talks, and posters on occupational, environmental, or population health topics for the Cascadia Symposium on Environmental, Occupational, and Public Health, January 5-6, 2023, at Semiahmoo Resort in Blaine, WA. The conference will feature four cross-institution, cross-disciplinary themes (precarious work & work organization, climate change, wildfires, and the built environment) as well as presentations from across the fields of environmental, occupational, and population health.

Magic and Lethal: The Asbestos Memorial

September 2022: The BC Heritage Labour Centre is dedicating a memorial to honour the victims of asbestos exposure on September 22 at 10 am at the Vancouver Convention Centre West. The memorial is being installed with the support of the Province of BC, PavCo, and WorkSafeBC.

We are hiring! Seeking a postdoctoral research fellow

September 2022: PWHS is seeking a postdoctoral fellow to join our research team to lead work on evidence syntheses (including systematic reviews, meta-analyses, scoping reviews, and briefing notes) in the area of occupational epidemiology and work and health research to inform policies and practices, specifically around asbestos exposure and lung cancer.

Presentations at CARWH 2022

September 2022: PWHS co-lead Mieke Koehoorn, research associate Robert Macpherson, postdoctoral fellow Sonja Senthanar, and researcher Andrea Jones are giving presentations on health and employment outcomes for immigrant workers, healthcare workers’ preference to continue remote work after the pandemic, claim rates for in- vs out-of-province workers, and the effect of COR on workplace safety at the Canadian Association for Research in Work and Health (CARWH) bi-annual conference, September 15-16, 2022.

Save the date! Cascadia Symposium on Environmental, Occupational, and Public Health

September 2022: The annual Cascadia Symposium on Environmental, Occupational, and Public Health Conference will re-launch January 5-6, 2023 at the Semiahmoo Resort in Blaine, WA. Please save the date and stay tuned for more information!

The effect of COR Certification in Ontario

July 2022: Listen to Chris McLeod describe the methodology we used in assessing how the COR™ program affected lost-time and high-impact injury rates in Ontario in the IHSA Safety Podcast. In this discussion, Paul Casey of Ontario’s Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA) also shares what prompted IHSA to engage with PWHS.

CARWH 2022 conference is free to all

July 2022: The Canadian Association for Research in Work and Health (CARWH) is taking place online September 15-16, 2022, with the theme “The Changing World of Work, Health and Research.” This year, attendance will be free to all. Abstract submissions for oral and poster presentations are welcome, and the deadline for submissions is extended to Friday, July 22.

Recruiting public transport workers for a study to better understand the impact of the pandemic on young workers

June 2022: PWHS and the Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) are looking for public transport workers ages 35 and under to participate in our research project to better understand the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on young workers and their workplace mental health.

New paper: Pre-existing anxiety and depression disorders and return to work after musculoskeletal strain or sprain

June 2022: This paper examines the impact of pre-existing anxiety and depression disorders on return to work using a phase-based approach. Findings suggest that workers with a pre-existing anxiety disorder may require additional supports both during lost-time and after initial return to work. Read more in Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation.

Journal of Commerce: Study finds COR leads to safer workplaces, lower injury rates in Ontario

May 2022: Co-director Chris McLeod presented findings showing COR leads to safer workplaces at the Ontario General Contractors Association’s annual Leadership Day, held May 6 in Vaughan, ON. Read more in the Journal of Commerce.

Report on Workplace Fatality and Injury Rates in Canada

April 2022: Canadian workers compensation boards reported that 924 workers died due to work-related causes in 2020. Authored by Sean Tucker and Anya Keefe, this report provides a jurisdictional comparison of work-related injury and fatality rates in Canada between 2016 and 2020 using data from the Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada (AWCBC).

Day of Mourning to remember workers lost to workplace injury and disease

April 2022: April 28 is National Day of Mourning in remembrance of workers who lost their live to workplace injury and disease this year. A ceremony will be held on April 2 at 10:30 am at Jack Poole Plaza in Vancouver. Watch our co-director Chris McLeod’s message.

The effect of COVID-19 policies on violence, bullying and harassment in the BC service sector

April 2022: A multidisciplinary team of researchers from PWHS and the Centre for Gender and Sexual Health Equity (CGSHE) received funding from CIHR for a mixed-methods study that will critically assess the effect of COVID-19 policies on violence, bullying and harassment in the food and beverage service sector in BC.

Seeking a Project Coordinator/Interviewer and a Qualitative Research Lead/Interviewer

April 2022: PWHS and the Centre for Gender and Sexual Health Equity (CGSHE) are seeking (1) a Project Coordinator/Interviewer and (2) a Qualitative Research Lead/Interviewer to conduct a mixed-methods study that will critically assess the effect of COVID-19 policies on violence, bullying, and harassment in the BC food and beverage service sector. Please note that these positions closed on April 20, 2022.

New paper: Return-to-work after work-related injury in the construction industry

February 2022: This scoping review examines barriers and facilitators to return-to-work in the construction industry. Findings suggest that work accommodations are possible but the physical nature and organization of labour present challenges for identifying suitable work. Evidence gaps include the role of unions, workers’ compensation systems, gender and industry-specific organizational characteristics in the return-to-work process. Read more in Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation.

New paper: A framework for understanding how variation in health care service delivery affects work disability management

February 2022: PhD student Kimberly Sharpe developed a framework that identifies predisposing, enabling, workplace environment and need-based factors that could lead to variation in health care spending and use across regions, offering a guide for researchers and policymakers to identify areas for improvement in health care delivery within work disability management systems. Read more in Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation.

New paper: Differences in workers’ compensation claim rates for within-province and out-of-province workers

January 2022: Using WorkSafeBC and Statistics Canada data for 2010-2017, we found that workers from out of province had lower workers’ compensation claim rates than those from within province, even after adjusting for sex, age, industry and year. Differences were largest among health care only claims and smallest among serious injury claims. Read more in American Journal of Industrial Medicine.

New paper: Exploring differences in work disability duration by size of firm in Canada and Australia

January 2022: We examined differences in work disability duration by firm size using data from five Canadian and five Australian workers’ compensation systems. Compared to large firms (200+ FTEs), workers in small firms (<20 FTEs) had longer work disability duration in all but one of the study jurisdictions, even after adjusting for a range of individual-level characteristics. Read more in Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation.

New paper: Evaluating effectiveness of an integrated return-to-work and vocational rehabilitation program on work disability duration in the construction sector

December 2021: Published in Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health, this study examined the effectiveness of an integrated return-to-work (RTW) and vocational rehabilitation (VR) program on cumulative disability days paid to injured workers in the construction sector in Ontario. Findings suggest that the program reduced cumulative disability days paid to all claims but particularly long-duration claims referred to RTW specialists and short-duration claims referred to VR specialists.

Immigrant status, gender and work disability duration

December 2021: The results of graduate trainee Niloufar Saffari’s thesis work are published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Using a novel linkage of BC workers’ compensation claims and permanent resident data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Saffari et al found that both recent and established immigrants in BC experience more days of disability after work injury than Canadian-born workers.

WorkSafeBC Research Training Awards and Postdoctoral Fellowships

November 2021: WorkSafeBC is seeking applicants for Research Training Awards, available to highly-qualified graduate students at the master’s and doctoral level, and for the Ralph McGinn Postdoctoral Fellowship competitions. These awards are designed to foster the development of occupational health and safety research expertise in BC.

A celebration of health and safety

November 2021: PWHS Co-Director Chris McLeod spoke about workplace health and safety with Rob Cook, VP of Health and Safety at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario, at a Celebration of Health and Safety on Nov. 25, 2021. Watch the recording (starts at 9:20).

We are hiring! Seeking a postdoctoral research fellow

November 2021: PWHS is seeking a postdoctoral fellow to join our research team to lead work on evidence syntheses (including systematic reviews, meta-analyses, scoping reviews, and briefing notes) in the area of occupational epidemiology and work and health research to inform policies and practices.

Seminar: Health and productivity effects of working from home for Fraser Health employees

November 2021: PWHS Co-director Chris McLeod and Leah Thomas-Olson, Client Partner – Ergonomics, Health and Safety, Fraser Health, will present on the health and productivity effects of working from home for Fraser Health employees at the UBC School of Population and Public Health OEH seminar on Friday Nov. 26 at 12:30 PST. More details

New paper shows differences in work disability duration for immigrants and Canadian-born workers

November 2021: PWHS postdoctoral fellow Dr. Sonja Senthanar and colleagues examined differences in disability duration after a work injury among immigrants compared to Canadian-born workers and found inequities in disability duration for immigrant workers, particularly economic and family class and women immigrants.

Presentations at EPICOH 2021

October 2021: PWHS co-leads Mieke Koehoorn and Chris McLeod are giving a series of presentations on gender/sex differences in workers’ compensation, and differences in disability duration after work injury for immigrant workers, by firm size, and in the construction industry, at the 28th International Symposium on Epidemiology in Occupational Health (EPICOH) conference, October 25-28.

Webinar: Estimating the nature and extent of claim suppression in BC’s workers’ compensation system

September 2021: The Institute for Work & Health Speaker Series will present results from a study on the nature and extent of claim suppression in BC on Sept 28 at 8am PDT. Register here.

Sonja Senthanar profiled in Canadian Occupational Safety

September 2021: PWHS postdoctoral fellow and WorkSafeBC fellowship awardee Sonja Senthanar talks about her research into worker’s compensation and immigrant working conditions in Canadian Occupational Safety magazine.

MSFHR 2021 Research Trainee Award: Sonja Senthanar

September 2021: The MSFHR Research Trainee Program supports health researchers in the training phase of their research career to enable career development and the long-term success of the BC health research landscape. PWHS post doctoral fellow Sonja Senthanar is a 2021 recipient for her project, entitled Immigrants, work and health: Evaluation of services to reduce inequities.

Experiences resuming economic activities during COVID-19 for immigrant versus Canadian-born workers

July 2021: PWHS postdoctoral fellow Sonja Senthanar and undergraduate researcher Michelle Chen used Statistics Canada survey data to examine whether workers feel safe returning to work, the reasons for their fears/concerns, and their safety preferences for returning to work by immigration status and by sex/gender, where possible.

XXII World Congress on Safety and Health at Work

July 2021: From Sept 20-23, 2021 the prevention community will come together to address this global priority at the XXII World Congress on Safety and Health at Work. The completely online, digital event offers world-class speakers, inspiring experiences, elevated networking, premium content, and access to global leaders. Early bird registration has been extended to July 26, 2021.

New paper reviewing the work and health impacts of working in an epidemic/pandemic environment

June 2021: PWHS researchers conducted an umbrella review of reviews examining the work and health impacts of working in an epidemic/pandemic environment. The review addresses the impacts of working during an epidemic or global pandemic on work and health outcomes; the socioeconomic, demographic and work factors that are associated with these outcomes; and potential risk mitigation or intervention strategies that address these factors or outcomes.

Institute for Work & Health study of claim suppression in BC

June 2021: About half of BC workers who have a work injury or illness that results in time away from work do not report the injury or illness to WorkSafeBC, and an estimated four to 13 per cent of workers with work-related injuries experience claim suppression—i.e. pressure or inducement from an employer not to make a claim.

Upcoming webinar: Bancroft session on life and work after work injury

May 2021: On June 8 at 10am PDT Mieke Koehoorn will speak at a Bancroft Institute session on life and work after work injury, on research opportunities to investigate employment and salary outcomes among injured workers with permanent impairments.

New research brief: Mesothelioma in BC

May 2021: We examined the changing patterns of incidence of mesothelioma over time, in BC and Ontario (in partnership with colleagues from the Occupational Cancer Research Centre in Ontario), and the demographic, geographic, and clinical determinants of survival. Research briefs describe the results from both provinces.

Day of Mourning

April 2021: April 28 is a national day of mourning to remember workers who lost their lives on the job. The death of each worker is an immeasurable loss and has devastating consequences for families and friends. And each death is preventable. This year, the day of mourning is especially significant given the many essential and healthcare workers who have lost their lives to due to workplace COVID-19 exposure. Online ceremonies in BC.

Is COR certification associated with lower injury rates?

April 2021: Our evaluation of the Certificate of Recognition (COR) program in Saskatchewan found lower time-loss injury rates in certified firms. A research brief is available for download. These results are consistent with our evaluations of COR in BC and Alberta. Learn more about COR.

New paper: Adolescent depressive symptoms and early adult education and employment

April 2021: A new paper by PWHS PhD trainee Anita Minh in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health examines how the course of symptoms from ages 16–25 influences early adult education and employment in Canada and the USA.

New paper: Do workplace safety inspections lead to changes in hazard management?

April 2021: A new paper in Safety Science found that over 70% of respondents to a WorkSafeBC survey reported that inspections led to changes.

New paper: Do anxiety and depression disorders impact time to sustained return to work?

March 2021: A new paper in Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health finds that programs intended to improve return to work should take pre-existing and new onset anxiety and depression disorders into consideration and that gender-sensitive work disability strategies may be warranted.

New paper: Does gradually returning to work improve time to sustainable work after a work-acquired musculoskeletal disorder?

March 2021: A new paper in Occupational and Environmental Medicine finds an effect for seriously injured workers with longer disability durations, especially women, workers with soft-tissue injuries, and for trade and manufacturing sectors.

New paper: A realist review of violence prevention education in healthcare

March 2021: A new paper in Healthcare describes a realist review that informs practical program and policy decisions to enhance violence prevention education effectiveness in healthcare settings.

Webinar: Return to work and mobile workers: seafarers and other interjurisdictional workers

March 2021: A webinar April 1 at 10 am PDT will feature PWHS Research Associate Robert Macpherson examining whether differences in work disability duration for out-of-province workers vary by industry and context, with a specific focus on the factors that influence return-to-work of mobile workers in BC. Register

COVID-19 risks and BC construction workers

February 2021: An article in the Journal of Commerce describes research from the Vancouver School of Economics and our co-director, Mieke Koehoorn, on risk of COVID-19 transmission in workplaces. A research brief on this work is available.

Webinar: Work disability policy and practices supporting healthcare and mobility of injured and disabled workers

February 2021: A webinar March 10 at 10am EST will examine which healthcare professionals are recognized by workers’ compensation boards and why is this relevant to the care and return-to-work experience of injured workers, as well as how work disability policy frameworks and programs support or impede Canadians with physical disabilities to engage in work-related travel, or ‘work mobility’. Register

Webinar: A realist evaluation of violence prevention education in healthcare

February 2021: PWHS PhD candidate Sharon Provost will discuss findings and practical recommendations from a realist evaluation of the education for BC healthcare workers to prevent violence from patients and visitors at the SPPH Occupational and Environmental Hygiene (OEH) seminar on Friday, March 5 at 12:30 pm PST.

Differences in work disability duration between out-of-province and within-province injured workers

January 2021: A new paper in Occupational and Environmental Medicine finds that out-of-province workers experience longer disability durations, particularly in some sectors and in western provinces.

Men and women at work in Canada, 1991–2016

January 2021: A new paper in Labour & Industry describes the distribution of labour by sex/gender across occupations in the Canadian workforce and examines changes in this distribution since 1991.

Anxiety and depression disorders in men and women with work-related strains or sprains

January 2021: A new paper in Occupational and Environmental Medicine examines the prevalence and risk factors for anxiety and depression disorders among men and women with musculoskeletal strain or sprain work injury in BC.

Webinar: Determining hazard management changes in workplaces following workplace safety inspections

January 2021: PWHS research associate Robert Macpherson will discuss the factors that best determine hazard management changes following workplace inspections conducted by WorkSafeBC at the SPPH Occupational and Environmental Hygiene (OEH) seminar on Friday, Jan 29 at 12:30 pm PST.

Webinar: Work & Health Research in the Time of COVID

January 2021: PWHS postdoctoral fellow Sonja Senthanar will join a panel on challenges and strategies for engaged knowledge translation and exchange at a CARWH Working Session on Thursday, Jan 21 at 11 am PST.

Webinar: Work, COVID-19 and Inequities

November 2020: Our co-director Mieke Koehoorn will present at a Centre for Research on Work Disability Policy webinar on Nov 30 at 9 am PST. Mieke’s presentation will explore the work and health challenges of the pandemic, including workplace community transmission of the coronavirus, employer-paid sick leave benefits, and the ability to work from home.

Free EPICOH 2020 Webinars Dec 9 and 11

November 2020: The EPICOH 2020 conference has been postponed to 2021, but a series of webinars are planned for Dec 9 and 11, 2020. These sessions, featuring presentations and an opportunity to interact with occupational epidemiology colleagues, will be free but require pre-registration.

Pandemic-related worksite restrictions critical for health and safety — and for business

November 2020: Co-Director Chris McLeod was interviewed for an article in the Journal of Commerce, focused on measures to keep construction employees safe in the workplace during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Webinar: The changing face of mesothelioma in Canada

October 2020: PWHS co-director Chris McLeod and Paul Demers, Director of the Occupational Cancer Research Centre, will discuss the changing patterns and trends in the incidence of mesothelioma in Canada at the SPPH Occupational and Environmental Hygiene (OEH) seminar on Friday, Oct 30 at 12:30 pm PDT.

Webinar: Workplace Transmission of Covid-19

Sept 2020: PWHS Co-Director Mieke Koehoorn is speaking with Cheryl Peters of CAREX Canada about a recent analysis of media articles on workplace outbreaks of COVID-19 in a webinar hosted by the Industrial Accident Victims Group of Ontario (IAVGO) and CAREX Canada Oct 5 at 11am PT. This webinar is intended for law and labour professionals, or anyone interested in workers’ health. A research brief reporting on this analysis of media articles is available here.

New paper: Age differences in work-disability duration across Canada

September 2020: A new paper by Jonathan Fan, Robert Macpherson, Chris McLeod and colleagues examined age differences in work disability duration and found that older age is not always strongly associated with worse disability duration outcomes.

Webinar: Understanding Gender Differences in Work-Related Health Outcomes

Sept 2020: Research Associate Robert Macpherson will discuss differences in work-related health outcomes between men and women, and how an understanding of these differences can be used to improve work disability management and rehabilitation policy and practice, in a webinar hosted by the Work Wellness Institute on Sept 9 at 10am PT. Please register in advance.

BC COVID-19 Research and Collaboration Symposium: Public Health, Populations, Health Services, and Impacts

August 2020: PWHS Co-Directors Mieke Koehoorn and Chris McLeod are presenting Sept 1-2 at BC COVID-19 Research and Collaboration Symposium, organized by the BC Academic Health Sciences Network.

The Social Determinants of Following Public Health Advice

August 2020: Great article from UBC SPPH mentioning our findings that those unable to work from home are more likely to be in the lowest income group, in precarious employment, and least likely to have paid sick leave; and that immigrant workers reported higher levels of financial distress and greater concern of job loss due to COVID-19, compared to Canadian-born workers.

Return to Work COR certification in BC

July 2020: We have posted a new research brief discussing our evaluation of the Return to Work COR program in BC – an additional certification that firms already holding COR certification could earn prior to 2012. We found that this additional certification does not appear to provide any additional benefit on disability duration.

Impact of COVID-19 on employment and financial security of immigrant workers compared to Canadian-born workers

June 2020: We conducted an analysis of employment and economic concerns of immigrant workers compared to Canadian-born workers, and investigated if employment concern impacted perceived mental health, using the Statistics Canada Canadian Perspectives Survey Series 1, a new web panel survey that was conducted for two weeks in March after the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Survey: Work and Health Evidence Gaps and Research Needs in the Context of COVID-19

June 2020: Researchers and knowledge users are invited to participate in a short survey that will ask your opinion on what work and health evidence gaps and research needs exist in the context of global pandemics and COVID-19.

Ability to work from home and paid sick leave benefits by precarious employment and socioeconomic status

May 2020: The public health response to COVID-19 has included a shift to working from home in an effort to limit physical contact and slow the spread of infection. However, working from home is not feasible for everyone. We analysed existing Statistics Canada General Social Survey 2016 data to estimate the number of workers who cannot work from home, and the number of workers without employer paid sick leave benefits.

The Inequity of Isolation

May 2020: Our co-directors Mieke Koehoorn and Chris McLeod are quoted in a UBC School of Population and Public Health story on isolation and social connection, and the uneven distribution of health risks.

Webinar: The effectiveness of OHS management systems: Is the whole greater than the sum of its parts?

May 2020: Join us on May 19th at 11am PDT (2 pm EDT) to hear our co-director Chris McLeod consider the characteristics of audit certification that will lead to improved health and safety performance.

WorkSafeBC says 237 people have filed claims about contracting COVID-19 at work

April 2020: Our co-director Chris McLeod is quoted in a Globe and Mail article about workers’s compensation claims filed for COVID-19 infection.

Webinar: Why Gradually Returning to Work Should Be a Priority after a Workplace Injury

April 2020: PWHS postdoc Esther Maas will discuss effective and cost-effective approaches in facilitating early and sustained return-to-work after a musculoskeletal injury at a University of Washington Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences seminar on Thursday, Apr 16 at 12:30 pm.

Urban-rural differences in the duration of injury-related work disability in six Canadian provinces

March 2020: A new paper by PWHS research associate Robert Macpherson found that, when compared to workers residing in metropolitan areas, those in all other areas experienced more disability days after work injury, especially in the construction and transportation and warehousing sectors.

Gender differences in surgery for work-related musculoskeletal injury

March 2020: A new paper by PWHS PhD graduate Andrea Jones found that women are less likely than men to receive surgery following work-related musculoskeletal injury in BC.

Time to return to work following workplace violence among health care and social workers

January 2020: A new paper by PWHS MSc graduate Kelvin Choi and postdoctoral fellow Esther Maas found that workers with psychological injuries in counselling and social work occupations, and in long-term care and residential social services, took longer to return to work following a violence-related incident than workers with non-violence-related incidents. This paper is an Editor’s Choice and so is free to all.

Seminar: Effects of work injury and RTW on family of precariously employed workers

January 2020: PWHS postdoctoral fellow Sonja Senthanar will discuss the impact of work injury and the return to work process on family members of precarisouly employed workers at the SPPH Occupational and Environmental Hygiene (OEH) seminar on Friday, Jan 24 at 1:00 in SPPH B151.

Heat safety for outdoor workers

January 2020: PWHS Co-Director Chris McLeod is quoted in an article about heat-related occupational health and safety for outdoor workers in OHS Canada magazine’s Nov/Dec 2019 issue.

Presentations at Cascadia 2020

January 2020: PWHS researchers, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students are giving a series of presentations at the Cascadia Occupational, Environmental, and Population Health Conference, January 9-10, in Abbotsford, BC

Descriptive epidemiology of gradual return to work for workers with musculoskeletal disorders

November 2019: A new paper by PWHS postdoctoral fellow Esther Maas describes patterns of gradual return to work among BC workers with work-acquired musculoskeletal disorders.

At Work: Employers certified through COR programs have 12 to 14 per cent lower injury rates

November 2019: An article published in the Institute for Work & Health At Work newsletter describes PWHS evaluations of COR programs in BC and Alberta.

Cascadia Environment, Occupation, and Population Health Symposium: Innovative approaches for a planet in crisis

October 2019: The call for presentations and posters for Cascadia 2020 (Jan 9-10, 2020) is open. Submit your abstract by Nov. 15.

a place of mind, The University of British Columbia

School of Population and Public Health
2206 East Mall,
Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada
Tel: 604-822-2772
Partnership for Work, Health and Safety
2206 East Mall,
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