January 2021: 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.

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.

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.

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.