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.
