New Solutions-A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy最新文献

In Canada, occupational health and safety (OHS) and workers' compensation are primarily provincial responsibilities and there is no national institute for OHS research. Research capacity and many civil society resources to which injured workers can turn for support are primarily concentrated in three provinces. Labor force composition, employment options, vulnerability to injury, and return to work (RTW) challenges vary across jurisdictions and are changing over time, but not at the same rate. When coupled with jurisdictional inequities in RTW research and civil society supports, these differences have the potential to contribute to policy gaps and situations where issues addressed in one jurisdiction emerge again in another. This article reports on a multi-stakeholder, virtual dialogue process designed to help identify and address these potential inequities by transferring research insights related to RTW for workers in situations of vulnerability (e.g., precarious employment) and findings from a comparative policy scan to Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), a province with very limited RTW research capacity and civil society supports for injured workers. We describe the context, the dialogue process, key results from the policy scan, and we reflect on the opportunities and constraints of these knowledge synthesis and exchange tools as vehicles to address jurisdictional disparities in RTW research, policy and supports for workers injured in precarious employment and other vulnerable situations in a context of economic and policy change.

An examination by a community legal worker in Ontario, Canada, of the premises of the experience rating system introduced into the Ontario Workers Compensation system and its negative effects on injured workers and their families, on the workers compensation system itself, and on occupational health and safety.

This article explores the challenges facing injured migrant farm workers in the workers' compensation system in Canada's province of Ontario, with a focus on their fight for return to work justice. Told from the perspective of one of the lawyers who represented the workers, it highlights a recent victory achieved by 4 workers in the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program in defending their rights to workers' compensation support. The workers' compensation tribunal decided that the workers' compensation board must evaluate these workers' ability to return to work, access retraining, and receive compensation based on their labor markets in Jamaica-instead of based on fictional job prospects in Ontario. The tribunal also called out the need to consider systemic anti-Black racism in workers' compensation law and policy. The article analyzes how this legal victory could reshape workers' compensation policy in Ontario for injured migrant farm workers. It also discusses the implications of the win for injured workers in other temporary work programs and precarious employment sectors.

Migrant agricultural workers employed through Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker Program face serious occupational health and safety hazards, with compounded difficulties in accessing workers' compensation (WC) if they are sick or injured by the job. Little is known, however, about their ability to return to work (RTW) upon recovery-a fundamental right included in the conception of WC, but complicated by their restrictive work permits and precarious immigration status. Based on interviews with injured migrant workers in two Canadian provinces (Quebec and Ontario), our research suggests that workers' RTW process is anything but straightforward. This article highlights three key issues-pressure to return to work prematurely, communication and bureaucratic challenges with WC agencies, and impacts of injury/illness and failure to return to work on workers' long-term well-being. Consequences and opportunities for reform are discussed.

Maritime occupations encompass seafaring, fishing, marine aquaculture, and longshore work. These non-standard occupations tend to be hazardous with high injury rates. They are associated with varying levels of seasonality, shift work, geographic mobility, and different types of remuneration, posing unique challenges when recovering from work-related injury and illness. Occupational health and safety is under-researched in these sectors. Furthermore, little research exists on return to work (RTW) after injury among maritime workers. This paper presents findings from a mixed methods research program designed to provide insight into injury, compensation and RTW experiences among maritime workers in the Canadian province of British Columbia (BC). Research methods include the analysis of provincial workers' compensation data, data from an anonymous online survey of injured/ill BC maritime workers and from semi-structured interviews with injured workers and key informants. Analysis of workers' compensation data shows high rates of serious injuries, longer disability duration, and high rates of deemed RTW, particularly in fishing. Survey findings suggest a relatively low percentage of workers file claims for workers' compensation to WorkSafeBC. Interview data highlight some of the challenges that may explain under-reporting, longer disability duration, and relatively poor RTW outcomes. Policy relevant concerns and areas for future research relevant to understanding and addressing some of the identified RTW challenges associated with these sectors are presented.

This is an extended version of the speech given by Garrett Brown in accepting the Alice Hamilton Award from the Occupational Health and Safety Section of the American Public Health Association. The award recognizes the life-long contributions of individuals who have distinguished themselves through a career of hard work and dedication to improve the lives of workers. Alice Hamilton (1869-1970) was considered the founder of occupational health in the U.S. and was a tireless activist and physician who dedicated her life to improving the health and safety of workers. She was committed to science, service, and compassion.

Over a century ago, Connecticut industry began using chrysotile asbestos. Chrysotile found a home in several factories that used it exclusively or predominantly. The occurrence of mesothelioma in 4 of those factories is the subject of this paper-2 have been reported previously and are updated here with new information; one was the subject of a prior internal corporate study that was never published; one is reported here for the first time. Twenty-four cases of mesothelioma have been identified among these workers, including several who had no known amphibole exposure. It is likely that additional cases of mesothelioma have been missed. The full scale of the hazard may never be completely known, but reports such as the present one add to the weight of evidence that chrysotile causes mesothelioma in humans and that the full extent of the epidemic is probably wider than retrospective studies have revealed. Continued vigilance is required.