| Year Funded: 2012 | Budget: | Funding Agency: Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario |
|---|---|---|
| Title: | Economic Evaluation of Health and Safety Programs: A Training Workshop for Workplace Parties (IWH Project 1220) | |
| Category: | Occupational Disease, Injury and Health Services | |
| Subcategory: | Occupational Health Services | |
| Keywords: | occupational health & safety, economic evaluation, prevention | |
| Link to research website: | www.iwh.on.ca | |
Issue:
Organizations regularly face challenging resource allocation decisions in an effort to remain competitive and profitable. With sometimes competing demands on scarce funds, managers need to allocate resources wisely across all parts of the organization. Consequently, complete information on the costs and consequences of health and safety (H&S) initiatives can be critical to the decision making process. Yet far too often organizations do not have the skill set to evaluate the cost and consequences of initiatives. In this project we will develop and deliver a half-day training workshop for workplace parties—managers, labour representatives, and H&S practitioners —on the economic evaluation of H&S initiatives. Four sessions will be delivered free of charge. The workshop will not be sector or organization size specific, though there will be a focus on recruiting participants from small- and medium-sized businesses. Through our previous work we have found that the greatest need for skills development is within this group.
Objectives:
To increase awareness of the need to consider the cost and consequences of H&S initiatives systematically, comprehensively, and on an ongoing basis.
To advance knowledge about sound economic evaluation methods for H&S initiatives.
To increase the comfort level and ability to apply economic evaluation methods in workplaces.
To stimulate dialogue and discussion, in workshop breakout session, about overcoming barriers to undertaking in-house H&S economic evaluations.
Anticipated Results:
This study is relevant to the WSIB, workplace parties in Ontario, and workers’ compensation authorities and workplace parties across Canada.
Investigators:
Emile Tompa, Emma Irvin, Sara Macdonald, Lynda Robson, Kim Grant, Kiran Kapoor (Institute for Work & Health, WSPS)
