| Year Funded: 2012 | Budget: | Funding Agency: Ontario Construction Secretariat |
|---|---|---|
| Title: | Occupational Health and Safety Performance in Unionized Construction (IWH Project 1255) | |
| Category: | Occupational Disease, Injury and Health Services | |
| Subcategory: | Occupational Health Services | |
| Keywords: | occupational health & safety, prevention, injury | |
| Link to research website: | www.iwh.on.ca | |
Issue:
The Ontario Construction Secretariat (OCS) is comprised of twenty five organized building trade unions (workers) and the signatory contractors (employers) of Industrial, Commercial and Institutional (ICI) construction, along with representatives from the provincial government. Together, they form a tripartite organization intended to enhance the well-being of organized ICI construction in Ontario. With the Institute for Work & Health, they are working together to examine whether union construction firms perform better in terms of injury and illness experiences compared to non-union firms. The project has two phases. In Phase 1, we will link data from the Workplace Safety & Insurance Board (WSIB) with OCS data on unionization. Then we will engage in some data verification and management, and finally data analysis. In Phase II, we will seek to do a survey and case study work to explain what is happening in unionized firms that differ from non-unionized firms to explain the observed claims rate differences.
Objectives:
To examine whether union construction firms perform better in terms of injury and illness experiences compared to non-union firms.
Anticipated Results:
The results of this research project will be relevant to the construction sector, unions, the Ministry of Labour, the WSIB, policymakers, and other prevention partners.
Investigators:
Benjamin C. Amick III, Desiree Latour-Villamil, Sheilah Hogg-Johnson, Ron Saunders (Institute for Work & Health)
