| Year Funded: 2011 | Budget: $250,000.00 | Funding Agency: Institute for Work & Health (IWH), Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario |
|---|---|---|
| Title: | Validation of an Ontario Prevention System Leading Indicator (IWH Project 1230) | |
| Category: | Intervention Research | |
| Subcategory: | Intervention Research | |
| Keywords: | Organizational & management practices, Leading Indicators | |
| Link to research website: | www.iwh.on.ca | |
Issue:
In 2008, all Ontario prevention system partners (HSAs, MOL, WSIB, IWH) developed and piloted 8 questions to assess quickly an organization’s occupational health and safety performance. Using the 8 questions an organizational performance metric (OPM) was developed. In pilot work, the OPM predicted an employer’s injury and illness claims rate in the last 4 years. The best employers, as rated by the OPM, had the lowest claim rates and the poorest performers the highest. The proposed research builds the scientific evidence base for the OPM tool by answering methodological and practical questions raised in the pilot work by stakeholders.
Objectives:
The proposed research seeks to answer 6 methodological and practical questions raised in the pilot work.
1. Does the OPM tool predicts future injury and illness rates?
2. Is the OPM tool responsive to changes in the organization?
3. Does mode of administration affect responses (i.e., phone, in-person, over the internet, in meeting)?
4. What are responders thinking when they answer the 8 questions?
5. Does the OPM have acceptable construct validity?
6. How do firms with low OPM scores differ from firms with high OPM scores?
Anticipated Results:
• A scientific evidence base for a provincial 8 item leading indicator that has predictive validity (1), is responsive to change (2) has and strong construct validity (4, 5, 6)
• A scientific evidence base for whether a particular mode of administration biases results (3)
• A practical strategy for interpreting and using the 8-item tool in the day-to-day operations of the HSAs, WSIB and MOL.
Investigators:
Benjamin C. Amick( Institute for Work & Health)
