Occupational illness and disease prevention research

Steve Gore, WSN

The Occupational Illness and Disease Prevention Research Project, funded by the WSIB and delivered by Workplace Safety North (WSN) in partnership with the Institute for Work & Health (IWH), aims to build occupational health capacity in Ontario’s mining and forestry sectors. The project uses a graduated approach to help workplaces move from hazard awareness to practical exposure assessment and control. Participants complete e-learning on key occupational health hazards, followed by hands-on industrial hygiene workshops covering hazard assessment, sampling, monitoring, and control strategies. Selected workplaces receive additional support through qualitative hazard assessments, quantitative exposure monitoring, and hands-on coaching from WSN Industrial Hygiene Specialists. The project also evaluates how training and workplace-based mentorship can build sustainable internal capacity to identify, assess, and control occupational health hazards and ultimately prevent occupational illness.

Updates on prevention tools

Meghan Friesen, ROH, OHCOW, Krista Thompson, ROH, OHCOW

More info to come

Thermal stress (heat & cold)

This session will introduce participants to OHCOW’s practical tools and resources for preventing temperature-related workplace illness. The presentation will walk through the Cold Stress Calculator and the guidelines used in its development, while explaining the fundamentals of heat conservation and effective cold stress prevention. Participants will also explore OHCOW’s Heat Stress Toolkit, Heat Stress Calculator, and new Heat Stress App, gaining practical guidance on how these resources can support workplace assessment, planning, and prevention.