Accomplishments and Milestones

The past year has been one of transition, continuity, and renewed focus for the Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers Inc. (OHCOW). The dedication of our staff, physicians, Board of Directors, and partners made possible our support of workers across Ontario and promotion of healthier workplaces.

OHCOW continued to advance key operational priorities, including strengthening the integration of clinical and prevention work, improving data and systems infrastructure, and providing more consistent and efficient service delivery. We participated in the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training & Skills Development’s (MLITSD) ongoing review and modernization of the Health and Safety Association system, contributing our experience and perspective as a worker-focused organization.

OHCOW staff and professionals continued to deliver high-quality clinical services, prevention initiatives, and research activities.

This report features:

• A selection of OHCOW Case Studies, covering topics such as degenerative disc disease, lead exposure, elevated rates of cancer in hospital employees, and colon cancer. OHCOW specialists helped to reverse claim refusals, investigated concerns and made recommendations for unions and worker groups lobbying for safer workplaces, and accessed compensation for injured workers and their families.
• Updates on OHCOW's progress with ongoing Cluster Projects, as incidents of occupational health issues for those who work or used to work at factories and plants across Ontario need resolution
• A summary of activity regarding our Key Priorities such as Occupational Illness, Workplace Mental Health, Injury Prevention and Worker Perspective. Includes updates on the Silica Control Tool and the Temporary Foreign Workers project.
• OHCOW's abundance of Tools and Resources continues to be popular — such as our apps, tools and calculators and research papers published in peer-reviewed journals
• Knowledge transmission is one of the goals of OHCOW, whether through the website, participation in trade shows, e-newsletters and social media
• The Financial Section lays out in detail the fiscal activity of OHCOW

We hope you find this report informative. If you have any questions or comments, let us know.