Research leader: Esther Cloutier

  • Research projects 
  • IRSST publications 
  • Scientific publications and communications 
  • Prévention au travail articles

In brief 
In a context of globalization of the economy and changes in the industrial and demographic structure, Québec’s approximately 3,650,000 workers and 61,500 companies are having to deal with a changing working community. Organizational and technological modifications are occurring at a breathtaking pace in all industrial sectors: company mergers, growth of small enterprises, increasing diversification in types of work (part-time work, precarious work, subcontracting, reduction in job security), flexible organization (unusual schedules, telecommuting, ‘just-in-time’, job redesign), work intensification, new trades, early retirement. These are some of the factors that are having many complex impacts on the health and safety of Québec workers.

Research orientations
Research work in the Work Context and OHS field is organized around the following research orientations:

1. The effects of work changes and demographic shifts on OHS.
2. The overall approach to risk evaluation for the targeted jobs and sectors.
3. Management of OHS problems :

• Forecast management of ages and organization of work situations; 
• OHS management in small enterprises;
• Integration of OHS into investment and design projects;
• Development of OHS management tools. 
   

Implementation
Research in the Work Context and OHS field is oriented by the needs expressed by workplaces and partners in the occupational health and safety network, as well as by the researchers’ reflection. The IRSST’s strategic watch and statistical research and surveillance groups contribute to the orientation of the research by documenting the relevance and priority of the questions.

Our partners
To ensure that the scientific research results are useful to workplaces, the IRSST favours close collaboration between researchers from different disciplines and various workplaces within a partnership with workplace representatives.

In addition to the natural links developed with the public OHS prevention network (Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail, ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux and its network, joint sector-based associations), rich partnerships have been established over the years with the university community and organizations and OHS research centres in Canada and in other parts of the world. These include the Centre de recherches et d’études sur l’âge et les populations au travail, the Agence Nationale pour l'Amélioration des Conditions de Travail, the Centre d’études de l’emploi, the Institute for Work & Health, the Industrial Accident Prevention Association, SafetyNet, etc.

Links to workplaces are equally important. They take the form of project follow-up committees and issue tables bringing together employer and union representatives, and members from the OHS network and government authorities. These links convey the IRSST’s commitment to integrating the joint labour-management and participatory approach favoured by Québec OHS legislation. This collaboration also contributes to ensuring the relevance and credibility of the research, while facilitating access to areas of study as well as the transfer of the results.

Concrete results

The transmission of prudent knowledge
With the aging of the workforce and expected massive retirements, the transmission of professional and prudent knowledge by experienced personnel takes on a new importance. Research by the IRSST has shown that specific organizational conditions can promote its transmission. In a work context where training takes on greater importance, the results of this research offer new possibilities for workplaces because this knowledge is useful not only for reducing OHS risks but also for ensuring production efficiency and quality.

Small enterprises and OHS
The results of the IRSST’s research in small enterprises (SE) have described a partial assessment of the risks and a tendency to favour personal protection strategies rather than prevention at source. While significant differences in prevention practices exist between SEs, job precariousness, the lack of resources and isolation constitute major obstacles in the sustainable improvement of OHS. Autodiagnostic checklists for targeted production activities have been developed with the help of joint sector-based associations. These tools simplify access to information, facilitate the identification of the main risks and appropriate prevention standards and measures, and support the integration of prevention into current activities. 

Reconciling work and studies
Young people, particularly those working and studying at the same time, are experiencing work situations that expose them to specific constraints and risks that a research team from the IRSST studied with the help of regional partners. The results are serving as a basis in the development of awareness-raising and prevention strategies with young workers and their employers.

The performing arts
The specific OHS conditions of performing artists and stage artisans have been the subject of very few scientific studies. One study carried out in collaboration with partners provided a portrait of the situation and contributed to the development of a prevention guide for artists and artisans in this community.

Workload
Work intensification, caused by the upheavals experienced by workplaces, is having major repercussions on workers’ workload. An overall understanding of the phenomenon is now necessary so that sustainable solutions can be better anticipated for companies.