Guiding Principles

All the IRSST’s activities are guided by the following principles:

They must meet rigorous scientific and ethical standards;
They must be original. As such, the Institute avoids duplicating research conducted elsewhere, whenever the results of that research can be transferred or adapted to the Québec context;
The Institute promotes interdisciplinarity within research teams as a means of more effectively tackling the often complex and multifactorial issues related to occupational health and safety (OHS);
The Institute encourages complementarity between its own scientific resources and those of universities and other research centres;
Its activities must be closely aligned with the current needs of the CNESST, its partners, and the Québec workplace community, while also anticipating future needs;
The IRSST favours applied research leading to concrete improvements in occupational health and safety, without excluding more basic research whose results could eventually have an impact on the workplace;
Projects carried out in workplaces are conducted using a collaborative approach, with the agreement and participation of the employers and workers in the companies involved;
The Institute promotes the active participation of intermediaries throughout the process of developing and conducting research activities and utilizing the results, in order to maximize their usefulness and spin-offs for the Québec workplace community.

Declaration of the IRSST’s Principles of Equal Representation

Whereas equal representation is the foundation of the Act respecting occupational health and safety (AOHS), which “provides mechanisms for the participation of workers, workers’ associations, employers and employers’ associations in the realization of its object,” specifically, “the elimination, at the source, of dangers to the health, safety and physical well-being of workers” ;

whereas the creation of the Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST) is based on a section of the AOHS;

whereas the composition and modus operandi of the IRSST’s decision-making and advisory bodies are based on the principle of equal representation;

whereas the IRSST’s Scientific Policy stipulates that “projects carried out in workplaces are conducted using a collaborative approach, with the agreement and participation of the employers and workers in the companies involved”;

therefore, the IRSST promotes equal representation of workers’ and employers’ interests and recognizes its importance at the level of institutional and operational values.

Activities at the IRSST are therefore carried out in an equal representation context. This structure demands a work approach based on objectivity and neutrality and respect for the parties concerned.