Workplaces and practitioners need practical "how-to" information related to assessing, developing, implementing, managing, maintaining, and evaluating workplace health initiatives. This page includes information designed to help and support workplaces and practitioners in creating their own workplace health initiatives.
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Barrier-free employers |
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Offers a practical guide to employment accommodation for people with disabilities. Discusses the duty to accommodate, employment equity, guidelines, examples, frequently asked questions and resources. |
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Source: Canadian Human Rights Commission |
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JobQuality.ca |
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Offers information and data on the quality of work and working conditions in Canada. Describes indicators of job quality and explains why they’re important to employers, employees and policy makers. Includes tables and charts, statistics, surveys and news. |
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Source: Canadian Policy Research Networks (CPRN) |
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Extended workday: health and safety issues |
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Answers questions on the health and safety issues related to working extended workday schedules including fatigue, exposure to hazards, and effects on social and family life. Offers guidelines on how workplaces can implement this type of work schedule. |
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Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) |
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Rotational shiftwork |
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Answers questions on shiftwork including the effects on body cycle, sleep patterns, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular systems, and family and social life. Suggests how workers and employers can address problems related to shiftwork. |
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Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) |
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Health promotion / wellness / psychosocial |
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Offers a series of information on workplace health issues including stress, work-life balance, violence in the workplace, substance abuse and bullying. |
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Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) |
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Substance abuse in the workplace |
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Answers questions on substance abuse problems, how they may affect the workplace and what workplaces can do to address this issue. |
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Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) |
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Employee assistance programs (EAP) |
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Answers questions on employee assistance programs (EAP) including what typically happens when an employee uses an EAP and employers should look for when hiring or contracting such a service. |
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Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) |
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Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS): workplace policy |
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Answers questions on smoking restrictions in the workplace including legal obligations, ventilation, and steps workplaces can take to implement a smoking policy. |
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Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) |
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Occupations & workplaces: telework/telecommuting |
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Answers questions on the health and safety issues related to working from a home office environment. Offers tips for employees on scheduling work, ergonomics, working alone, and creating a safety checklist. Discusses issues for workplaces to consider when developing a teleworking arrangement. |
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Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) |
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Scent-free policy for the workplace |
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Answers questions on scents in the workplace, health effects, products that contain scents, and steps to take when implementing a scent-free policy in the workplace. |
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Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) |
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Violence in the workplace prevention guide |
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Describes a pocket-size guide about violence in the workplace and its prevention. The guide outlines how to develop a workplace violence prevention program and presents specific prevention tips on workplace and work-related travel situations. Includes ordering information. |
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Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) |
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Indoor air quality health & safety guide |
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Describes a guide on the health and safety issues related to indoor air quality. The guide discusses symptoms and causes of poor indoor air quality and recommends preventive action such as how to select furnishings and equipment to prevent indoor air contaminant buildup. Includes ordering information. |
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Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) |
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Health and safety committees reference guide |
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Describes a guide about how to form and run a workplace health and safety committee. The guide outlines accident investigation, workplace inspections, and identification and control of workplace hazards. Includes ordering information. |
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Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) |
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Work-life balance in Canadian workplaces |
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Offers information, resources and tools to help organizations design and implement supportive programs and policies facilitating work-life balance. Includes case studies, programs, policies, evaluation tools, and best practices. |
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Source: Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) |
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Canadian healthy workplace criteria |
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Offers a downloadable guide to help organizations manage their workplace health issues. Outlines principles of a healthy workplace, criteria for organizational practices, and guidelines for the various elements of a healthy workplace including environmental, physical, mental, safety and social issues. |
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Source: National Quality Institute (NQI) |
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Office ergonomics: remembering the basics booklet |
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Provides information on repetitive strain injuries (RSIs) and how to prevent them. Covers ergonomic principles, symptoms and causes of discomfort, how to evaluate and adjust workstations, exercises designed to reduce injury, and includes a workstation checklist. |
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Source: Workers' Compensation Board of Alberta |
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Working safely with OPs (organo-phosphate insecticides) |
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Explains what employers, supervisors, and workers must do to work safely with organo-phosphate insecticides (commonly called OPs). Explains how OPs affect health, symptoms of OP poisoning, first aid, and the use of proper personal protective equipment. |
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Source: Workers' Compensation Board of BC (WCB) |
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A hantavirus risk control program for employers and workers |
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Contains guidelines for employers to prevent hantavirus infections and to implement a risk control program to minimize potential worker exposure to hantavirus. Includes recommended work procedures. |
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Source: Workers' Compensation Board of BC (WCB) |
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Coping with critical incident stress at work |
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Explains how critical incidents, such as an on-the-job accident that injures or kills a worker, can affect the emotional health of workers and their job performance. Explains what critical incident stress is and how employers can help workers suffering from it. |
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Source: Workers' Compensation Board of BC (WCB) |
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Take care: how to develop and implement a workplace violence program |
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Offers guidance to businesses on how to develop and implement a program to prevent violence in the workplace. Reviews regulation, risk assessment, basic elements of a violence prevention program, procedures for preventing violence, and offers sample documents. |
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Source: Workers' Compensation Board of BC (WCB) |
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HIV/AIDS, and hepatitis B and C: preventing exposure at work |
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Recommends workplace precautions to prevent exposure to bloodborne diseases. Focuses on employers and workers who are not expected to come in contact with blood and body fluids at work. Covers HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C; how to reduce risk of infection; and safe work practices. |
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Source: Workers' Compensation Board of BC (WCB) |
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Walk and roll: a guide to active transportation to, from and at the workplace |
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Describes a guide which helps workplaces promote the use of non-motorized modes of travel to and from work, such as walking or cycling. This guide provides planning and implementation tools, such as checklists, questionnaires, and assessment forms. Includes ordering information. |
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Source: Go for Green |
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Flexible work arrangements |
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Answers questions on flexible work, benefits to workplaces, issues that should be considered when designing a flexible work policy, and examples of common arrangements, such as job sharing or compressed work week. |
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Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) |
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Work/life balance |
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Answers questions on work-life balance initiatives in the workplace, the benefits for employers, how to implement initiatives, and some steps for setting up a program.
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Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) |
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Indoor air quality in office buildings: a technical guide |
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Assists those responsible for conducting indoor air quality (IAQ) investigations in office buildings. Provides guidelines for defining the methodology and scope of an IAQ study, determining the cause of poor IAQ, and evaluating the need for professional services. |
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Source: Health Canada |
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Protocol for protecting emergency responders from communicable disease |
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Provides paramedics, fire fighters, and police and others involved in emergency situations with a standard procedure on how to deal with exposure to blood and airborne infectious agents such as HIV, hepatitis B and C, TB, and meningococcal bacteria. |
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Source: British Columbia Ministry of Health Planning |
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Small business health model: a guide to developing and implementing the workplace health system in small businesses |
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Describes a seven-step, community-based approach for small businesses to get involved in workplace health promotion. |
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Source: Health Canada |
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The farm business health model: a guide to developing and implementing the workplace health system for farm business |
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Describes a seven-step, community-based approach to workplace health promotion in the farming industry, for both farm owners and employees. |
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Source: Health Canada |
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Violence in the workplace |
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Answers questions on workplace violence, including physical, verbal, and sexual violence. Topics covered include work-related factors that increase the risk of violence, occupational groups most at risk, how to assess the risk of violence in a particular workplace, and measures to prevent workplace violence. |
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Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) |
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Work schedules |
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Offers a series of information on designing working schedules different from the most common 9 to 5. |
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Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) |
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A guide to developing and implementing the workplace health system in medium and large businesses |
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Outlines a seven-step process for organizations to develop and implement workplace health promotion. |
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Source: Health Canada |
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Workplace stress: general |
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Answers questions on stress, good versus bad stress, common stressors at work, health effects, trouble signs, and how to cope with stress. |
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Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) |
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Work and family |
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Contains excerpts from two books. 'The Manager's Work-Family Toolkit' outlines how to create a supportive work environment. 'From the kitchen table to the boardroom table : the Canadian family and the workplace' analyzes the conflict between work and family. Includes ordering information. |
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Source: Vanier Institute of the Family (VIF) |
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Aging workers |
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Answers questions on issues related to aging workers and the workplace including special accommodations, health and safety, work performance, physical changes and work, learning and cognitive functions, and training. |
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Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) |
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Healthy eating at work |
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Answers questions on how to start a workplace healthy eating program. Offers sample topics, tips for snacks, and food to offer at meetings. Looks at how the workplace can affect the way people eat and whether some jobs have specific nutrition concerns.
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Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) |
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Bullying in the workplace |
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Answers questions on workplace bullying and its effects on the worker and the workplace. Offers examples of bullying and suggestions on what can be done if a worker feels bullied, or subjected to any form of harassment. Describes what the employer can do, and what’s involved in a workplace violence prevention program. |
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Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) |
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Anti-harassment policies for the workplace: an employer's guide |
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Includes model anti-harassment policies, guidelines, and checklists to assist federally regulated employers meet legislative requirements. Describes workplace harassment, and how to eliminate or minimize it in the workplace. |
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Source: Canadian Human Rights Commission |
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The business case for physical activity in the workplace |
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Outlines the benefits of workplace physical activity programs and suggests how workplaces can create environments that foster employee participation. |
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Source: Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute (CFLRI) |
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Making it work with active living in the workplace |
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Offers "how to" information for those workplaces in the preliminary stages of active living program planning and development. Includes practical ideas and approaches, leadership, program planning, marketing and promotion, and evaluation. |
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Source: Leisure Information Network |
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Training and tools |
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Provides information about tools and training programs for workplaces to address issues of mental health and mental illness in the workplace. |
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Source: Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario Division (CMHA OD) |
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Understanding the risks of musculoskeletal injury (MSI): an educational guide for workers on sprains, strains and other MSIs |
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Provides information on musculoskeletal injury (MSI) to help workers, employers, and health and safety committees recognize signs and symptoms, potential health effects and treatment. Identifies high risk jobs, and risk factors such as force, repetition, and posture. |
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Source: Workers' Compensation Board of BC (WCB) |
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Injury/illness and return to work/function: a practical guide for physicians |
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Assists physicians and other health professionals in managing the return to work/function of patients following an injury or illness. Highlights collaboration with other workplace parties (e.g. employers), effective communication, and how to develop a return to work plan. |
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Source: Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) |
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Setting up an occupational health and safety program: a guide |
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Outlines how to write and develop an occupational health and safety program which covers the identification and control of hazards, and emergency response. Includes a discussion of related issues such as return to work programs. |
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Source: Saskatchewan Labour |
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Active living at work |
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Answers questions on active living and how it benefits workers and the workplace. Offers examples of activities and strategies for increasing participation in, developing, and maintaining a workplace physical activity program. |
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Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health And Safety (CCOHS) |
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Guide to nutrition promotion in the workplace |
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Aims to help practitioners promote, implement, and support workplace nutrition programs. Includes step-by-step guidelines, a list of Ontario-based resources and programs, workplace nutrition assessment tools and sample policies. |
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Source: Nutrition Resource Centre |
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Business results through health & safety |
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Illustrates relationship between employee health and safety and improved business operations and profits. Provides information to help organizations develop business cases through assessment of their health and safety systems and outlines steps to improve health and safety for reduced costs and enhanced business results.
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Source: Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) |
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Workplace health promotion: assessing employees' health-related needs |
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Provides a background on workplace health promotion and current trends. Outlines steps to develop a workplace health promotion program including a needs assessment. Includes references and an inventory of workplace needs assessment tools. |
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Source: Elgin-St. Thomas Health Unit |
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Safe work is good for business |
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Presents best practices from Manitoba employers for developing a safety culture in the workplace. Focuses on areas of senior leadership, communications, education and training, formal health and safety committees, monitoring of internal incidents, risk control, disability management, and return to work planning. |
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Source: Workers' Compensation Board of Manitoba |
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The case for comprehensive workplace health promotion |
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Discusses benefits to employers who invest in comprehensive workplace health promotion. Presents nine factors which are critical to the success of workplace health promotion programming. |
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Source: University of Toronto, Centre for Health Promotion, The Health Communication Unit (THCU)
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A comparison of workplace health planning models |
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Compares the planning steps or stages for nine models of workplace health planning. |
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Source: University of Toronto, Centre for Health Promotion, The Health Communication Unit (THCU)
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Investing in comprehensive workplace health promotion |
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Presents a model for implementing comprehensive workplace health promotion and outlines the business case for it. Discusses the costs of avoiding workplace health issues, and the costs and benefits of taking action. |
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Source: National Quality Institute (NQI) |
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Best practices for workplace promotion of violence prevention |
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Offers a resource package for workplace education on violence prevention. Describes key components of a best practice model, and discusses related issues. Includes directory of emergency services for Prince Edward Island. |
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Source: Government of Prince Edward Island |
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Developing a scent-free policy for the workplace |
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Makes recommendations and outlines a plan of action for developing a scent-free policy for the workplace. Includes a sample employee survey and policies. |
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Source: Canadian Lung Association |
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Preventing violence and harassment at the workplace |
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Defines personal and sexual harassment, and outlines strategies for assessing and reducing risks. Discusses development of workplace policies and procedures, including incident responses and legal issues, and program evaluation. |
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Source: Alberta Human Resources and Employment |
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Musculoskeletal injury prevention program (MSIPP): implementation guide |
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Offers information on how to develop or improve musculoskeletal injury prevention programs (MSIP). Covers MSIP policy development, risk identification and assessment, risk control, education, training, return to work programs and accommodations, post-incident procedures, and program evaluation. |
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Source: Occupational Health and Safety Agency for Healthcare in British Columbia (OHSAH) |
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Why focus on a healthy workplace? Building the case for healthy workplace |
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Builds a business case for workplace health promotion. Shows relationship between workplace health initiatives, the pursuit of organizational excellence, and positive outcomes for employees, customers, and stakeholders. |
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Source: National Quality Institute (NQI) |
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Let's talk: a guide to resolving workplace conflicts |
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Discusses methods of dispute resolution helpful for employees and employers of large, medium, and small organizations. Covers how to handle situations internally and how to identify appropriate providers for external help. |
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Source: Alberta Learning |
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Balancing work and home |
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Outlines the benefits of family-supportive workplaces for employers and employees. Suggests how employers can create these environments. Helps employees identify causes of stress in their lives and offers tips to balance work and home. |
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Source: City of Ottawa |
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Workplaces that work: creating a workplace culture that attracts, retains and promotes women |
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Offers a business case with evidence of the benefits of workplace cultures that attract women. Provides examples of success stories and tips for how employers can promote change. Includes an assessment tool to help employers identify opportunities for change by reviewing current practices. |
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Source: Saskatchewan Labour, Status of Women Office |
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Cost effectiveness of workplace health promotion |
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Lists eight workplace health promotion initiatives, and their impact, as undertaken by Canadian organizations. Makes a case for the cost effectiveness of workplace health promotion. |
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Source: County of Lambton, Community Health Services Department
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Emergency planning |
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Answers questions on why and how workplaces prepare an emergency plan. Describes possible technological and natural hazards and outlines what to consider in developing a plan. |
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Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) |
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Injured at work? We're here to help: a guide to the Workplace Safety and Insurance System |
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Explains how the WSIB helps Ontario workers return to work following a work-related injury, and outlines key benefits and services available through Ontario's workplace safety and insurance system. |
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Source: Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) |
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A guide to setting up a workplace safety and health program |
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Outlines how to implement a workplace safety and health program. Addresses program and policy development, hazard and emergency control, assignment of responsibilities, inspections, training and involvement of workers and supervisors, and accident investigation. |
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Source: Manitoba Labour and Immigration, Workplace Safety and Health Division |
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Reducing occupational stress: an introductory guide for managers, supervisors and union members |
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Offers a practical guide for healthy organizational change. Identifies the major features of healthy organizational change and suggests how to develop strategies. Includes examples of organizational change efforts. |
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Source: Job Stress Network |
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Walk for life |
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Offers guidance to setting up and running a six-week walking program in the workplace. Provides background information, tools, posters, and tips. |
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Source: Elgin-St. Thomas Health Unit |
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The healthy workplace initiative |
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Provides guidance in planning and implementing the Canadian Diabetes Association's comprehensive workplace health promotion program. Includes information on goal setting, selecting a site, creating a health business investment plan, evaluating program outcomes, and case studies. |
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Source: Canadian Diabetes Association |
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How to be a pregnancy friendly workplace: policies and practices that make a difference |
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Discusses the benefits of a pregnancy friendly workplace; discrimination and the rights of pregnant workers; reproductive health risks in the workplace and how to reduce them; and, offers examples of pregnancy friendly eduction, policies and practices. |
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Source: Best Start |
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Workplace reproductive health: research and strategies |
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Examines how work can affect the reproductive health of men and women, before conception and during a woman’s pregnancy. Discusses the chemical, biological, ergonomic, physical, lifestyle, work schedule and stress related risks and provides examples of how to reduce them. |
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Source: Best Start |
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Creating healthy workplaces |
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Considers what a healthy workplace is, including the physical work environment, the personal health practices of employees, and the psychosocial work environment and hazards. |
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Source: Industrial Accident Prevention Association (IAPA) |
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Towards a healthier workplace: a guidebook on tobacco control policies |
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Designed to support employees and employers who are working to create or strengthen tobacco control in their workplaces, this manual offers information on policy development as well as tools, handouts, case studies and presentation materials. |
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Source: Health Canada |
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An introduction to comprehensive workplace health promotion |
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Provides an overview of comprehensive workplace health promotion, examines steps to help workplaces take action, shares ideas and strategies, and outlines resources. Designed for health promotion practitioners who are new to workplace health promotion or are looking for a refresher. |
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Source: University of Toronto, Centre for Health Promotion, The Health Communication Unit (THCU)
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Influencing the organizational environment to create healthy workplaces |
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Reviews key factors which affect organizational health including stress and mental health, work-life balance, and management practices. Offers strategies to promote the health of the organizational environment, ideas for workplace health promoters, and resources. |
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Source: University of Toronto, Centre for Health Promotion, The Health Communication Unit (THCU)
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Evaluating comprehensive workplace health promotion |
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Provides an overview of process and outcome methods for evaluating comprehensive workplace health promotion. Includes steps for developing and implementing evaluations, a sample logic model, and available resources. |
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Source: University of Toronto, Centre for Health Promotion, The Health Communication Unit (THCU)
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Family violence: it's your business (a workplace toolkit) |
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Provides information and resources for employers, unions and employees for recognizing and responding to family violence situations that enter the workplace. Includes messages, sample policies and safety plans, and a directory of services available to residents of New Brunswick. |
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Source: New Brunswick Family Violence and the Workplace Committee |
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Healthy living @ work : workplace action guide |
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Provides information for workplaces to implement healthy living programs and policies. Focuses on four common preventable risk factors for chronic disease: tobacco use, physical inactivity, unhealthy eating and stress. Offers programming examples. |
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Source: County of Lambton, Community Health Services Department |
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Creating a breastfeeding-friendly workplace: resource package |
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Discusses how workers and employers benefit from a breastfeeding-friendly workplaces. Provides information on how to create a breastfeeding-friendly workplace, a template for creating a workplace policy, and resources for breastfeeding mothers returning to work. |
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Source: Middlesex-London Health Unit |
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Building a healthy workplace: blueprint for success! |
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Explains the elements and importance of comprehensive workplace health. Outlines the steps in creating a workplace health program and preparing a healthy workplace policy. |
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Source: Middlesex-London Health Unit |
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Conversations on work and well-being |
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Exlores approaches to workplace health from nine different case studies of large and small organizations from the private, public and community sectors. Provides a summary of lessons learnedand links to resources for further information. |
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Source: Vanier Institute of the Family (VIF) |
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Domestic violence prevention: a workplace initiative: resource guide for employers |
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Discusses strategies for addressing domestic violence concerns in the workplace. Reviews the use of employee assistance programs, strategies for small businesses, and the importance of engaging community agencies. Includes a list of domestic violence resources for Manitoba residents. |
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Source: Manitoba Women's Directorate |
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Comprehensive workplace health promotion: catalogue of situational assessment tools |
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Presents 29 tools recommended for assessing workplace situations prior to implementation of workplace health promotion programming. Provides guidelines and principles related to situational assessment tools and methodological information for practitioners interested in conducting their own reviews. |
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Source: University of Toronto, Centre for Health Promotion, The Health Communication Unit (THCU) |
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How to get started: your guide to building a healthy workplace |
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Provides guidance for building healthy workplaces. Includes ideas for getting buy-in, forming a health and wellness committee, conducting a needs assessment, creating an action plan, implementing programs, developing policies, and evaluating initiatives. |
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Source: Heart Health Hamilton-Wentworth |
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Wellness program - getting started |
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Provides steps and program suggestions for the initiation, development, and implementation of a workplace health and wellness program. |
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Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) |
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Job design |
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Answers questions on what job design is, how it can help with the organization of work, features of a good job design, common approaches workplaces can take, and steps to carry out on a job design project. Provides an example of a job design checklist. |
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Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) |
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