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Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the association between the perceived adequacy of infection control practices (ICPs) and symptoms of anxiety among educators in Ontario, Canada., Methods: Data from 4947 educators were collected in December 2020. Modified Poisson models assessed the association between adequacy of ICPs and moderate or severe anxiety symptoms, adjusting for a range of covariates., Results: Approximately 60% of respondents reported moderate or severe anxiety symptoms. Two-thirds (66.5%) of the sample had less than half of their ICP needs met. Respondents with less than half their ICP needs met were more than three times more likely to have moderate or severe anxiety, compared with respondents with their ICP needs met., Conclusion: Findings highlight the importance of adequate administrative and engineering controls in schools, not only to minimize risk of infection, but also for educator's mental health., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: K.I. was employed with the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (EFTO) while this work was completed but is no longer employed by ETFO., (Copyright © 2022 American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.)

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine differences in activity limitations at work among men and women, and the relative contributions that chronic conditions and occupational characteristics have on these differences., Methods: Secondary data from the Canadian Community Health Surveys were used. Path analysis examined the role of mediating variables (chronic conditions and occupational characteristics) in male-female differences in work activity limitations., Results: The prevalence of activity limitations at work was higher in women (15.0%) than in men (12.3%). Arthritis, migraines, diabetes, heart disease, and mood disorders, as well as high physical demands and prolonged standing were associated with an increased risk of work activity limitations. The increased risk of work activity limitations among women was completely explained by mediating variables., Conclusions: This study suggests that male-female differences in work activity limitations can be explained by differences in chronic conditions and occupational characteristics.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the association between insurance premium incentives and claim outcomes in two different workers' compensation programs., Methods: Regression models were run for claim outcomes using data from two Canadian jurisdictions with different experience-rating programs-one with prospective (British Columbia) and another with retrospective (Ontario) adjustment of premiums. Key explanatory variables were past premium adjustments., Results: For both programs, past premium adjustments were significantly associated with claim outcomes, suggesting adjustments provided incentives for claims reduction. The magnitudes of effects in the prospective program were smaller than the retrospective one, though relative persistence of effects over time was larger., Conclusion: Having large and immediate employer responses to incentives may appear desirable, but insurers should consider the time required for employers to improve and sustain good practices, and create incentives that parallel such time lines.

Objective: To investigate the incentive for primary and secondary prevention associated with experience rating in a retrospective workers' compensation program., Methods: Panel data on 21,558 firms from 1998 to 2007 were used to estimate the relationship between the degree of experience rating and seven measures of workplace occupational health and safety outcomes. We focused on the impact of a policy change in 2004 in which the degree of experience rating was substantially increased for all firms., Results: The 2004 increase in experience rating was associated with a reduction in the total, lost-time, no-lost-time, benefit days, permanent impairment, musculoskeletal disorder, and acute trauma claim rates. These observed changes follow secular trends., Conclusion: The association of experience rating with some claim outcomes and not others in some time periods suggests that firms may focus on claims and cost management practices.

Objective: To examine the relationships between arthritis, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, and back problems, and the risk of work-related injuries (WRIs) and work-related repetitive strain injuries (RSIs)., Methods: Using data from the 2003 and 2005 Canadian Community Health Surveys (n = 79,114), we examined the relationship between each chronic condition and WRIs and RSIs, adjusting for various demographic and work-related variables that may confound this relationship., Results: Statistically elevated risks were observed for arthritis and back problems for both WRIs and RSIs among both men and women. Diabetes was also associated with a statistically elevated risk of RSIs among women., Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that the increasing prevalence of chronic conditions, in particular arthritis, back problems, and diabetes, will have important implications for the prevention of workplace injuries.

Objective: To examine trends in health care usage and expenditures associated with no-lost-time claims in Ontario over a 15-year period., Methods: A secondary analysis of administrative workers' compensation claims occurring between 1991 and 2006 (N = 2,290,101). We used regression analysis to model health care expenditures using a zero-inflated linear model, adjusting for age, gender, industry group and size of payroll., Results: The probability of using health care increased over the time period. Health care expenditures per claim declined between 1991 and 1997, but then increased between 1998 and 2006, coinciding with the introduction of occupational health and safety legislation promoting early return to work in Ontario., Conclusions: Our results provide support to the hypothesis that the increasing use of workplace accommodation since 1998 is a driver of the relatively stable rate of no-lost-time claims in Ontario.