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2009 Competitions – Focus on Tomorrow
Seventeen grants were awarded as part of WorkSafeBC's Focus on Tomorrow research program, an annual competition designed to fund independent, scientific studies on issues that are relevant to workers, employers, and WorkSafeBC. Included are smaller, “shop-floor” projects aimed at transferring new knowledge into action or addressing specific occupational hazards (innovation at work grants). A second competition for this funding stream was also conducted in 2009.
The research projects, diverse in their approach, may be designed for practical use in the workplace, for the development of future research, or to achieve scientific outcomes to improve workplace health and safety. The funded projects this year support a wide range of WorkSafeBC research priorities and workplaces. Included are topics relating to safety regulations, injury prevention, return to work, risk of injury assessment, and occupation health and safety education and training.
Six projects were jointly funded by WorkSafeBC and the Workers' Compensation Board of Nova Scotia. This partnership is intended to provide a greater pool of funds for potential research projects and encourage studies that will have broader impact on workplaces across Canada.
Operating grants approved May and July 2009
Eight proposals were approved for funding. In total, 21 proposals were submitted by the closing date.
| Principal investigator | Title of project | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| Emile Tompa | A Comparative Analysis of the Occupational Health and Safety Incentives of Workers’ Compensation Premium Setting in British Columbia and Ontario | Institute for Work & Health |
| Jaime Guzman | Accounting for all the Benefits: How should we judge the worth of occupational health and safety programs in the healthcare sector? | Occupational Health and Safety Agency for Healthcare in British Columbia (OHSAH) |
| Gillian de Gannes | British Columbia Fails to Meet the North American Screening Standards: What are the Implications for Workers with Allergic Contact Dermatitis? | University of British Columbia |
| Peter Smith | Examining Determinants and Consequences of Work-injuries among Older Workers | Institute for Work & Health |
| Mieke Koehoorn | Injury Prevention in Dangerous Industries: Does Certification have an Impact on Tree-faller Injuries? | University of British Columbia |
| George Astrakianakis & Ted Haines | Safety Engineered Medical Devices Activation Study – The B.C. Experience | Occupational Health and Safety Agency for Healthcare in British Columbia (OHSAH) & McMaster University |
| George Astrakianakis | The Evaluation of Acoustical Environments in Long-term Care Facilities and the Risk of Aggressive Behaviour and Work Place Stress | University of British Columbia |
| Douglas Gross | The Return-to-Work Assessment Study: Evaluating Methods for Evaluating Abilities | University of Alberta |
Development grants approved May 2009
Two proposals were approved for funding. In total, five proposals were submitted by the closing date.
| Principal investigator | Title of project | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| John Meech | Confined Space Atmospheric Hazard Risk Assessment | University of British Columbia |
| Byron Gates | Developing Protocol for Handling Nanoscale Particles | Simon Fraser University |
Innovation grants approved May 2009 and January 2010
Seven proposals were approved for funding.
| Principal applicant | Title of project | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| Kevin Lyons | Developing a Remotely Operated Falling Wedge | University of British Columbia |
| Annalee Yassi | Building Capacity of Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committees: Creating an Innovative Web-based Tool | University of British Columbia |
| Wendell Uglene | On Water Visibility Study - Determining the most Visible Colour that can be Worn by Floating Subjects | Mustang Survival Corp. |
| Doug Bennett | A Safety Assessment System for Resource Roads | FPInnovations-FERIC Division |
| Catherine Ogden | Development of an Online Repository of OH&S Education and Training Resources for Healthcare: Phase 1 | Occupational Health and Safety Agency for Healthcare in British Columbia (OHSAH) |
| Richard Shervey | Mobile Equipment Safety System | Pro-active Safety Systems Technologies Inc. |
| Mel Sawyer | Preventing Needle-stick Injuries and the use of Dental Safety Syringes | University of British Columbia |