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2010 Competitions – Focus on Tomorrow
Twenty-six grants were awarded as part of WorkSafeBC's 2010 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 2010.
The 2010 competitions produced some excellent projects that target a range of issues of importance and relevance to WorkSafeBC and its stakeholders. Of special note is the number of projects that emphasize the importance of knowledge transfer and exchange efforts. In addition to the emphasis on knowledge dissemination, the projects address other research priorities including: Prevention of occupational exposures, reduction of high risk injuries, return-to-work strategies, investigation into emerging diseases, and measurement of safety culture or other leading indicators of safety.
Seven projects were jointly funded by WorkSafeBC, Alberta Employment and Immigration, and the Workers' Compensation Boards of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, WorkSafe Saskatchewan and the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission of Newfoundland & Labrador. These partnerships are 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 2010
Ten proposals were approved for funding. In total, 18 proposals were submitted by the closing date.
| Principal investigator | Title of project | Institution |
|---|---|---|
Delia Roberts |
An Investigation into the Etiology of Injuries in Ski-area Employees: Do Proprioceptive Deficits of the Spine and Peripheral Joints or Poor Blood Glucose Management affect Musculoskeletal and Fall and Struck-by/against Injuries? |
Selkirk College |
Melanie Rock |
"What was he thinking?": Cultural Factors in Manual Tree Felling Safety |
University of Calgary |
Tim Takaro |
Assessment of Beryllium Disease Risk in Pre-selected BC Industries |
Simon Fraser University |
Kevin Lyons |
Can Attributes Indentified at the Harvest Planning Stage be used to Predict the Frequency of Close Calls and Severe Injuries when Manually Falling Trees? |
University of British Columbia |
Hugh Davies |
Capacity Development for a Canadian Workplace Exposure Database |
University of British Columbia |
George Astrakianakis |
Development of an Integrated Risk Assessment and Risk Management Tool for Health Care in BC. Phase 1 - Assessment of Chemical Exposure Hazards Encountered by Health Care |
University of British Columbia |
J. Don Read |
Investigating Industrial Investigators: |
Simon Fraser University |
Helene Bertrand |
Prolotherapy in the Treatment of Supraspinatus Tendinopathy |
University of British Columbia |
Annalee Yassi |
Systematic Review of Joint Health and Safety Committees: the Compliance and Effectiveness of JHSC |
University of British Columbia |
Mieke Koehoorn |
Workplace Fatal and Serious Injuries in British Columbia: Comparison of Case Ascertainment across Data Sources |
University of British Columbia |
Development grants approved May 2010
Five proposals were approved for funding. In total, 10 proposals were submitted by the closing date.
| Principal investigator | Title of project | Institution |
|---|---|---|
Mark Fleming |
Assessing Employee Safety Motivation |
Saint Mary's University |
Nicola Cherry |
Females Welding and the Unborn Child |
University of Alberta |
Anne-Marie Nicol |
H1N1, Perceived Risk and Decisions across Healthcare Occupations |
University of British Columbia |
John Kozey |
Integrated Knowledge Transfer: A Critical Component in the Development of a Relevant Multidisciplinary Protocol to Study the Effects of Work Duration on Recovery of Low Back Injury |
Dalhousie University |
Bob Barnetson |
The Relationship between Workplace Safety Culture, Safety Behaviour and Injury Claims |
Athabasca University |
Innovation grants approved May 2010 & December 2010
Eleven proposals were approved for funding. In total, 43 proposals were submitted in 2010.
| Principal applicant | Title of project | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| Jack Taunton | A Clinical Trial of a Multi-element Exercise Program for Plantar Fasciopathy in Workers Required to Stand for Prolonged Periods of Time | University of British Columbia |
| Ian Tomm | Avalanche Floatation Devices – Current Status at the Canadian Workplace | Canadian Avalanche Association |
| Martha Cloutier | Creating a Safe Client Handling Culture in the Challenging Environment of Emergency Departments | Fraser Health Authority |
| Byron Gates | Detecting, Handling and Controlling Nanoparticle Contamination | Simon Fraser University |
| Brent Langlois | Safeguarding our Indigenous Communities: Measuring the Health and Safety Culture of Aboriginal Fire Crews and Emergency Service Personnel in British Columbia | First Nations' Emergency Services Society (FNESS) |
| Mieke Koehoorn | Seeking Compensation for Mesothelioma: Investigating why Individuals do or do not seek Workers’ Compensation Benefits in British Columbia | University of British Columbia |
| David Malloy | Work & Hardiness: Exploring Rate of Return and Existential Courage | University of Regina |
Dwayne Van Eerd |
Dissemination and Uptake of a Participatory Ergonomics Guide for Workplaces in British Columbia |
Institute for Work & Health |
Rick Hall |
Ergonomic Syringe Adapter |
Vancouver Coastal Health (PHSA) |
Steven Threadkell |
FIT - Fishboat Inclinometer Testing |
PortShip Consulting Inc. |
Marc White |
Health and Work Productivity Web-Portal: Knowledge to action for disability prevention and management - A Pilot Study |
University of British Columbia |