Friday June 23

Understanding Post-COVID-19 Condition in Canada

Dr. Sarah Viehbeck, Chief Science Officer, reports what we know, don’t know, and a framework for action: Research, Patient/Family Support & Preparedness. What can we do in workplaces to recognize, assess and control the hazards that contribute to COVID-19 infection and prevent and mitigate the associated harm? Hosted by Kevin Hedges, Ph.D, CIH, COH, Occupational Hygienist, OHCOW Eastern Region/Ottawa Clinic.

Friday August 25

Let's Collaborate on Solutions for Cleaner School Air!

Better ventilation and air quality means better health for children and reduces virus spread. This popular session includes a look at recent Australia experience, efforts and guidance plus how standards for cleaner air can be leveraged, all framed by an introduction to grassroots school safety advocacy efforts from across the country.

Friday, October 6

Managing Mixed Immunity and Related Infection Risks

This session seeks to unwrap the complexity and variety of factors affecting risk of acute and chronic impacts in the context of workplace prevention strategy. Professor Dawn Bowdish, PhD discusses her research on individual and age group immune susceptibility, and how it can be applied to workplace prevention.

Friday, January 30

OCC-COVID Webinars 2024: Health Care Impact, Lessons and Choices

The ever-present SARS CoV-2 virus (and its endless mutations and "wicked" complexity of disease) seem impossible to solve. Understanding the personal and societal impact can drive a perspective shift that allows each of us to find and implement transmission control and harm mitigation strategies that can make a difference in our home, work and recreational activities.

Occ-COVID Year 5

Managing Mask Madness – Benefits, Challenges & Solutions

Masks are a key tool in the fight against aerosol hazards, but much maligned and misunderstood. Review latest research, controversy & new CSA standard. Masks and respirators have been key tools in worker protection and infection control for decades, yet they have become objects of ridicule and extensive mis-information. This session discusses their efficacy and use parameters to maximize their effectiveness in our illness prevention toolkit.

General Electric Peterborough Project 2024 Update

Our team has continued to gather and review available medical and work history records for individual GE clients. We also research and review available evidence from scientific studies and clinical literature of health conditions that have links to past workplace exposures at GE Peterborough.

What did we accomplish this year?

We conducted outreach to workers and their next-of-kin.

• We mailed project update newsletters to workers and their families.​
• We conducted follow-up outreach to workers or their next-of-kin through phone calls and/or letters.
• We supported workers and their families to navigate the WSIB claims process, including assisting with the initial paperwork to file claims, and linking workers with worker representative services for claims.

We completed foundational work on sentinel cases of esophageal, colon, and lung cancer in support of GE workers WSIB compensation claims.

• Through this foundational work OHCOW hygienists were able to create an OH report template, for each diagnosis related to exposures experienced by GE workers, using standardized text and a thorough examination of all available information. This approach will allow for timely, concise, and consistent exposure assessments of similar types of denied claims.

We built a stronger new collaboration with the Office of the Worker Advisor (OWA).

• OHCOW and OWA has jointly designed a shared case tracking list stored in a secure location where both organizations can update in real-time to greatly improve communication and transparency to better help the injured workers we serve.

What’s coming next?

• We plan to conduct extensive worker outreach in 2024-2025 through follow-up phone calls and letters to workers or their next-of-kin, to update your information and determine what further supports we can provide.
• We will continue reviewing the individual client files of GE workers with our interdisciplinary team in collaboration with the OWA.
• We will continue to support workers to complete the initial paperwork to start workers’ compensation (WSIB) claims for health conditions related to their workplace exposures, and to link them with services from the Office of the Worker Adviser to represent them on claims and appeals.

We want to hear from you!

• Did you or your family member work at General Electric in Peterborough?
• Do you have concerns about the impact of your work on your health?
• Contact OHCOW for further information or to register with us as part of our GE Peterborough worker cohort.

Go to General Electric Project Page

McIntyre Powder Project 2024 Update

McIntyre Powder (finely ground aluminum dust) was administered to mine workers in Ontario in most gold and uranium mines between 1943 and 1979, under the mistaken belief that it would prevent the lung disease silicosis.

Since 2016, OHCOW has been actively investigating the health issues linked to McIntyre Powder and multiple other mining exposures experienced by Ontario mine workers, such as diesel engine exhaust, respirable crystalline silica, lubricants, ionizing radiation, arsenic, solvents, dusts, fumes, and more.

What did we accomplish this year?

We conducted outreach to workers and their next-of-kin.

• We mailed project update newsletters to workers and their families.​ Read the latest information about Research, Medical Updates, WSIB Policies March 2024 Issue
• We conducted follow-up outreach to workers or their next-of-kin through phone calls and/or letters.
• Our team hosted a public (virtual) information session regarding cardiovascular disease and McIntyre Powder exposure in February 2024.
• We supported workers and their families to navigate the WSIB claims process, including assisting with the initial paperwork to file claims, and linking workers with worker representative services for claims.
• Information about OHCOW services, including OHCOW reports on mining exposures and health, was provided during in-person public outreach sessions through our community partner (McIntyre Powder Project), in Red Lake, ON in September 2023 and in Sudbury, ON in November 2023.

We finalized reports relevant to mining exposures and health and made them available to the public to support workers’ compensation claims.

• We provided our MP mine workers (or their legal next-of-kin) with individual medical and occupational hygiene reports addressing their specific work exposures and health issues. These reports supported the pursuit of individual WSIB claims.
• We built new infrastructure to support our ongoing client work.
• We finalized and published to our website the following in-depth reports dealing with scientific evidence linking mining exposures with health issues, and addressing WSIB policies and guidelines for claims decisions:

1.  Lung Cancer and Exposures in Ontario Hard Rock Mines;
2.  Radiation (Radon) in Ontario Uranium Mines:  WSIB Policy, Exposure Data and Risk of Lung Cancer;
3.  Review of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) Adjudicative Support Material Binder (ASMB) for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) used in the adjudication of claims from Ontario miners;
4.  Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis:  Occupational Exposures as a Risk Factor.

• We converted all of our MP client files to electronic format, to make it easier for our multidisciplinary team to collaborate on our individual client work and our investigation of health and exposure issues common to multiple clients within the McIntyre Powder (MP)-exposed group.

What’s coming next?

• We plan to conduct extensive worker outreach in 2024-2025 through follow-up phone calls and letters to workers or their next-of-kin, to update your information and determine what further supports we can provide to you.
• We will start the process of reviewing the individual client files of our MP workers who were diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases, to determine if their work exposures, including to McIntyre Powder, may be linked to the development of their cardiovascular disease.
• We will continue to support workers to complete the initial paperwork to start workers’ compensation (WSIB) claims for health conditions related to their mining exposures, and to link them with services from the Office of the Worker Adviser to represent them on claims and appeals.
• We will continue our ongoing work to gather, compile, and review individual client medical and work history records, and to provide individual reports to workers regarding the contribution of their work exposures to the development of their health issues.

We want to hear from you!

• Did you or your family member work in Ontario mines that used McIntyre Powder?
• Do you have concerns about the impact of your work on your health?
• Contact OHCOW at 1-800-461-7120 for further information or to register with us as part of our group of McIntyre Powder-exposed mine workers.

Go to McIntyre Powder Project Page

Ventra 2024 Update

What did we accomplish this year?

• We mailed project update newsletters to workers and their families.
• We continued to conduct health and work and exposure interviews with workers and their families.
• We have conducted reproductive questionnaires with Women who have expressed that they have expressed reproductive health concerns.
• We supported workers and their families to navigate the WSIB claims process, including assisting with the initial paperwork to file claims, completing the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board Intent to object Form (ITO) and actively collaborating with Unifor Local 1987 and The Office of The Worker Advisor(OWA)

What’s coming next?

• We intent to carryout through worker outreach in 2024-2025 by conducting follow up calls and update letters to workers and their family members. The purpose is to update their health information and assess how we can offer additional support to the Pebra/Ventra Plastics workers and their families.
• We will continue our ongoing work in the collection, compilation, and examination of the individual client files, medical and work and exposure history. We will further review client files and provide reports detailing the correlation between the workers work and exposure and the onset health issues.
• We will continue to work with our Interdisciplinary team to review files and provide reports to the workers or estates legal representatives to submit to The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board(WSIB) on their behalf.
• We held an information session in Peterborough on March 26th and provided the workers and their family members with an update on the project, introduced the Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) and provided information on how to file a claim with The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board(WSIB) if they have a illness that they believed may be related to their Occupational Exposures

We want to hear from you!

• Did you or your family member work at Pebra/Ventra Plastics
• Do you have concerns about the impact of your work on your health?
• Please Contact our Occupational Health Coordinator, Jessica Montgomery at 1-613-218-7345 for further information or to register with us as part of our group of Ventra Plastics Project

Contact:

Jessica Montgomery at 1-613-218-7345

OR: 1-877-817-0336

EMAIL: peterborough@ohcow.on.ca 

*Calls and inquiries are completely confidential

For workers with reproductive health concerns:

Concerns have been raised about reproductive health issues among Ventra workers. Are you experiencing any of the following?

• Endometriosis
• Uterine fibroids
• Excessively painful periods
• Excessive menstrual bleeding

If so, please reach out to the Occupational Health Clinic for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) to participate in our reproductive health survey.We are investigating potential linkages to workplace duties or hazards.

Go to Ventra Pebra Project Web page

Dryden Project 2024 Update

Weyerhaeuser RB4 Project

The Dryden Weyerhaeuser Recovery Boiler #4 (RB4) project involves retrospectively assessing the health risk, and exposure profiling, for workers exposed to “un-scrubbed” stack emissions from the recovery boiler project work which occurred between 2002 and 2004. The RB4 construction project involved about 400 workers from various trades.

Apart from indication that some workers may have suffered from chronic toxic encephalopathy (CTE), there were numerous health effects reported via an intake clinic held in 2004 at Thunder Bay. Since 2004, OHCOW has been actively investigating worker health issues, that have been linked to the exposures such as for example CTE. CTE usually represents a chronic persistent diffuse injury to the brain resulting from cumulative or repeated exposures (often over a period of months or years).

Information has been collected in the follow up years from both records including anecdotal information. The OHCOW project also has been meeting monthly with the Dryden RB4 Committee and the Thunder Bay and District Injured Workers Support Group (TBIWSG).

What did we accomplish this year?

• Several cases have been selected for exposure profiling. Background records have been compiled for these individuals, along with pertinent information such as the chemical constituents of emissions necessary for sentinel retrospective exposure reviews (RER). There is a cocktail of chemicals associated with un-scrubbed paper mill emissions and understanding the chemistry and levels of exposure are critical to determine causation and linkage with illnesses and injuries reported such as CTE.
• Information from all of the prior investigations and approximately 840 records have been centralised. A master list of over 450 workers have been compiled, and many files have been reopened.
• A working relationship has also been cemented with the Thunder Bay and District Injured Workers Groups in addition to providing instruction in the WSIB processes to pro bono law students associated with the project. More recently during 2023 and 2024 OHCOW has participated in monthly committee meetings regarding the Dryden Project with the Thunder Bay and District Injured Workers Group to align our work and synthesize activities.
• Two public information sessions were also hosted in June and November 2023 with active participation by volunteers and OHCOW.

What’s Coming Next?

The next steps for this project include:

• Carrying out an up-to-date literature review to evaluate the latest evidence linking exposures to paper mill emissions with adverse health effects including CTE.
• Finishing working on the sentinel cases as this may encourage more workers to come forward and pave the way for others to submit claims with similar health complaints.
• Continuing to participate in committee meetings and town hall meetings to engage new workers and assist with the planning for an in-person town hall meeting.
• Continuing to follow-up with workers and assist wherever possible as they navigate the WSIB claims process. Also, connect them to the OWA where appropriate.
• Continuing to open files for any new workers that come into this project and add them to our active worker section on the master list.

We want to hear from you!

• Did you or a family member work on the project between 2002-2004?
• Do you need assistance with opening an RB4 WSIB claim?
• Do you need direction on how to appeal a denied WSIB claim?
• Are you experiencing neurological and/or other illnesses that you feel are due to your workplace exposures?
• Contact OHCOW at 807-623-3566 for further assistance or feel free to complete the questionnaire on our Cluster Projects web page (link below)

Go to Dryden Weherhaeuser Web Page

Algoma Steel 2024 Update

Background

Algoma Steel, (formally Essar Steel) was founded in 1902, and is the largest employer in Sault Ste Marie and the second largest Steel producer in Canada.  Algoma Steel currently employees more than 2,700 unionized workers of United Steel Workers Local 2251 (USW Local 2251) and United Steelworkers Local 2724 (USW Local 2724). Their products are used in automotive, construction, energy, manufacturing, tube and steel distribution industries.

In May of 2008, USW Local 2251 held a 2-day Occupational Disease intake clinic in collaboration with the Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW). Workers and their families had approached the union after being diagnosed with various Occupational illnesses. At the time of the intake clinic, Sault Ste Marie had four times the provincial cancer rate, according to the Algoma and District Health Unit and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) statistics. USW Local 2251 members accounted for 3% of the provincial Occupational Disease fatalities registered with WSIB.

540 USW Local 2251 members and their families attended the intake clinic on May 7th and 8th. After the clinic, they held five additional mini-intake sessions surveying an additional 193 workers. As a result, 1,165 claims were filed by USW Local 2251, 261 claims were allowed and 596 were denied. These denied claims were continued to be worked on by USW Local 2251, and files continued to be referred to OHCOW.

Intervention/Approach  

In 2022, OHCOW reopen the Algoma Steel cluster investigation project. OHCOW established an interdisciplinary team to review the previously denied claims. Letters were sent to past clients and workers who attended the intake clinic in 2008 re-offering services. The OHCOW team commenced consent calls, requested WSIB claim files and are reviewing the WSIB claim files and moving the cases through interdisciplinary consult meetings. We will review the literature and/or law and legislation and determine if these previously denied claims can now be supported.

The risk factors for cancer and various illnesses are multifactorial. For the patient to be entitled to benefits, a causal relationship between the occupational exposure and the diagnosis must be demonstrated. Lung Cancer and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is the most predominant illness to come out of the Algoma Steel Cluster investigation project. Workplace exposures of asbestos, silica, coke oven emissions, respirable dusts etc. continue to be reviewed by our hygienists.

At this time our Algoma Cluster investigation team continues to work through files that have been reopened as well as newly referred files, this is an ongoing project.  In 2024-2025, we will continue to contact workers or their next-of-kin through follow-up phone calls and letters to update their information and determine what further support can be provided.  As part of our ongoing work, we will continue to obtain, compile, and review medical records and work histories of individual clients, and we will develop individual reports regarding the contribution of work exposures to health issues.

We want to hear from you!

• Did you or your family member work at Algoma Steel?
• Do you have concerns about the impact of your work on your health?
• Contact The Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) at 1-800-461-7120 for further information or to register with us as part of our Algoma Steel cluster investigation.

Neelon Casting Project 2024 Update

Introduction

The Neelon Casting project investigates the Occupational exposures and working conditions at a Steel foundry that specialized in brake parts manufacturing in Sudbury, Ontario.

Established in 1975 under the name Neelon Steel, then Neelon casting the facility underwent ownership changes to become Dana brake parts and eventually Affinia Canada Corp. In 2007, the plant, which employed 240 workers at the time, closed.

Throughout the 32 years of the Foundry’s operation, it provided employment to over 2000 unionized workers. Since the inception of this project, more than 500 former Neelon Casting workers and their family members have reached out to The United Steelworkers, Local 2020 to share and document their experiences working at the plant.

Since 2020, the Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) have been actively engaged investigating the health concerns reported by the Neelon Casting workers and their families. This effort seeks to deepen our comprehension of the connections between the working conditions, chemical exposures, and the prevailing health issues noted among the former employees.

What did we accomplish this year?

• We mailed project update newsletters to workers and their families.​
• We continued to conduct work and exposure interviews with workers and their families.
• We supported workers and their families to navigate the WSIB claims process, including assisting with the initial paperwork to file claims, and working with The United Steelworkers, Local 2020.
• Our Occupational hygienists created a data base to store all the Ministry of Labour documentation that was previously requested through Freedom of Information requests.
• Our occupational physicians have reviewed all the Neelon Casting files that have been denied due to medical and if they were able to support the claim have provided written reports to the worker representatives to support to The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.

What’s coming next?

• We plan to conduct extensive worker outreach in 2024-2025 through follow-up phone calls and letters to workers or their next-of-kin, to update your information and determine what further supports we can provide to the Neelon Casting Workers and their families.
• We anticipate that the Retrospective exposure profile of the plant will be completed and forwarded to The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board by the end of 2024.
• We will continue to support workers to complete the initial paperwork to initiate Workplace Safety and Insurance Board claims (WSIB) for health conditions related to their exposures at the Neelon Casting Foundry, and to link them with services from The United Steelworkers (USW) Local 2020 or The Office of The Worker Advisor (OWA)
• We will continue our ongoing work in the collection, compilation, and examination of the individual client files, medical and work and exposure history. We will further review client files and provide reports detailing the correlation between the workers work and exposure and the onset health issues.

We want to hear from you!

• Did you or your family member work at Neelon Casting, Dana Brake Parts of Affina Canada Corp?
• Do you have concerns about the impact of your work on your health?
• Please Contact our Occupational Health Coordinator, Jessica Montgomery at 1-613-218-7345 for further information or to register with us as part of our group of the Neelon Casting project.

GO TO NEELON WEB PAGE

Kellogg's Project 2024 Update

In 2014, fifteen patients were seen by OHCOW from the Kellogg’s plant in London, Ontario, which closed that year. The workers presented with a variety of nasal and respiratory symptoms. The respirologist that saw these workers thought that the Kellogg’s dust exposures contributed to most people’s sinus/nasal/respiratory problems. It was not known if workers’ compensation (WSIB) claims were initiated.

What did we accomplish this year?

We reviewed all files and developed a plan.

• All fifteen files were reviewed. No mention of WSIB claims were on file.
• It was identified that advocacy will be needed for those workers.
• Overarching documents developed reviewed all patient files and the group file.
• A compilation of their collective illnesses was categorized into priority categories.
• A call script was prepared.
• We reached out to the previous health and safety representative and a worker from that plant.
• A poster to post on the Kellogg’s Facebook page was developed.
• An updated list of last know contact information for the fifteen workers was checked with Canada 411, and a search for any obituaries was conducted.

What’s coming next?

• Advocacy for this worker group is being identified and solidified.
• We plan to conduct extensive worker outreach in 2024-2025 though phone calls, and letters to workers or their next-of-kin, to update their information and take histories to identify occupational diseases in workers from Kellogg’s or from any of their other work experience.
• Once advocacy is finalized, we will connect workers with advocates to initiate Form 6’s for their occupational diseases.
• We will start the ongoing work of gathering, compiling, and reviewing WSIB claims that may have been submitted in years’ past, and currently.
• For denied claims, we will arrange for medical and industrial hygiene assessments to provide individual reports for workers and their workers’ compensation (WSIB) claims for health conditions related to their work exposures.

Most Successful RSI Day Ever

The event this year was the most successful RSI Day event OHCOW has hosted in the event’s 25-year history. Since 2021, the RSI Day webinar has been altered from a full one-day event into a four- week 2-hour webinar series for the entire month of February. Each week consisted of a different theme to address multiple issues relating to Ergonomics and musculoskeletal disorders. Specific demographic information about the attendees to gain greater insight into the ever-evolving nature of the stakeholders attending such sessions.

See the full RSI Day 2024 Report.

Focus on Workers: 25 year History & Opioid Harm Reduction

WEEK 1. Thursday, February 8

The History of RSI Day, Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain and Opioid Misuse, Opioid-related harms among Ontario workers. Managing chronic musculoskeletal pain safely is key to improving health outcomes for workers and the newly launched Opioids and Work Data Tool,

Attended Live: 819 (86.4% of registered)    Youtube Views*: 182

Clinical Lessons on Key Musculoskeletal Disorders

WEEK 2. Thursday February 15

This session examines the anatomy, causes, symptoms, diagnosis and prevention of Plantar Fasciitis at work. Improved and Systematic Physical Demand Analysis in the Workplace. Risk identification, evaluation, and mitigation — aiming at the development of modified work within the return-to-work program. Epicondylitis is a musculoskeletal disorder affecting the elbow.

Attended Live: 822 (89.4% of registered)    Youtube Views*: 331

Cost/Benefit: Understanding Financial & Psychosocial Harm

WEEK 3. Thursday February 22

Intervention Cost-Benefit Calculator, several freely available cost-benefit models will be shared.
Ontario's Cost Calculator and Related Resources, Measuring Workplace Stress Among RSI Day Participants – 6 years later.

Attended Live: 543 (70.3% of registered)    Youtube Views*: 150

Knowledge@OHCOW: Products & Tools for Workers & Workplaces

WEEK 4. Thursday February 29

OHCOW Ergonomic Tools, APPs and Calculators Office ergonomics are more important now than ever. This session looks at the revised and updated Office Ergo Calculator, Anthropometric Calculator, Keyboard Short Cut Tutorial, and Cold Stress Calculator. Introducing JobAssess, a New Job Demands Analysis Tool.

Attended Live: 526 (57.6% of registered)    Youtube Views*: 86

*as of March 9, 2024

Session 2: COPSOQ Joint Session – Research into Practice

A unique opportunity to look at the international use and impact of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire, an important workplace mental health/stress prevention survey tool

OHCOW hosted the biannual COPSOQ (Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire) Network meeting in Hamilton on May 11 & 12 that discussed the technicalities of the survey and its use around the world. It was scheduled it in May to intersect with our annual Mayday, Mayday Symposium on Workplace Mental Health and Injury Prevention. Research into Practice is a combined event including our regular audience of worker activists and advocates, Workers Compensation and OHS professionals, regulators, and researchers as well as others interested in the COPSOQ from around the world. This is one of three virtual sessions as a complement to the full-day, in-person* Joint COPSOQ & OHCOW Network Meeting in Hamilton, ON.

The 9th International Workshop on the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire was to discuss the technicalities of the survey and its use around the world, took place in Hamilton, Ontario.   The Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire has been used in thousands of enterprise-based risk assessments of psychosocial factors and in many scientific research projects including comparative studies among various countries in Europe and abroad. To learn more about COPSOQ, see their web site.

The virtual sessions:

A. Canadian Survey Results and Trends

John Oudyk hosts three of the sessions on Canadian National Survey Results & Trends: How Stressed are We?, The Big Picture, Data Analysis,  Details and Patterns, and Finding trends – Comparing 2016, 2019 and Today The Current Story – Qualitative Comments, Daryl Stephenson. It is followed by a discussion includes the audience.

B. Survey Use and Challenges in Canada

In the first session entitled StressAssess Success Stories, representatives from the Burlington Family Health Team, Infrastructure Health and Safety Association, and the Ontario Nurses Association share their stories of using OHCOW's StressAssess tool in their workplaces. Short /”Pulse” survey experience, includes a Research update, Hanne Berthelsen, Dr. Odont., MPH, DDS, Associate Professor/Researcher, Malmö University and a Case Study, John Oudyk. Pre-Survey Planning, Trust and Engagement Challenges, Geoffrey Thompson, MPH, Occupational Health Nurse, Occupational Health Centre, Manitoba

C. Workplace Mental Health Survey Use Around the World

New US Healthy Worker Survey Update, Dr. Marnie Dobson, International Survey Highlights, COPSOQ Network Panel Discussion: Use of WMH Surveys given existential risks like war, disease and climate change?