Agreement aimed at strengthening scientific collaboration and advancing worker well-being
Two of Canada’s leading occupational health and safety institutions, the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) and the Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST), have formalized a five-year partnership aimed at strengthening scientific collaboration and advancing worker well-being across the country.
The agreement outlines a framework for annual meetings, joint research initiatives, and the exchange of scientific knowledge and personnel. Both organizations say the partnership is rooted in shared values of integrity, scientific rigour, and a commitment to preventing workplace injuries and occupational diseases.
Key commitments
Under the agreement, CCOHS and IRSST will:
- Hold annual meetings to set guidelines for joint projects and review ongoing scientific activities, knowledge dissemination, and research funding.
- Establish targeted agreements for specific projects, clearly defining responsibilities, financial terms, schedules, and intellectual property rights.
- Collaborate on joint activities such as exchanging scientific information, participating in committees and working groups, organizing training sessions, seminars, and conferences, and jointly publishing research findings and tools.
“This agreement reinforces the pan-Canadian cooperation that is essential to advancing occupational health and safety research. It will enable us to pool our expertise, develop innovative solutions and better address the realities and specific needs of workplaces,” said Lyne Sauvageau, president and CEO of IRSST, in a statement.
Anne Tennier, president and CEO of CCOHS, echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the partnership’s focus on “advancing worker well-being through knowledge, innovation and collaboration.” Tennier added, “We look forward to working with the IRSST to create lasting improvements in workplace health and safety.”
Building on complementary strengths
In an interview, Tennier described the partnership as a long-anticipated step, noting her personal and professional ties to Quebec and her longstanding interest in closer collaboration with IRSST. She highlighted the complementary strengths of the two organizations: IRSST’s research and laboratory capabilities, and CCOHS’s expertise in knowledge mobilization and nationwide outreach.
“It just seemed like a really good fit together,” Tennier said, pointing to previous cooperative efforts, such as IRSST’s participation in a CCOHS forum on the impact of climate change on workplace health and safety. She noted that the organizations’ different networks—including IRSST’s connections with European research bodies—would help broaden the reach and impact of occupational health and safety research in Canada.
Next steps and future projects
While the agreement sets the stage for future joint research, specific projects have yet to be announced. “We’re really at the very beginning stages,” Tennier said. “We do have a list of ideas that we’re going to explore a little further, but not quite ready for prime time yet. Hopefully in the next few months we start developing some ideas that we can work on.”
In the meantime, CCOHS plans to amplify IRSST’s ongoing research as results are published, and both organizations will continue to reference each other’s work in guidance materials and fact sheets. “It really is about making workers and workplaces safer by providing the best information that we all have at our disposal when it’s available, as soon as it comes out,” Tennier said.
