CROSH News

(April 18, 2023) – The Centre for Research in Occupational Safety and Health (CROSH) at Laurentian University is pleased to announce that the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD) has invested $2.5 million, over the next 5 years, to support the core activities of the Centre.

“Our mission is simple – to keep workers out of danger,” said Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. “Our government is proud to be funding programs like this in Northern Ontario that keep workers safe on the job and give them and their families greater peace of mind. Working together, we are well on our way to making Ontario the best place in North America to live, work and raise a family.”

The province understands that Northern Ontario has unique occupational health and safety problems to solve and recognizes the role of CROSH as a partner research Centre in achieving its strategic objectives. For example, Northern communities have higher concentrations of resource-based industries, unique environmental challenges, as well as differing demographics.

“CROSH is an excellent example of a research centre working directly with industry partners and the public sector to solve problems in our local communities. We are thankful for the Ministry’s investment in this important research, ” said Dr. Sheila Embleton, Interim President and Vice-Chancellor of Laurentian University.

In the past 5 years, CROSH has solved workplace problems with 37 business partners, placed 71 students in paid internships, and awarded $124,000 in student scholarships. In that time, the research centre has also raised over $5.5 million in grants, research contracts, and donations.

“CROSH does world-class research with state-of-the-art facilities that no other universities in Ontario have. We are fortunate to have this research happening right here in Northern Ontario, in the communities that will directly benefit from these advancements,” said Dr. Tammy Eger, Vice-President Research at Laurentian University. CROSH is home to the $1 million Workplace Simulator, infrastructure that allows for the recreation of work tasks predominant in Northern Ontario, to allow for the testing of solutions in a lab setting, and a mobile research lab to allow the solutions to be taken directly to the work sites and communities to be implemented.

CROSH Director, Dr. Sandra Dorman added, “This investment allows us to expand our research services and student training while maintaining our system partner collaborations. It also underscores the province’s commitment to the long-term sustainability of the first Occupational Health and Safety Research Centre addressing the specific research needs of Northern Ontario.”

WBV101 provides learners with an appreciation of the nature of whole-body vibration (WBV) hazards in the workplace and the effects of WBV on a worker. The course also outlines the detailed approach of carrying out a WBV assessment in the workplace and the significance of measured data in relation to the various standards of compliance.

Expand your health and safety-related skills and knowledge with this CROSH course. Developed and instructed by Dr. Katie Goggins, this WBV101 can help you further your professional safety career: Course hours can count towards Canadian Certified Professional Ergonomist (CCPE), Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP), and Canadian Registered Occupational Hygienist (ROH) designations.