Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39690706›Full record

ArticleAmerican journal of industrial medicine2025

Evaluating the Effectiveness of an Occupational Health and Safety Management System Certification Program on Firm Work Injury Rates in Alberta, Canada.

Christopher B McLeod, Robert A Macpherson

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in American journal of industrial medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Christopher B McLeodPartnership for Work, Health and Safety, School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-9268-3694
Robert A MacphersonPartnership for Work, Health and Safety, School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-6625-5570

Funding

This research was funded by the Government of Alberta OHS Futures program (https://www.alberta.ca/ohs-futures-research-grants.aspx).
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOccupational health and safety management systems (OHSMS) certification programs have the potential to improve workplace health and safety. In Canada, the Certificate of Recognition (COR) program is an example of such program and has been introduced in many industries and provinces. This study's objective was to identify whether the implementation of the COR program led to greater reduction in firm work-related injuries in Alberta, Canada.

methodsUsing firm- and claim-level data from the Workers' Compensation Board of Alberta and COR registration data from Government of Alberta, the effect of becoming COR-certified on firm-level injury rates was assessed using a matched difference-in-differences study design with population-averaged negative binomial regression models.

resultsA total of 14,377 certified firms were matched with 11,338 non-certified firms during the years 2000 to 2015. Firms that became certified had a greater reduction in the lost-time injury rate (IRR: 0.86, 95% CI 0.83-0.88) and disabling injury rate (IRR 0.97, 95% CI 0.94-1.00) relative to the change in injury rates among similar non-certified firms. The effectiveness of OHSMS certification was strongest in the transportation, manufacturing and trade sectors, in more recent years, and among firms certified using the standard COR program as opposed to the program adapted for small employers.

conclusionsThe findings suggest that COR can be an effective program, but that the effectiveness of this program is dependent on the context in which it is implemented, such as the industry sector, time period, and type of audit program.

Indexed as

CertificationOccupational HealthOccupational InjuriesSafety ManagementAdultAlbertaFemaleHumansIndustryMaleMiddle AgedProgram EvaluationWorkers' CompensationAlbertaCanadacertificationinterventionoccupational health and safety management systemswork injury

Identifiers

PMID39690706
PMCPMC11731497

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.