CONESTOGA COLLEGE
CISWP executive director appointed to role at International Congress on Occupational Health

The executive director of Conestoga's Canadian Institute for Safety, Wellness & Performance (CISWP) was appointed to an executive committee of an international scientific society for occupational health.

The organization is the world's leading international scientific society in the field of occupational health, with a membership of 2,000 professionals from more than 100 countries. It is recognized by the United Nations as a non-governmental organization with close working relationships with the World Health Organization (WHO), International Labour Organization (ILO), International Social Security Association (ISA), and United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment).

The executive committee focuses on critical issues such as workers' compensation, disability insurance, return to work, and rehabilitation of work-related injuries and illnesses.

The appointment is an honour for Yazdani, who looks forward to bringing his expertise and CISWP's work to the committee.

"This is a significant opportunity to contribute to the advancement of work disability prevention and management at a global scale and demonstrates CISWP's leadership in conducting cutting-edge research in this area."

Yazdani joins the committee's more than 300 scientists from around the world with a core executive group of 12 leading international scholars from Sweden, Netherlands, Brazil, Colombia, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.

"I am excited to work with my peers around the globe to make a difference in creating safer, healthier, and more inclusive workplaces," Yazdani said. "The work of this committee is very important to advance our understanding on evidence-informed solutions that help prolong the working life of our workforce and reduce the burden of workplace injuries and disabilities on people, businesses, and our society as a whole."

The cost of workplace injuries and illnesses worldwide is significant, estimated by the ILO at almost $3 trillion annually. That represents 3.94 per cent of the global Gross Domestic Product.

Yazdani spearheaded the development of two national standards on work disability prevention management systems and he serves as the chair of several related committees, as well as being a regular speaker at national and international conferences.

CISWP conducts cutting-edge applied research in addressing work disability prevention and management, including several key projects underway that will have significant impact for businesses across Canada.

The scientific committee has four objectives: to be a forum for scientific and professional knowledge exchange; to address work disability prevention and management that impact labour market entry, work re-entry, work retention, and career advancement; to promote scientific and professional advancement of optimal methods to promote work participation and work ability of workers with a range of health conditions and work situations; and to highlight the complexity of stay-at-work and return-to-work through a transdisciplinary and evidence-based perspective.

The Canadian Institute for Safety, Wellness & Performance is committed to building productive and sustainable workplaces through a collaborative and transdisciplinary approach. CISWP's goal is to position Canada as a global leader in empowering business to adapt and thrive in a competitive economy and aims to improve the safety, wellness and performance of the Canadian workforce through knowledge generation, research transfer, and workforce development.

Working closely with stakeholders, the institute strives to conduct cutting-edge research and develop evidence-informed products, tools, and services to advance their capacity and address knowledge gaps.