Partner Organizations
The Centre works from the principle that joint projects are important in building rich relationships with stakeholders. The exchange of information builds the trust and confidence in each other that is needed in order to identify and work on Collaborative Projects. With our collaborative research projects, the partners may help formulate the research question, help with the design, proposal writing, data collection, interpretation, writing-up, tool development, and dissemination of the research findings.

In Ontario, CRE-MSD researchers have collaborated with health and safety associations in construction, transportation, electrical & utilities, manufacturing, service sector, health, mining, municipalities, and pulp & paper. We have collaborated with a number of unions (including CEP, CAW, Steelworkers Union, Teamsters, OPSEU, CUPE and the Building Trades Council). We have also collaborated with numerous companies, firms and associations. We have also built a strong relationship with members of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) and the Ministry of Labour. In 2011, we will continue to build on these relationships and involve as many stakeholder groups as possible in our research processes.

Creating partnerships between researchers and stakeholders can be challenging, sometimes frustrating, and is always time-consuming. But the advantages vastly outweigh the drawbacks. Involving workplace parties, and embracing their co-creation capacity, makes our research more applicable and credible to workplaces. Our workplace partners bring a thorough knowledge of their sector, their work and the problems that face their workers. Their involvement leads to more relevant research questions and research findings that can be more readily incorporated into practice.

Collaboration allows researchers to gain a Deeper knowledge of the sector, explore areas of greatest need for investigation and interventions, identify some of the barriers and facilitators of implementing ergonomic programs, and get a feel for the uniqueness of the sector. Another advantage is that the engagement of workplace parties leads to improved uptake and utilization of research. The workplace parties have a much stronger commitment to communicating the findings of research they co-create. Moreover, when the findings are communicated from company to company, they are much more likely to be considered credible and hence increase the chance they will be used.