The Centre for Research in Occupational Safety and Health (CROSH) at Laurentian University is establishing a mobile lab and a workplace simulator, thanks to more than $1.2 million in funding.
On April 29, CROSH announced it had received $992,000 from the Ministry of Labour, $143,000 from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, and $100,000 from the Goodman School of Mines.
The mobile lab will be a 32-foot custom-built trailer, called M-CROSH, which will allow researchers to travel to communities and workers that are typically excluded from research. Study will focus on musculo-skeletal disorders, mobile equipment ergonomics, vibration, air quality, fatigue management, and mental health.
“With this mobile lab, workers across the North will be able to contribute directly to important research in occupational health and safety,” said Leo Gerard, international president of the United Steelworkers Union and chair of the CROSH advisory board, in a release.
“This innovative approach brings the research facility right to the workers, in their communities and on their jobsites, and gives them the opportunity to play an active role in improving workplaces.”
The workplace simulator, W-SIM, will allow CROSH to replicate the conditions of almost any workplace in Northern Ontario. It integrates a robotic motion platform to simulate vibration, an environmental chamber that controls temperature and humidity, and a virtual reality eye-tracker to simulate a worker’s surroundings.
Both pieces of infrastructure are believed to be the first of their kind anywhere in Canada.
“These new tools will truly solidify our position in the forefront of research in occupational safety and health,” CROSH research chair Dr. Tammy Eger said in the release.
“With these investments, along with the funds dedicated to supporting and expanding our research capacity, we will be able to address critical issues in health and safety in Ontario workplaces.”
