It links job information and health records to detect and monitor occupational disease across more than 900 industry and occupation groups.
The ODSS is an expansion of an initial pilot study from 2014.
A worker who is compensated for a workplace-related illness or injury that resulted in missing work is captured in the provincial compensation board’s time loss database. This database captures job information such as a worker’s occupation and industry of work associated with the claim. The ODSS was created by linking this source of job information to administrative health databases.
To identify disease cases, the ODSS cohort of over 2.4 million workers was linked to cancer registry data, hospital records, ambulatory care records, physician billing records, and laboratory test results. By combining occupation and industry from accepted time-loss compensation claims data with disease information from administrative health databases, the ODSS provides an efficient approach to study work-related diseases.
Workplace Safety and Insurance Board’s (WSIB) Time Loss Claims Database Occupation and industry data for 2.4 million Ontario workers.
Registered Persons Database (RPDB) Helps link WSIB records to health databases.
Ontario Cancer Registry (OCR) Tumour registry data to identify cancer cases.
Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) eClaims Database Physician billing records to identify diseases other than cancer.
National Ambulatory Care Reporting System (NACRS) Ambulatory care records such as day surgery, outpatient clinic and emergency department visits to identify diseases other than cancer.
Discharge Abstract Database (DAD) Inpatient hospitalization records to identify diseases other than cancer.
Ontario Laboratories Information System (OLIS) Laboratory test results to identify diseases other than cancer.
The ODSS is currently funded by the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development and the Ontario Ministry of Health. Specific projects using the ODSS are also supported by competitive research grants.
Development of the ODSS was initially funded by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board and the Public Health Agency of Canada.
