Grant: Applied Research Tools and Instruments Grants

Canada’s skilled trades sector plays a vital role in our national and provincial economies. However, the skilled trades sector faces unprecedented workforce shortages that will impact its economic contribution and make skilled trades businesses less competitive. The skilled trades sector expects a shortage of over 170,000 skilled workers in the next ten years. There are two key challenges faced by the sector in retaining and sustaining their skilled trades workforce: (1) high risk of injury of the current and rapidly aging workforce and (2) challenges in job accessibility for underrepresented groups (e.g., women, people with disabilities, newcomers, Indigenous people). The requested research equipment can measure multiple dimensions of human performance and consists of field measurement systems that will allow us to conduct highly ecologically valid and innovative applied field research studies with actual workers as research study participants, within real work environments, and during real work tasks. This approach is increasingly important as workplace injuries, such as musculoskeletal disorders, are multi-factorial, where the work environment and the performance of work contribute significantly, as one of many factors, to the causation of injury, illness, or fatality. Enabled by the NSERC ARTI requested research equipment, the proposed research program will help address the industry’s pressing needs by supporting skilled trades businesses in: (1) Designing, developing, and evaluating the function and impact of new technologies and innovative solutions to minimize worker injury, improve worker performance, and sustain the healthy working life of aging workers; and (2) Removing barriers to the adoption and implementation of new technologies and innovative solutions through inclusive design to ensure products are user friendly for the diverse workforce. In addition, this research will support the development of decision-making tools and resources for organizations to improve the adoption of new technologies and innovations and to foster business growth, and workforce sustainability. In collaboration with our extensive network of partners, the outcomes of this work will have direct economic and societal impacts for Ontario and Canada, will train the next generation of skilled trades workers, and will help industries (particularly small- and medium-sized enterprises) build capacity and assist in promoting business innovation.