Mission
In keeping with the spirit of the Act respecting occupational health and safety (AOHS) and the Act respecting industrial accidents and occupational diseases (AIAOD), the IRSST’s mission is to contribute to workers’ health and safety through research, its laboratories’ expertise, and knowledge dissemination and transfer, with a view to promoting prevention and sustainable return to work.
Vision
- A leader in the advancement and mobilization of scientific and technical knowledge in occupational health and safety, we are recognized at the national and international levels for the quality and relevance of our achievements.
- Present and influential on our OHS partners and in the public sphere, our expertise informs our actions aimed at improving the health and safety of Québec workers.
- A forum for collaboration, creativity and innovation, we offer a healthy and exemplary work environment that supports initiative and the recognition of individual and collective achievements.
Values
Proud of our mission and committed to achieving our vision, we embody the following values:
- Excellence, as the foundation of the IRSST’s credibility and leadership
- Agility, to anticipate and respond to needs and emerging problems
- Openness, to capitalize on the diversity of people, ideas and disciplines
- Integrity and transparency, as the heart of our work, exchanges and actions
Strategic Orientations
The IRSST has adopted major strategic orientations to accomplish its mission:
SHARE knowledge
Sharing knowledge with our partners in Québec’s OHS network, workplaces, the scientific community, and, as the case may be, the general public, is essential to advancing reflection and action regarding occupational health and safety.
ASSIST our partners in improving OHS conditions for workers
It is vital that we remain attentive to our social partners in order to thoroughly understand their needs, respond appropriately through research, knowledge transfer and mobilization or laboratory activities, and ultimately maximize the pertinence and impact of our work.
WORK TOGETHER to create a lever effect
Collaborating and sharing resources with organizations of interest, including some of international renown, tangibly enhances the IRSST’s capacity to explore new horizons, expand the scope of its work and increase the potential benefits deriving therefrom.
COMMIT collectively and individually to realizing the full potential of our organization
Some of the conditions required to successfully support the IRSST’s short-, medium- and long-term development include combining our efforts to build a more stimulating, healthier and safer work environment, modernizing our work management tools and upgrading our facilities.
The IRSST, proud creator and communicator of knowledge
Under the theme of “the IRSST, proud creator and communicator of knowledge”, the 2022-2025 Strategic Plan provides an updated version of its mission, vision and values, and defines its main areas for development over the next four years.
Download the strategic plan
Organization
The IRSST team is composed of some 150 individuals, including a scientific corps of more than 80 expert researchers and technicians from various disciplines: ergonomics, industrial hygiene, chemistry, physics, biology, microbiology, kinanthropology, engineering, sociology, anthropology, demography, psychology and economics.
The IRSST is a major player in the area of training young scientists in OHS issues. Its researchers and professionals supervise graduate students at the master’s and doctoral levels and coach undergraduate and graduate interns, as well as postdoctoral researchers and associate professors at several Quebec universities, including École de technologie supérieure, Polytechnique Montréal, Concordia University, Université de Montréal, Université de Sherbrooke, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Université Laval and McGill University.