The researchers aim to expand the Canadian Workplace Exposure Database (CWED), maintained by CAREX Canada, to more broadly include and track non-carcinogenic exposures, and to ensure the data is properly collected and coded to inform research and policy projects. In addition, the research team aims to enhance the governance structure and data stewardship, data management and user access, and planning for the future. Other jurisdictions maintain rigorous occupational disease databases, while Canada is limited to tracking carcinogens in CWED.

The researchers will develop a new governance committee, create guidelines for ongoing data acquisition, determine protocol needs for data management, and harmonize coding. Knowledge translation will include holding a national webinar on CWED and a workshop to inform planning processes. The database currently holds over 450,000 exposure measurements. The researchers indicate that a tool such as CWED, made available to a broader group of researchers and stakeholders, could be a valuable resource in occupational disease recognition, prevention, and evaluation of hygiene programs.