3.1 Background
In response to a need to better understand and support mental health among first responders, PSHSA partnered with The Conference Board of Canada to develop the Occupational Stress Injury Resiliency (OSIR) tool, a purpose-built and practical organizational assessment to understand risks for occupational stress injuries (OSI), identify preventative approaches in support of building resilience, and guide workplace mental health strategies and action plans.
Phase One of this project took place from 2019 to 2021 and findings from this work were detailed in the Issue Briefing published by The Conference Board of Canada on December 7, 2021. Overall, psychometric analysis supported the OSIR tool as having preliminary evidence for its reliability and validity. Proponents are encouraged to review the Issue Briefing in detail for context and further understanding of the work that was undertaken.
3.2 Scope of Work
PSHSA is seeking proposals from Proponents to support the next phase of work with the objective to further validate the OSIR tool to assess predictability and build into a statistically valid index.
Phase Two can be described broadly into three services required: 1) Research Design & Implementation services; 2) Data Analyses services; and 3) Knowledge Mobilization services. Proponents are not required to bid on all services for consideration but may choose to bid on either one, two, or all three services.
If applicable, for a joint bid, the Proponent as identified in the bid submission will be considered the lead and is responsible for identifying that the submission is a joint submission and shall provide the other joint party’s identification information within their submission.
ServiceKey Components
Research Design & Implementation
- Design of longitudinal study to assess predictability and generalizability of the current tool
- Inclusion of steps for developing the tool into a statistically valid index
- Application of research ethics approval
- Recruitment of participants and collection of data
Data Analyses
- Statistical analyses for reliability and validity
- Analysis for developing an index
- Interpretation of results
Knowledge Mobilization
- Synthesis of the results in a final report
- Publication of the research findings
PSHSA intends to integrate the findings of this research into our offerings and use the OSIR tool to help organizations and employers understand and manage risks related to psychological health and safety in the workplace, inform actionable plans for prevention, and improve mental health outcomes for workers.
Note that PSHSA will contribute to stakeholder engagement, recruitment for research participants, and be responsible for communications supports, including translation, editing and design for all public-facing content. The PSHSA will retain the intellectual property rights of the final report and tool. Co-branding and shared knowledge translation opportunities may be available.
3.3 Expectations of the Successful Proponent
The successful Proponent(s) must have all the required experience, resources, facilities, equipment and trained personnel or contractors necessary to perform the work specified in this RFP.
The selected Proponent(s) is also expected to familiarize themselves and their teams with PSHSA’s business, the sectors it represents and its funder for a sound understanding of Ontario’s health and safety system and its priorities as it relates to occupational health and safety within the province’s public and broader public sector. It is important that our partners understand the system complexities and can work effectively balancing requirements from the marketing team, perspectives of subject matter experts and direction from PSHSA’s senior leadership team.
PSHSA’s research activities often require review and approval by multiple parties. These review processes can be lengthy but are necessary to ensure we capture the nuances within the sectors we represent and Ontario’s health and safety system. These review and feedback cycles will need to be taken into consideration by the Proponent(s) when planning projects, key milestones, and timelines.
The successful Proponent(s) is also expected to make themselves available for meetings, conference calls, creative and concept presentations.
PSHSA requires an individual contact from the successful Proponent(s) to work in collaboration with our team on the project. This individual will work closely with PSHSA to manage team performance with respect to quality of work, identify gaps, manage project timelines, and budget and oversee overall project coordination according to the objectives set at the briefing stage.
