Research Infrastructure
CISWP hosts one of the most comprehensive and advanced research infrastructures in Canada dedicated to understanding real work, real workers, and real workplace conditions. Our integrated ecosystem of state‑of‑the‑art laboratories and mobile research units enables unmatched, ecologically valid, field‑applied research that captures the full complexity of work as it is performed across the province.
By locating the START and STRIDE Labs within one of Canada’s largest skilled trades training campuses, the labs provide direct access to thousands of apprentices, trainees, and skilled trades professionals each year. Their proximity to active trade shops creates unparalleled opportunities to observe real tasks, collaborate with future trades workers, and conduct applied research in authentic training environments. This embedded position within the skilled trades ecosystem makes the START and STRIDE Labs one of the most accessible and industry‑connected research facilities in the country, strengthening both ecological validity and practical impact.
Our two flagship facilities, the Skilled Trades Applied Research and Training (START) Lab and the Skilled Trades Research in Inclusivity, Diversity, and Equity (STRIDE) Lab, support high‑precision measurement of human performance, biomechanics, anthropometry, and worker–task interactions. These labs, located in Cambridge, Ontario, allow CISWP researchers to analyze the physical, cognitive, environmental, and psychosocial dimensions of work using cutting-edge technologies and seamless access to trades shops and apprentices found nowhere else in Canada.
Complementing our fixed laboratories are CISWP’s Mobile Research Labs, specialized units that travel across Ontario to bring advanced research capabilities directly to worksites. From construction and manufacturing to paramedic response and public services, these mobile labs enable the collection of real‑world exposure, capacity, and performance data in dynamic work environments, data that cannot be captured through traditional laboratory methods.
Together, this integrated network of laboratories and mobile platforms forms a nationally unique research infrastructure, empowering CISWP to conduct rigorous field‑to‑lab‑to‑field studies. This approach produces high‑quality datasets, informs evidence‑based solutions, and drives innovation to advance worker safety, wellness, and performance across Canada.
