One of the Best Parts – Workplace Walk-Throughs: Findings from a 2025 Canadian Survey of Physicians Practicing in Occupational Medicine

Abstract

Objective: Workplace walk-throughs (WWs) are a sine qua non for gaining experience on how workplace hazards affect health. This study examines physicians’ experiences participating in WWs. Methods: This cross-sectional study examined responses from a module on WWs in a 2025 online Canadian survey of occupational medicine (OM) physicians. This was collected over a four-week period in winter 2025 and analyzed using SAS v. 9.4. Results: 85/106 (80%) respondents performed at least one WW during their career, half under age 56 (n=39/82), about half (n=48/85) practicing for more than 25 years and most (80%, n=66/83) not performing WWs regularly in the past year. Common barriers included lack of compensation, access, support staff, time and training. Conclusions: 20% of respondents reported never participating in WWs, and 55% of those that do participated in ≤20 during their career.