Is workplace safety training working?

According to International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates, nearly three million people worldwide die of work-related accidents and diseases every year. Another 395 million workers sustain non-fatal injuries, particularly in hazardous sectors such as fishing and construction.

Relevant and regularly refreshed health and safety training can play in a key role in preventing injury in the workplace, but who is and isn’t receiving training – and the quality of that training – is highly variable across different countries, demographics and sectors.

New findings from the Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll – the first global study of worry about, and harm from, risks to people’s safety – shed light on the extent of harm, the frequency of incident reporting, and the extent of safety training taking place globally, across different countries, job sectors and demographic groups.

Published in a new report in October 2024 and based on more than 147,000 interviews conducted in 142 countries by Gallup in 2023, the new World Risk Poll data helps us consider if and how workplace health and safety training is playing an effective role in preventing injuries, deaths and other occupational harm.

This webinar launched the report, Engineering safer workplaces: Global trends in occupational safety and health. Its findings were presented and discussed with a panel of OSH and sector experts. The panel explored how the data can be used by policymakers, businesses and international actors to improve reporting, training and other interventions to reduce workplace harm.