Nearly half of workplace harm goes unreported, safety charity reveals

A global safety charity is calling for more regular, tailored health and safety training and better reporting tools after discovering that nearly one in five (18%) workers have experienced harm at work globally.

The figures come from the latest edition of the Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll, and are explored further in its latest report: Engineering safer workplaces: Global trends in occupational safety and health. The data was collected by global analytics firm Gallup, who conducted 147,000 interviews in 142 countries and territories around the world, and found that workplace harm rates have remained steady since the Poll began in 2019 (19% in the past two editions, compared to 18% now).

According to the data, rates of harm vary greatly across sectors, with fishing named as the most dangerous occupation, just ahead of construction and mining. Low- and lower-middle-income countries were also found to have higher workplace harm rates (19% and 22%, respectively).

Worryingly, the data shows that almost two thirds of the global workforce (62%) have never received occupational safety and health (OSH) training about risks associated with their work.

Several aggravating factors are identified in the report. Those in less stable forms of employment, such as part-time employees, were found to be more likely to suffer from harm than full-time employees (20% versus 15%). This is compounded by the fact that rates of training were found to be lower for part-time employees – less than a quarter (23%) had received workplace safety training in the past two years, compared to 41% of full-time employees.

While only half (51%) of the workers globally who experienced harm at work say they reported it, the report also establishes an important relationship between OSH training and reporting rates. The more recently people have had training, the more likely they are to report workplace harm if they experience it. Individuals who had received workplace safety training in the last two years are 3.3 times more likely to report harm, compared to those who had never received any. Those who were trained, but not in the past two years, are 1.8 times more likely.

Nancy Hey, Director of Evidence and Insight at Lloyd’s Register Foundation, said: “Work and income is an important part of all our lives and for too many that can come with a very high personal cost – as our latest report highlights.

“Low reporting rates, combined with a potential lack of awareness due to low training rates, mean that the true extent of workplace harm is rarely revealed. That’s why safety and health interventions that are both regular and tailored must be a priority for both businesses and policymakers, along with clear reporting tools for all employees – including both part-time and full-time. Special efforts must be made to reach those most at risk and ensure they have a holistic understanding of what safety and health means, as well as an in-depth knowledge of essential procedures in place to keep them safe.”

Martin Cottam, Chair of ISO Technical Committee 283 on Occupational Health and Safety Management, said: “The World Risk Poll results make sobering reading for all those working to encourage better occupational health and safety performance, as they highlight the scale of the ongoing challenge. Amid all the discussion about the plethora of tools and methods available to reduce harm, it is shocking to be confronted with the fact that a majority of the global workforce has never received any occupational safety and health training.”