Anger fears ‘prevent 1 in 3 employees from reporting workplace injuries’

Members of staff across all industries are worried to report injuries sustained in the workplace to their employer for fear of making them angry, research from Percy Hughes & Roberts Solicitors has revealed.

Of those who had been involved in an accident 38% did not report it because they were worried their employer would be angry, or they did not believe anything would be done as a result, according to the survey carried out by the Wirral-based legal specialist, which questioned 650 respondents about their experiences regarding workplace injury.

The research also highlighted messy workstations and slipping hazards as the most commonly seen hazards in workplaces across all industries. Some 24% of respondents had witnessed messy workstations in their workplace, while 27% had come into contact with slipping hazards.

Alison Beech, Partner at Percy Hughes & Roberts, said: “The results of the survey are incredibly worrying, and employees should never feel worried about the stigma of reporting an incident if they are injured while carrying out their job.

“It is an employer’s duty to keep their workforce safe, and this means if any incidents take place, it is their responsibility to ensure that it is dealt with correctly. Employers have insurance policies in place to prepare for eventualities such as these, which are used for any compensation payments, so employees need not worry about the financial side of making a claim for compensation.”

The industries with the most respondents who said their workplace was either “unsafe” or “very unsafe” were Environment & Agriculture (27%), Energy & Utilities (22%), Engineering & Manufacturing (19%) and Recruitment & HR (16%).

Alison said: “It is interesting to see that more people in retail, sales and healthcare view their workplace as unsafe, as opposed to arguably more obvious sectors such as construction and manufacturing. Employers in these sectors are subject to the same penalties as those in those that are perceived as more dangerous, so it’s vital that immediate action is taken to remove hazards from all workplaces.”