Use Training to Reduce Accidents

Almost 3 million people die from work-related accidents each year and another 395 million sustain nonfatal injuries, says the International Labour Organization. To assess relevant global safety training, the Lloyd's Register Foundation, a global safety charity, developed the World Risk Poll 2024 Report. The data notes that 18 percent of the global workforce—around 667 million people—have experienced serious harm in the two years since the previous report. The research also found that nearly half of all cases of workplace harm go unreported.

Predictably, people who haven't been physically hurt at work are generally not worried about the prospect of a work-related injury, with four in 10 respondents being "very" or "somewhat" worried. However, seven in 10 of those who know a person who has been harmed or nearly eight in 10 individuals who have been injured themselves are concerned.

One of the report's most significant takeaways is that a majority of the global workforce has never received occupational safety and health training about risks associated with their work.

To combat the lack of training and decrease injuries and fatalities, the report suggests:

• Implementing tailored occupational safety solutions in different parts of the world and among different job sectors and worker demographics

• Making reporting tools such as hotlines, chatbots, and online forms available to staff

• Conducting regular inspections, risk assessments, and audits

• Engaging the workforce in occupational safety and health policy

• Including employees who don't work in a traditional, structured, full-time environment, such as part-time workers, in training programs

• Prioritizing safety and health training—that enhances awareness and creates a positive connotation around reporting workplace risks and harms—for all staff, especially those in high-risk environments such as those working on building sites

Part of the Gallup World Poll, the World Risk Poll surveyed 147,000 people from 142 countries.