Under-reporting of work-related disorders in the workplace: a case study and review of the literature

Abstract

Accurate reporting of work-related conditions is necessary to monitor workplace health and safety, and to identify the interventions that are most needed. Reporting systems may be designed primarily for external agencies (OSHA or workers' compensation) or for the employer's own use. Under-reporting of workplace injuries and illnesses is common due to a variety of causes and influences. Based on previous reports, the authors were especially interested in the role of safety incentive programmes on under-reporting. Safety incentive programmes typically reward supervisors and employees for reducing workplace injury rates, and thus may unintentionally inhibit proper reporting. The authors describe a case study of several industrial facilities in order to illustrate the extent of under-reporting and the reasons for its occurrence. A questionnaire and interview survey was administered to 110 workers performing similar tasks and several managers, health, and safety personnel at each of three industrial facilities. Although less than 5% of workers had officially reported a work-related injury or illness during the past year, over 85% experienced work-related symptoms, 50% had persistent work-related problems, and 30% reported either lost time from work or work restrictions because of their ailment. Workers described several reasons for not reporting their injuries, including fear of reprisal, a belief that pain was an ordinary consequence of work activity or ageing, lack of management responsiveness after prior reports, and a desire not to lose their usual job. Interviews with management representatives revealed administrative and other barriers to reporting, stemming from their desire to attain a goal of no reported injuries, and misconceptions about requirements for recordability. The corporate and facility safety incentives appeared to have an indirect, but significant negative influence on the proper reporting of workplace injuries by workers. A variety of influences may contribute to under-reporting; because of under-reporting, worker surveys and symptom reports may provide more valuable and timely information on risks than recordable injury logs. Safety incentive programmes should be carefully designed to ensure that they provide a stimulus for safety-related changes, and to discourage under-reporting. A case-control study of similar establishments, or data before and after instituting safety incentives, would be required to more clearly establish the role of these programmes in under-reporting.

Preserving workers' dignity in workers' compensation systems: An international perspective

“…The adversarial nature of a system is thought to increase in systems that are highly experience rated [Ison, 1998;Pransky et al, 1999;Lippel, 2007;Quinlan et al, 2010]. Although appeals are only a small part of the adversarial process, an increase in appeals over the years can provide an indicator of the increasing adversarial nature of the system.…”

Safety climate, perceived risk, and involvement in safety management

“…Workers are also known to be more likely to report safety problems to their supervisors when they are convinced of the effectiveness of prevention programs (Mullen, 2005). Similarly, it has been shown that when workers perceive little use of the data they report to managers, this becomes a source of low commitment to accident-analysis procedures (Pransky et al, 1999). In their study, Arezes and Miguel (2008) noted that the more positively employees viewed the safety climate (perception of the work environment, personal motivation, and physical demands of the job), the more they reported wearing protective hearing gear.…”

La place des femmes dans les priorités de recherche en santé au travail au Québec

“…Des données québécoises et américaines montrent bien qu'il y a sousdéclaration et sous-indemnisation des problèmes de santé au travail (Gervais 1993 ;Pransky et al 1999 ;Davis, Wellman et Punnett 2001 ;Morse et al 2001), et que les problèmes non indemnisés appartiennent à des couches distinctes de la société, notamment les femmes et les minorités ethniques (Lippel 1999(Lippel , 2000Herbert, Janeway et Schechter 1999). L'excès d'indemnisation des hommes ne représente donc pas nécessairement une différence de danger.…”