The verdict is in: safe workplaces are union workplaces

We all know it, but now we’ve got the numbers to prove it: union workplaces are safer than non-union workplaces. 

We recently conducted a national survey on workers’ experiences of health and safety called Work Shouldn’t Hurt (WSH), and now the results are here, revealing just how safe our workplaces are.

Health and safety reps to the rescue

The WSH survey found a positive correlation between Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs) being present and health and safety risks in the workplace being better-reported.

In fact, 79% of workers with an HSR present said their workplace complies with work health and safety policies, as opposed to just 51% of workers who have no HSR present in the workplace.

Long story short: union safety representatives make workplaces safer.

Mental health and physical injuries need to be prioritised

Some concerning conclusions were made in the WSH report regarding workers’ mental and physical safety in the workplace:

• Three out of 10 workers sustained a physical or mental injury at work in the last 12 months.
• 28% of these workers did not take time off when they needed to; more than half reporting that they feared negative consequences for their job if they did.
• One-third of all workers were regularly exposed to stress at work in the past 12 months.
• Industries with the highest rates of mental health injuries were the healthcare industry (28%) and the retail industry (27%). As we begin to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s no secret that this period has disproportionately hit workers in these sectors.

The productivity trap

Workers’ conditions and safety measures are being whittled away by employers who are cutting corners for the sake of “productivity”.

An alarmingly low number of workers said that they had access to sufficient training (64%), support (60%), time (53%) and staff (49%) to do their jobs safely.

During a time when people are working multiple jobs just to get by, it’s clear that our insecure job market is ramping up unsafe work practices.

Gendered violence swept under the rug

The survey revealed that unfortunately, workers are still being sexually harassed and assaulted in workplaces across the country at disturbingly high rates.

One in five of workers experienced some form of gendered violence or harassment at work in the past 12 months, with only 31% of workers who took some form of action after an incident (such as making a formal complaint), feeling satisfied with their employers’ response.

Additionally, three out of 10 workers who experienced either sexual assault or unwanted sexual attention took no action, citing reasons such as fear of a backlash or lack of faith in the process.

It’s clear there is much more work to do to ensure our workplaces are safe for all workers. It all begins with growing our movement and strengthening our collective voice.

Update: Read more about the Work Shouldn’t Hurt survey in 2022 and 2023.