A Family Firm Dedicated To You

Study says companies’ safety reporting lacks consistency

Some Missouri employees likely work for companies that lack consistent methods for tracking and reporting injuries, illnesses and fatalities in the workplace. According to a report released by the Center for Safety and Health Sustainability, organizations in the Corporate Knights’ Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations have done little to improve compliance with safety reporting standards since 2013. That was the year the previous report was released.

The study selected organizations on that list for a number of reasons including the variety of industries, the size and the institutional influence of the list. After analyzing data for the last seven months of 2016, the organization reported that the companies were inconsistent in their use of definitions, reporting formats and methodology in reporting data. This lack of consistency means that there is no agreement among the companies about how to best measure safety and health and include these metrics in indexes of global sustainability.

The CSHS included suggestions as to how organizations could improve compliance. This included having the companies monitor which work locations have management systems for occupational safety and health as well as third-party auditing. Furthermore, it said organizations should track safety and health throughout the supply chain. It cited an organization that reported having no fatalities even though there were 27 along the supply chain.

An employee who is injured in accident on the job or who becomes ill because of a workplace hazard may be eligible for workers’ compensation. The employee might want to ask an attorney about eligibility even if the employer says that workers’ compensation benefits are not available. This compensation can be important for an employee who is unable to return to work, and an attorney might help with filing a claim.