People in poorer countries face double the risk of workplace harm, RoSPA report reveals

Workers in low-income countries are more than twice as likely to experience serious workplace harm as those in wealthier nations, according to new RoSPA research that exposes a deep global inequality in occupational safety.

The report, Danger on the job: How global inequality shapes workplace harm, produced by RoSPA with funding from Lloyd’s Register Foundation, suggests that national wealth is the single strongest predictor of whether workers are injured or fear for their safety at work. Where a person lives has a greater influence on their risk of workplace injury than individual factors such as income, education or gender.

The findings raise important questions for organisations, regulators, supply chain leaders and health and safety professionals seeking to improve occupational safety standards globally.

The scale of workplace harm worldwide

Workplace injuries continue to have a major human and economic impact across the globe. The report estimates that:

• Around 395 million people (more than the entire population of the United States) suffer work-related injuries every year.
• Occupational injuries and illnesses account for approximately 6% of global GDP losses.
• If workplace injury rates in lower-income countries matched those found in wealthier nations, up to two million lives could potentially be saved each year.
• More than $750 billion in annual economic losses could be avoided.

These figures underline why occupational safety remains a critical issue for governments, businesses and industry leaders worldwide.

Regional differences in workplace harm

Drawing on data from the Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll 2023, RoSPA’s research reveals stark differences in rates of workplace harm across the World Health Organization’s (WHO) six global regions, demonstrating that as national wealth increases, the level of harm is significantly reduced:

• Western Pacific region 37% of workers (more than one in three) have experienced workplace harm or know someone who has in the last two years
• Africa 31%
• South-East Asia 30%
• Eastern Mediterranean 22%
• Americas 21%
• Europe 21% (one in five workers).

Why safety outcomes differ between countries

Despite the scale of the challenge, the report highlights continuing weaknesses in occupational safety provision worldwide.

RoSPA believes many of the disparities could be explained by the greater prevalence of informal work in more dangerous sectors such as agriculture and mining in poorer nations, and more investment in health and safety systems in richer countries. The cost of safe work is off shored to poorer nations who do not have the safety infrastructure and legal protections of wealthier nations.

We are now calling for stronger occupational safety systems, improved reporting and data collection, accountable global supply chains and expanded protections for informal workers as part of a coordinated international effort to tackle workplace harm and inequality.

Becky Hickman, RoSPA’s Chief Executive Officer, said: "Every worker, regardless of where they live, deserves the right to return home safe and healthy at the end of the day. These findings demonstrate that workplace safety is not simply a matter of individual behaviour or personal circumstances. Strong national systems, effective regulation and investment in occupational safety and health are critical in reducing harm and protecting workers."

Nancy Hey OBE, Director of Evidence and Insight, Lloyd’s Register Foundation Global Safety Evidence Centre, said: “The finding that it is national wealth – rather than any individual circumstances or behaviours – that currently presents the hardest ceiling to improved workplace safety, is a compelling and important one.

“In lower income countries, demographic factors that might otherwise be protective hold little sway. This reinforces the importance of fundamental systemic, structural and regulatory improvements, as well as established safety leadership and governance, in reducing the global burden of workplace harm.”

Read the report at: www.rospa.com/safety-campaigns/global-accidents-at-work