United Steelworkers International Union: Update on Experience with Under-reporting of Injuries and Illnesses and Strategies for Addressing On-going Problems

Labor unions continue to be concerned about employer policies, practices and policies that discourage workers from reporting work-related injuries and illnesses. Such policies appear to be directly linked with measures employers are using to show the success or failure of health and safety – primarily injury/illness rates. The Health, Safety and Environment Department of the United Steelworkers International Union recently conducted a survey of local union officers and health and safety representatives to understand the range of measures used in workplaces across economic sectors for evaluating health and safety and the effectiveness of workplace health and safety programs. This presentation will report on the results of that survey and provide a commentary on its findings and how this information relates to our concerns about current practices that discourage worker reports of injuries and illnesses.