Experience in great britain: Employer practices that discourage injury/illness reporting and intervention strategies for curtailing these practices

Unite the Union is the largest union in Britain, with 1.5 million members in every type of workplace. Our members have experienced employers' prize and reward schemes in their workplaces that are tied to no or low injury reports. Our members have also experienced 'inquisitions' and disciplinary actions when they report job injuries and illnesses. Other employer schemes that our members are familiar with involve the identification of workers' so-called "unsafe acts" and the shifting of focus away from addressing hazards: designing out hazards, implementing engineering controls, addressing ergonomic hazards and reducing work organization hazards (including understaffing, production pressures and extended working hours). All of these employer schemes and actions discourage workers from reporting occupational injuries and illnesses. This presentation will describe experiences in Great Britain with employer practices that discourage injury reporting, compare these experiences with those in the United States, and discuss interventions and campaigns in Great Britain to identify, end and prevent these practices.