Workplace safety is now more important than ever before, according to 89% of Americans, nearly the same amount also believe that organizations have a legal and moral obligation to protect employees from unnecessary risks.
This is according to a survey from AlertMedia, which also revealed 82% of people feel these obligations extend to those working remotely.
While American workers are showing more concern about on-the-job safety, just 55% said their companies are making more of an effort to ensure employee safety than they had in previous years.
46% of workers are extremely or somewhat concerned.
15% have experienced this type of emergency at work.
(Credit: Eric Lee/Bloomberg)
48% of workers are extremely or somewhat concerned.
8% have experienced this type of emergency at work.
(Credit: BenDC)
53% of workers are extremely or somewhat concerned.
19% have experienced this type of emergency at work.
(Credit: Lolostock/Shutterstock)
54% of workers are extremely or somewhat concerned.
17% have experienced this type of emergency at work.
(Credit: Lembergvector/Adobe Stock)
55% of workers are extremely or somewhat concerned.
24% have experienced this type of emergency at work.
(Credit: Shutterstock)
59% of workers are extremely or somewhat concerned.
40% have experienced this type of emergency at work.
(Credit: GOLFX/Shutterstock.com)
62% of workers are extremely or somewhat concerned.
19% have experienced this type of emergency at work.
(Credit: wademcmillan/Adobe Stock)
65% of workers are extremely or somewhat concerned.
46% have experienced this type of emergency at work.
(Credit: Denis Tangney Jr/iStockphoto.com)
65% of workers are extremely or somewhat concerned.
18% have experienced this type of emergency at work.
(Credit: Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock.com)
79% of workers are extremely or somewhat concerned.
33% have experienced this type of emergency at work.
(Credit: Prostock-studio/Adobe Stock)
The survey also revealed that employers can improve on how they communicate during an emergency, as 50% of employees said their company is not prepared to handle communications during an emergency. This is critical to improve, as nearly 40% said poor communication during an emergency would make them feel unsafe. Further, 26% said it would prompt them to lose trust in their employer.
Further, around 60% of workers said it would require an emergency occurring at their workplace for their employer to realize they need to communicate better, according to AlertMedia.
A bright spot from the survey showed that a majority (82%) of American workers go through safety training, however only around half do so more than once per year. Although training programs are common, just 38% of working Americans strongly agree that they’d know what to do during an emergency at work.
In addition to reducing the possibility of accidents, focusing on safety can be a powerful tool for retaining, AlertMedia found. In addition to nearly all working Americans saying safety if an important factor when determine where to work, 58% said they would start looking for a new job or otherwise reconsider their employment if their employer failed to communicate effectively about an emergency or other potentially dangerous event.