One in three workers 'haven't got time to report workplace hazards'

Forget about health and safety – when it comes to workplace accidents, Brits are too busy to care.

One in three polled in a study of 2,014 employees claim they don’t have time to worry about hazards in the workplace.

And despite a quarter having had an accident at work, one in six wouldn’t report a potential hazard if they saw one.

New research shows that 23% of people wouldn’t even know WHO to report a hazard to – meaning broken machinery, trailing wires and uneven flooring often get left unattended.

24% would ignore things like frayed electrical cords, spills or blocked fire exits assuming it wouldn’t affect them.

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A further fifth of employees don’t know who they should go to in the event of an accident at work, due to lack of communication and training.

David Carter, spokesman for Accident Advice Helpline, which conducted the study said: “Accidents at work can easily be avoided if hazards are reported as soon as they are spotted and the more people who report it the better.

“When in a work environment it’s incredibly important to look out for one another to ensure injuries don’t happen”.

A quarter of those polled say they don’t think it is their responsibility to report a hazard even if it could be potentially dangerous.

While just under one in 10 employees claim they have been told NOT to report a hazard by someone else.

Older generations are more likely to report something they thought was dangerous – with 93% of 35-54 year-olds likely to say something compared to 76% of 16-24 year-olds.

Just under half admit they see various safety issues on a daily basis which have been around for a while, with 63% saying they could be dangerous.

The most common hazards reported are a lack of safety around machinery, trailing wires, uneven flooring and the wrong equipment being used for tasks.

A quarter of workers say there are trailing wires in the workplace on a regular basis, while 16% work in an environment where machinery isn’t being used safely.

And 17% often see others not wearing the appropriate health and safety protection when they should be.

A fifth of people have even witnessed a hazard within the workplace that has been intentionally masked or ignored.

(Top image: Rex)