Safety and productivity go hand in hand, but even with strong investment in training, tools, and technology, results don't always match expectations. This research explores where workplace safety stands today, and where it’s going in the next two years, so you can build safer workplaces and get the most out of your safety investments.
Workplace safety is at an inflection point.
Is safety a priority? No. It's never a priority — priorities change. It has to be a culture.”
-Facilities Manager, Oil and Gas
Leaders understand that investing in safety is beneficial for their people and their business, which is why safety budgets are expected to increase or maintain across industries. Budget priorities in the next two years will focus on people, with worker training and engagement topping the list, as well as investing in new technology.
53% of workplace safety incidents result in injuries that lead to lost time.
Injuries that lead to lost time stubbornly persist.
This misalignment between understanding and outcomes demonstrates an opportunity to assess how safety investments balance foundational prevention measures, such as training, with predictive approaches that use data to surface risk before it escalates into injury. This raises a deeper question: are organizations investing enough in predictive capabilities — using data and real-time visibility to identify risk patterns — or relying primarily on training and response protocols?
Training is top-down instead of cultural.
When training over-indexes on rules the focus becomes about avoiding mistakes at all costs. But errors and accidents are inevitable, so this approach has the potential to reduce trust. A cultural approach to training treats workers as active participants and connects learning to real-world context. Organizations don’t necessarily need more training —leaders are investing here already — but training that is more connected.
1/3
Nearly one-third of leaders see “better training” as a path to greater trust.
