A global view of
safety and sustainability
in the workplace

CHAPTER 1: WORKPLACE SAFETY

Perceptions of workplace safety around the world

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Starting with a positive, our survey found that across all three regions, the vast majority (an average of 80%) of workers felt safe in their workplaces. However, our research also shows that nearly half of those surveyed had been affected by a workplace incident or illness, or knew someone who had.

Let’s take a closer look at the regional breakdown. 

UK & Ireland

71%  of workers in the UK and Ireland agree that employers are good at working with workplace environment issues as well as involving staff. 

However, as stated above, an average of 45% of workers in this region had experienced a work-related incident or illness, or had a relative who had experienced same. 

We noted that levels were slightly higher among workers in Ireland (48%) vs. workers in the UK (44%). 

USA & Canada

In a similar vein to the UK and Ireland, 71%  of workers in the USA and Canada agree that employers try to resolve workplace environment issues while involving staff.  

An average of 46% of US and Canadian workers had been affected by a workplace accident or work-related illness, with no discernable difference between the two countries. 

Nordics

We found that 69% of workers in Nordic countries believe that their employer involves staff in their safety efforts.

Unfortunately, a startling 53% had directly experienced a work-related accident or illness, or had a family member experience same. This was the highest rate across all surveyed regions.

Numbers were fairly consistent across all 4 countries, though we noted that Finland and Denmark lead in terms of workers *personally* experiencing a work accident or illness ( both at 32%). 

CHAPTER 2: PSYCHOSOCIAL RISK

Impact of psychosocial risk

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Psychosocial risk isn’t peripheral. It’s central to a credible health and safety system. According to our study, 59% of work accidents and illnesses across the three regions were linked to stress, making it one of the most consequential hazards organisations face.

The business implications are just as stark. 81% of workers surveyed would consider leaving their job because of a poor or unsafe workplace environment. In other words, if you’re not managing psychosocial risk, you’re not only courting incidents, you’re fuelling turnover, eroding productivity and weakening your employer brand.

Now, let’s break down the regional results. 

UK & Ireland

This region shows the strongest stress link, where 64% of work accidents and illnesses were stress-related (the highest share across the three regions). The implication? Unmanaged workload and pressures of the job are translating directly into risk. 

The workplace environment clearly sways careers here: 82% say it influences employer choice, and the same share would move on if conditions were poor. When it comes to workplace environment associations, UK/IE workers prioritise colleagues and company environment, with workload a sharper pressure point in Ireland, and flexible hours ranking higher in the UK. 

USA & Canada

Stress was tied to 54% of incidents/illnesses overall, but the burden isn’t even: 68% of affected Canadian workers cited stress, versus a much lower 44% in the U.S. That’s a 24-point gap and roughly 55% higher stress attribution in Canada.  

81% say they would leave over a poor work environment, and culture and flexibility are the decisive factors. Colleagues ranked first as the core of “workplace environment associations”. Americans placed company environment ahead of flexible hours, while Canadians flipped those two.

Nordics

Here, 59% of incidents/illnesses were stress-related and 84% would consider changing jobs due to a poor environment (the strongest propensity to move on across the three regions).  

Action is visible but uneven: 58% report stress-prevention measures, yet 33% say there are none. It’s worth noting that perceptions are also split by gender, with 62% of men versus 53% of women saying they see prevention steps. This points to inconsistent rollout or weak communication. 

CHAPTER 3: SAFETY REPORTING TOOLS

Importance of safety reporting tools 

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While we found that on average 55% of all employees report workplace incidents directly to a manager, there is quite a bit of variance across the separate regions. 

UK & Ireland

We found that most workers in the UK and Ireland know how to report an incident at their workplace. We noted that 68% of Irish workers reported incidents to their manager, compared to the UKs 53%.  

UK workers tended to use digital systems (email/ intranet) more frequently at 39%, versus Irelands much lower 23%. 

In both countries workers preferred reporting incidents verbally to managers, but UK workers show a slightly greater preference for digital reporting. Information about incidents typically comes directly from managers, but email is also a common source in the UK. 

USA & Canada

Workers in the USA and Canada also tend to report incidents verbally to their immediate manager (61%), and the majority (60%) prefer to do so.  

Canadians use digital reporting systems at a slightly higher level (28%) than US workers (25%). 

Combined, workers typically receive information about incidents from their manager (57%) or via email (48%). Department meetings were also a slightly more frequent source in Canada than in the USA. 

Nordics

The Nordics show a marked preference both for the preference and adoption of digital tools for incident reporting. While most employees reported incidents to their direct manager (47%), reporting via digital systems was also a popular option (38%).  

Reporting directly to a manager ranked as the no.1  preference (54%) among Nordic employees , though reporting via a digital system was noticeably higher than in the UKIE and NAM. 

CHAPTER 4: TRAINING & LEARNING

Businesses are finding success in using digital tools for training and learning

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Across all three regions, competency training is now the norm and digital delivery is leading the way. 69% of employees globally receive competency-based safety training, and of those, 81% say it includes e-learning or other digital modules. Training also ranks as the single biggest driver of safety improvement, with 38% of surveyed employees naming it as the factor that’s moved the needle most.  

It’s clear that digital is no longer an add-on. It’s how organisations scale consistency, track competence and keep learning close to the work. Here’s how that plays out by region. 

UK & Ireland

UK & Ireland lead on both provision and digitisation. 74% of workers here receive competency training, and 86% of those say it’s delivered via e-learning or other digital modules. Employers are also at the forefront on education around incident and near-miss reporting. 

Appetite for digital is strong in UK and Ireland, with 67% saying they’d feel safer if their employer used more digital safety tools. When it comes to incident reporting, 48% prefer digital (33% computer-based and 15% mobile) above North America’s 41% digital preference. There’s a clear age gradient too: 82% of 18–34s vs 73% of 35–49s and 42% of 50–65s would feel safer with more digital tools. 

USA & Canada

Provision is broad and mostly digital, with 69% of North American workers receiving competency training (68% USA; 70% Canada), and 79% of those learners using e-learning/digital modules. The trend is unmistakable: 70% say they’d feel safer if more digital tools were in place. 

Younger workers are the strongest digital advocates and 81% of 18–34s would feel safer with more digital tools, compared with 73% of 35–49s and 55% of 50–65s. This points to rising expectations as digital-native cohorts grow.   

Nordics

Digital adoption is solid in the Nordic countries, with 65% receiving competency training and 74% of those using e-learning/digital modules. Employees also want more: 41% explicitly call for easier digital tools to share HSE information, suggest improvements and track corrective actions.  

Capacity and execution are the pressure points. While 80% of workers say their company has a formal working-environment policy, 47% believe organisations should hire or train dedicated HSE staff  and note that policies can stall without the right tools and cross-functional commitment. 

CHAPTER 5: CHEMICAL SAFETY

Workplace exposure to hazardous chemicals remains uncomfortably high

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Exposure to hazardous chemicals continues to be a fact of life for many workers in the regions we examined. Overall, 44% of surveyed employees are exposed to chemicals that require a safety data sheet (SDS). 

Most concerningly, 39% of overall respondents said that their employer was not actively substituting these chemicals for less harmful alternatives. 

UK & Ireland

We noted that rates of exposure to hazardous chemicals in the workplace were slightly higher in the UK (42%) than in Ireland (40%).  

Another notable point was the slightly differing level of chemical safety training between the two countries. Of employees who said that they were exposed to hazardous chemicals, 84% in the UK said they had received training on how to handle them, vs 77% in Ireland. 

76% of UK respondents said that they knew where to access safety data sheets, vs. 71% in Ireland. 

In a slightly concerning turn, 86% of UK workers said they had access to chemical risk assessments, while the figure stands at 75% in Ireland. 

USA & Canada

In the North America region, there was a slight difference between the USA and Canada in terms of workplace exposure to hazardous chemicals, at 45% and 42% respectively. 

Another difference was noted in the levels of hazardous chemical safety training that workers received. 80% of US workers said that they had received training on how to handle chemicals. The rate was lower in Canada at 75%. 

82% of US workers said that they knew where to find the safety data sheets for chemicals at their workplace, vs. 78% in Canada.  

Both countries recorded similar levels of access to chemical risk assessments, at 82% for the USA and 84% for Canada. 

Nordics

Our survey showed that 57% of workers in the Nordics were exposed to hazardous chemicals in their workplaces, by far the highest of all the regions in our survey. 

However, they had the lowest level of overall safety training in comparison to North America and UKIE, at 64%. They also reported the lowest overall level of knowledge in locating safety data sheets (69%) and in access to digital chemical management systems (54%). 

CHAPTER 6: LONE WORKER SAFETY

The number of lone workers is growing, with fatigue a main concern for them

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Across all regions surveyed, the number of employees working alone continues to rise, now accounting for roughly one in three workers globally (35%). 

Lone working can take many forms, from remote field technicians and delivery drivers to night-shift security staff and home-based employees. While many lone workers value the flexibility and independence their roles offer, our survey findings reveal a growing concern around their safety, wellbeing, and access to support.  

When we asked workers to identify their top concerns, fatigue emerged as the leading issue, followed by stress and mental health, accidents or falls, and aggression from others.  

Fatigue consistently topped the list across all three regions, suggesting that while the nature of lone work may differ by country and sector, the human impact of isolation and long hours remains universal. Let’s take a closer look at the regional results. 

UK & Ireland

In the UK and Ireland, the picture is strikingly similar: 35% of workers in both countries regularly perform their duties alone. Fatigue once again tops the list of concerns, cited by 48% of workers in the UK and 49% in Ireland, while 23% in both countries say they are “very worried” about fatigue.  

Stress and mental health were the next most cited issues, whereas environmental and chemical risks ranked lowest. This pattern highlights the shift in focus from traditional physical hazards to more complex wellbeing challenges among isolated workers. 

From an employer perspective, 46% of UK executives believe the number of lone workers in their organisations will rise over the next two to three years.  

At the same time, more than half feel that overall risks have increased, with one in four saying they have risen sharply.  

These insights suggest that while organisations recognise the changing landscape of lone work, many are still playing catch-up in adapting policies, training, and digital monitoring solutions to protect workers who operate without immediate peer support. 

USA & Canada

In North America, 35% of workers are classified as lone workers, mirroring the global average. Almost half (48%) of those surveyed said they are worried about fatigue, with notable variation between countries: 45% in the USA and 53% in Canada.  

Canadian lone workers also report higher levels of concern about stress and mental health compared to their American counterparts, suggesting a greater recognition of the psychological pressures associated with isolated work. 

Around one in four (24%) North American lone workers say they are “very worried” about fatigue (22% in USA, 25% in Canada), underscoring the urgency of addressing this issue in regional safety programmes.  

These concerns are reflected in organisational perceptions as well. Across North America, over half of executives report that risks associated with lone working have risen in recent years, and 26% of those we surveyed say they have increased significantly. 

Many organisations are strengthening protective measures by updating lone-worker policies, expanding check-in protocols and emergency escalation, deploying digital monitoring/duress solutions, and taking a more proactive approach to risk assessment and follow-up.  

Nordics

In the Nordic countries, 34% of workers operate alone, which is slightly below the global average. Norwegian insights highlight the growing significance of the issue and the need for more structured procedures and digital solutions.  

While most organisations value workplace safety overall, preparedness and consistency for lone-worker measures vary widely across companies and industries.  

Despite high general safety standards in Nordic workplaces, many organisations still rely on manual checks or informal safety routines, leaving lone workers vulnerable.  

Respondents highlighted the need for more structured safety procedures and digital monitoring solutions to ensure timely support during incidents. The results make clear that improving lone worker protection is not just a question of technology, but of culture.

CHAPTER 7: SUSTAINABILITY

More work needs to be done on improving understanding of ESG and sustainability

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ESG and Sustainability reporting is becoming more prominent as a business requirement. Whether businesses must adhere to mandatory reporting such as CSRD, or report voluntarily via frameworks such as the CDP, its impact is being felt by all workers. 

But what is the level of understanding of these terms among to workforce? 

Overall, we found that 72% of workers believed it was important that their employer reduces its environmental impact. However, knowledge of reporting frameworks remains low across the board. 

UK & Ireland

We found that a combined 63% of workers in the UK and Ireland work at companies that have environmental and sustainability goals, but this was more common in the UK than in Ireland. 

UK workers and businesses appear to be slightly more mature in their implementation and understanding of ESG and sustainability related concepts compared to Ireland.  

36% of UK workers report that their employer operates in accordance with an ESG framework or guidelines. This number drops to 26% in Ireland. 27% of UK workers did not know what ESG frameworks and guidelines were, vs 37% in Ireland. 

Workers from both regions identified 1) Lack of budget and 2) lack of clear strategy or direction as the two main barriers to improving sustainability in the workplace, with limited leadership support also ranking among the top challenges for Irish workers. 

USA & Canada

According to the results, a combined 61% of respondents in the USA and Canada work at companies that have environmental and sustainability goals.  

There does not appear to be much difference in the implementation and understanding of ESG and sustainability related terms and concepts between US and Canadian workplaces.  

33% of US workers say that their employer operates in accordance with an ESG framework or guidelines, compared to 32% in Canada. 25% of US workers did not know what ESG frameworks and guidelines were, vs 23% in Canada. 

Nordics

60% of Nordic workers reported that their employer had environment and sustainability goals. 71% said that it was important for their company to actively work to reduce its environment impact. 

However the Nordics had the lowest levels of responses indicating that their business operates according to an ESG framework or guideline, at 29%. 

43% of workers in the Nordics didn’t know what an ESG framework was, the highest among all of the regions surveyed. 

CHAPTER 8: FINAL THOUGHTS

Final thoughts

We can see from the data presented here that there is a disconnect between the perception of safety – workers largely do feel safe – and the reality. Risks emerging from stress, digital gaps, chemical exposure and lone worker vulnerability must be addressed by employers. 

A connected software solution that spans EHS, chemical safety, lone working, sustainability as well as training and learning can go a long way towards mitigating these risks. Want to read the full report for your region? Download below .