Workplace safety is essential for the well-being of employees and the efficiency of the business. From time to time, it is inevitable that there will be hazards that need to be handled within the workplace. However, a lot of accidents could be prevented before they ever happen with the correct reporting and review of hazards present within the workplace. The organization and employees must work together so reporting hazards can be an open and proactive process.
Here are some barriers to reporting and ways organizations can encourage reporting hazards.
Barriers:
- Fear of Retaliation: Employees could worry about jeopardizing their reputations by being labeled as complainers, facing disciplinary action, or damaging relationships with their managers or other co-workers when reporting a hazard.
- Lack of Prior Change: An employee may have reported a hazard previously, and nothing was done to correct the hazard. The employee could develop feelings that reporting hazards is pointless if nothing is going to change around the workplace.
- Unclear Reporting Procedures: If a workplace does not have clear reporting procedures, employees may not even know where to start to get hazards addressed. If some hazards do not seem serious enough to bring up to a supervisor, employees may give up trying to find the best way to report the hazard.
Ways to Encourage Reporting Hazards:
- Simplify the Reporting Process and Make It Known: A good place to start with making reporting easy and accessible is introducing employee reporting portals, mobile apps, or even QR codes around the workplace. Plus, include a clear step-by-step instruction sheet in multiple languages to make the reporting process efficient and inclusive.
- Train Supervisors to Respond Constructively, and Employees on How to Approach the Process: It is important that supervisors and employees know how to handle the reporting process. Training supervisors to respond without judgment and guiding employees to articulate hazards can lead to a more efficient hazard-reporting process. Encouraging supervisors and employees to follow up and to show progress being made – along with embedding reporting into company culture – can help create a safer workplace.
When reporting hazards within a workplace becomes welcomed and encouraged, it can lead to a company culture of safety and fluent communication – so employees should feel empowered to help protect themselves and their coworkers. When reporting hazards is part of workplace routine, a happy, safe, and efficient work environment can be established.
Source (s) used in this article:
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Hazard Identification. U.S. Department of Labor. Last accessed October 1, 2025.
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Workers’ rights and responsibilities. U.S. Department of Labor. Last Accessed October 1, 2025.