Study Examines Workers’ Reasons for Underreporting Injuries

To examine the widespread problem of injury underreporting, a new study sponsored by Center for Construction Research and Training surveyed construction workers to learn why they fail to report work-related injuries. The study found that more than 25% of respondents had suffered a work-related injury but did not report it. Workers gave several reasons for not reporting their injuries:

• they accept that injury is part of the job;
• they want to remain eligible for incentive prizes;
• they wanted to avoid being seen as complainers or weak;
• they were concerned they wouldn’t be hired again;
• the claim filing process was too daunting.

The study, “Construction Workers’ Reasons for Not Reporting Work-Related Injuries: An Exploratory Study,” appears in the International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics.