COS finds 20% of employees do not feel safe at work
New research has found a growing number of employees believe health and safety are priorities in their workplaces. This is despite rising claims to Safe Work Australia. Commissioned by COS, Australia's largest family owned office and education supplies business, over 1000 workers nationwide were surveyed. The results found that more people believe their workplaces prioritise health and safety than they did two years ago, coming in at 80% now compared to 70% in 2023. However, underlying this is a growing rate of serious claims to Safe Work Australia over the last decade, an increase of 20.5%. Azzet spoke to COS co-CEO Belinda Lyone to find out how 80% of workers can continue increasing and practical plans to do so. The leading reason for those who reported not feeling like health and safety was a workplace priority was an expectation to keep working through illness, with 46% of people reporting stress over the thought of catching something, which is up 32% from 2023. "The pandemic was a major turning point when it comes to how employees perceive health and safety in the workplace. It heightened awareness across the board — not just around hygiene, but also mental wellbeing and psychological safety," said Lyone.
