Survey shows worker safety gap between generations of business owners

Younger small business owners appear to be less aware of the importance of workplace safety than older owners, showing an apparent generational gap in how they approach protecting workers from harm.

A Pie Insurance survey of more than 1,000 business owners shows that 69 percent of small business owners age 55 and older have not reported a workplace injury in the past five years, while less than a quarter (23%) of younger owners aged 18 to 34 have not reported an accident at work in the past five years. For homeowners aged 34 to 54, the figure was 41%.

However, the survey shows that sentiment for improving workplace safety among younger business owners is on the rise, with 47% of younger business owners saying they would have focused more on safety from the start, training employees and industry risks. That figure is 14 percent for business owners age 55 and older.

The survey shows that young business owners are taking ownership and planning to make improvements in hopes of increasing worker safety, said Carla Woodard, senior vice president of claims for Pie Insurance.

“I think they’re becoming more aware because the cost of doing business is going up and the costs of claims, unfortunately, can affect them,” Woodard said.

Half (50%) of small business owners surveyed said they had a workplace injury claim in the past five years. More than one in 10 (13%) of business owners said mental stress was the most commonly reported workplace injury.

The industries with the highest volume of damage are those that require labor and physical demand, according to Woodard.

“Safety (in these industries) requires not only education and process and how they operate, but also making sure they control the hazards around any type of machinery, maintenance, hazardous materials, etc.” Woodard said.

Why are older business owners more concerned about worker safety than younger ones?

“I think a lot of it has to do with just their time and experience in the industries they work in and own their businesses,” Woodard said. “If you think about it, young business owners may not have had the same amount of time and exposure to risk management thinking about things like workplace safety, which unfortunately makes them a bit more likely to overlook hazards and unsafe practices than a more experienced and tenured business owner. he might be aware.”

When asked about their worst-case workplace safety scenario, many employers cited unforeseen hazards such as natural disasters, workplace violence and mental health.

Those fears should prompt more discussion about employee mental health and being better prepared, Woodard said.

Workplace safety for heat waves was also a concern, with 65% of business owners having plans to address rising temperatures – 35% had no plans to prevent heat-related workplace illnesses and injuries .

Pie Insurance commissioned Yougov PLC to conduct the survey. The total sample size was 1,034 US small business owners, defined as companies with 1 to 500 employees. The survey was conducted online between February 19 and 27.

Colonno Celestino is an intern for Claims Journal. He is a graduate of Cal State University Long Beach and expects to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 2025. He also works for the Long Beach Current, CSULB’s student newspaper.