A recent government study shows that employers and employees have been underreporting workplace injuries. The study found that workers underreport injuries for fear of losing their jobs or for being disciplined. Mandatory drug testing has also been another reason for the underreporting of injuries.

Occupational health practitioners who were surveyed said they felt pressure from both employers and employees to downplay injuries or illnesses.

The study was aimed at the inspection practices of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. They have been criticized for excluding certain dangerous industries, such as amusement parks, in its workplace inspections. They didn’t always collect information about injuries from workers, which meant that they relied on employer records while investigating a workplace injury.

For this reason, the OSHA has created a new program called the National Emphasis Program on Recordkeeping, where they will take strong action against underreporting of injuries. This program will run for a year and will give federal workplace inspectors more latitude when inspecting employer work sites and to compare any record located offsite, such as at medical clinics, to the employer log.

Accurate reporting of workplace injuries will help employers reduce the occurrence of injuries.