New Survey Highlights Disconnect Between Workplace Safety Practices and Hazard Reporting

 Nearly two-thirds of industrial professionals surveyed say fewer than one in 20 frontline workers files a hazard, near-miss or safety report each month, or that their site doesn’t track it. The Frontline Risk Study 2026, released today by Teamforce AI, also found sites with corrective-action (CAPA) software were as likely as sites without it to name verifying fixes as a top need.

• Most sites can’t show they capture risk. 38% report under 5% monthly participation and 25% don’t track it (63% combined). Of the 23 under 5%, 19 say participation hasn’t moved in a year.
• A digital channel is the start, not the fix. Where reporting is tracked, half with EHS software or an app exceed 15% (15 of 30), versus none without them. Across all 39 sites with these tools, 20 are under 5% or don’t track it.
• The biggest sites are least able to state their rate. 53% at sites over 1,000 employees or in corporate roles couldn’t give a reporting rate, against 12% at smaller sites.
• Software hasn’t closed the loop on fixes. Verifying that fixes worked was a top need for 36% of sites with CAPA software and 30% without, not a statistically significant difference.
• Those closest to the risk know least about its cost. Three of four supervisors and five of 11 specialists were unsure how workers’ compensation is financed, against none of seven executives.

“When a safety record gets tested, the two questions are: did anyone see the hazard coming, and was it fixed?” said Vivek Kumar, CEO and co-founder of Teamforce AI. “Most sites lack the reporting to answer the first, and a closed ticket shows someone acted, not that the fix worked.”

Sixty professionals completed the voluntary survey between July and September 2026; figures are respondents’ own estimates and show associations, not causes. The study was developed in partnership with Jim Lewis, executive director of the University of Iowa’s Vaughan Institute of Risk Management & Insurance, with outreach by students at Iowa and the University of North Carolina.

“As an industry, we’re very good at studying claims after they happen, but that’s reactive,” said Lewis. “This study looks at what comes before a claim: whether workers report hazards at all. That’s the blind spot. You can’t predict and prevent what your workers aren’t telling you.”

The findings are being shared today at the RISC Summit and Innovation Challenge, hosted by the University of Iowa in Iowa City and online.

Read the full report at teamforce.ai/frontline-risk-study-2026.