The State of Workplace Safety 2021

In 2021, AllVoices surveyed 889 full-time US employees on their experiences with workplace safety: what unsafe conditions they'd seen, whether they'd reported them, and how they felt about returning to in-person work as COVID restrictions began lifting. The findings show a familiar pattern. Employees notice safety problems. Many don't report them. And even when they do, resolution is far from guaranteed.

This report covers both traditional workplace safety issues (exposed wiring, slippery walkways, inadequate PPE) and the COVID-era concerns that were top of mind in mid-2021 as offices reopened. The structural barriers it identifies around reporting, trust, and retaliation have remained relevant well beyond the pandemic.

Methodology

On June 21, 2021, we surveyed 889 Americans employed full-time. The survey was conducted online via PollFish.com using organic sampling through Random Device Engagement (RDE).

Key findings from the 2021 workplace safety survey

52% have experienced unsafe working conditions. The biggest issues our respondents faced were exposed wiring, slippery walkways, and unmarked exits.

41% have left an organization because of unsafe conditions. While 87% believe their workplace cares about their safety, many have left due to unresolved issues.

56% have reported unsafe working conditions. Those who didn't report cited uncertainty about whether the issue was serious enough, or that it wasn't their place. Only 55% of reported issues were fully resolved.

58% felt very comfortable returning to an indoor work space. Those who didn't cite a lack of COVID safety measures in place, or feeling that their workplace was reopening too quickly.

46% believed they were being forced to return in person. 45% feared retaliation in the form of shaming, loss of job duties, or more if they didn't return in person.

20% didn't feel comfortable voicing COVID safety concerns. The main reasons: they didn't think anything would be done, they wouldn't be believed, or they feared retaliation.

74% would be more willing to report through an anonymous channel. If organizations want honest feedback on safety concerns, they need to offer reporting options that employees actually trust.

Who responded to this survey

We surveyed 889 Americans who work full-time (62% hourly, 38% salaried). 57.4% are male, and 42.6% are female.

The majority (40.3%) fall between the ages of 35 and 44. 21.6% are between 25 and 34, and 12.7% are under 24. 14.7% are between 45 and 54, and 10.7% are over 54.

23.3% work for a small business of 1 to 100 employees, 45% work for a medium-sized business of 100 to 999 employees, and 31.7% work for a large business of 1,000 or more employees.

The majority (21.7%) work in IT/computer software, 13.3% work in healthcare, 8.4% in financial services or insurance, and 8% in educational services.

17.3% are entry-level employees, 41.8% are mid-level, and 35.7% are senior-level. In terms of tenure, 9.3% have been at their current company less than 6 months, 14.2% between 6 months and one year, 38.8% between one and five years, and 37.7% for five or more years.

How common are unsafe working conditions

Every employee should be able to work without worrying about physical harm or danger. This section covers what our respondents actually experienced, and how their organizations responded.

52% have experienced unsafe working conditions

52.3% of our respondents across business sizes and sectors have experienced some kind of unsafe work environment. This includes exposed wires, unmarked exits, slippery walkways, unenforced COVID precautions, or other hazards.

Most common hazards: exposed wiring, slippery walkways, unmarked exits

Among those who reported unsafe conditions, here is what they most commonly experienced:

• Electrical hazards like exposed wiring (51.8%)
• Slippery hallways or unshoveled walkways (46%)
• Unmarked or blocked exits (37.9%)
• Unsanitary or unclean conditions (36.6%)
• Lack of available PPE (34%)
• Lack of available soap and sanitizer (33.8%)
• High levels of noise (31.2%)
• Customers not wearing masks when required (30.5%)
• Social distancing not enforced when required (29.7%)
• Malfunctioning or unmaintained equipment (29.5%)
• Workplace congestion: too many people for the space (27.7%)
• Coworkers not wearing masks when required (26.7%)
• Hazardous materials (25%)
• Hazardous air conditions or air systems not updated for COVID protocols (23.4%)
• Lack of enforcement of COVID precautions (19.6%)

Most workplaces address safety issues, but 15% do not

When safety issues arise, how do organizations respond? 62.4% of respondents said their workplace addresses issues immediately. 22.3% said their workplace addresses them eventually. 9.1% said they haven't seen their workplace address safety issues at all, and 6.2% weren't sure.

Healthcare employees were among the most likely to report that issues went unaddressed. Senior-level employees were more likely to report immediate resolution, and employees at large companies were more likely to report uncertainty about whether their workplace addressed issues at all.

Over half of respondents experienced unsafe conditions. But many workplaces either delay resolution or don't address issues at all, which affects trust and engagement well beyond the immediate safety concern.

Why unsafe conditions often go unreported

Unsafe working conditions go unreported for the same reasons other workplace concerns do: employees aren't sure if it's serious enough to flag, assume someone else will handle it, or don't believe anything will be done. This section covers what employees did and didn't do when they saw safety issues at work.

87% believe their workplace cares about their safety

86.5% of respondents believe their workplace cares about their safety. 13.5% do not. Those most likely to doubt their workplace's commitment to safety work in education, healthcare, and the federal government. Entry-level employees (77.9%) were notably less confident than senior-level employees (91.5%).

41% have left a workplace because of unaddressed safety issues

40.9% of respondents had left a job because unsafe working conditions weren't addressed. 25.1% stayed despite unresolved issues. 34% stayed because issues were resolved, or because they hadn't experienced safety problems.

Male respondents were significantly more likely to have left due to unsafe conditions (49.2%) than female respondents (29.8%). The gender gap may reflect different job types, risk tolerance, or caregiving pressures that shaped how mobile each group was willing to be.

56% reported unsafe working conditions, 44% did not

56.2% of respondents have reported unsafe working conditions at some point. 43.8% have not.

Why employees stay silent about safety hazards

Among those who did not report unsafe conditions, here is what held them back:

• I didn't know if it was a big enough deal to report (36.8%)
• I assumed someone else would report it, or it didn't feel like my place (24.4%)
• I didn't believe reporting it would do anything, or I wouldn't be believed (15.2%)
• I feared retaliation: demotion, job loss, gossip, shaming (13.6%)
• I saw how others who reported in the past were treated, so I kept silent (10%)

The top two reasons point to a clarity gap, not a culture one. Employees didn't report because they weren't sure the issue was significant enough to raise, or they expected someone else to do it. This signals that organizations need to be more explicit about what constitutes a reportable safety concern, and that reporting is everyone's responsibility. Understanding how fear of retaliation silences employees matters here too: even where retaliation ranked lower as a reason, it still accounts for nearly 14% of non-reporters.

Only 55% of reported issues were fully resolved

Among those who did report unsafe working conditions, here is what happened:

• The matter was fully resolved (54.8%)
• The matter was acknowledged and partially resolved (24.3%)
• The matter was not resolved, and no action was taken (11.4%)
• The matter was not resolved, but I believe my company is working on it (5.5%)
• Reporting made the matter worse (4.1%)

Resolution rates vary by seniority and gender. 61.8% of senior-level employees saw full resolution, compared to 52.6% of entry-level employees. 59.4% of male respondents saw full resolution, compared to 48.6% of female respondents. These gaps matter: when some groups consistently see their safety concerns addressed less often, they become less likely to report in the future. This is how a reporting culture erodes even when no one intends it to.

How employees felt about returning to the office in 2021

This section covers the COVID-specific questions from our June 2021 survey, conducted as organizations were bringing employees back to in-person work. The data reflects concerns that were specific to that moment, though the underlying dynamics around pressure, voice, and retaliation remain relevant.

74% were returning to an indoor workplace

74% of respondents were returning to an indoor office or work space, or had already done so. 18.6% would remain fully remote. 7.4% work in outdoor environments where COVID precautions were less relevant.

58% felt very comfortable returning to an indoor work environment

57.9% of respondents felt very comfortable returning to an indoor work space, and another 27.5% felt somewhat comfortable. 9.4% felt neither comfortable nor uncomfortable. Only 3.8% felt somewhat uncomfortable, and 1.4% felt very uncomfortable.

64.6% of male respondents felt very comfortable returning, compared to 48.3% of female respondents. This gap likely reflected a mix of factors: different comfort levels with COVID risk, and different caregiving responsibilities that made remote work more valuable to many women with school-age children at home.

Why some employees didn't feel comfortable returning

For those who didn't feel comfortable returning to an indoor workplace, the top concerns were:

• COVID safety measures in place, but not enough (39.3%): Respondents here tended to work in education, IT/computer software, and healthcare.
• Workplace reopening too quickly, putting business before people (34.5%): More common in small businesses and in education, manufacturing, and state/local government.
• No encouragement of continued testing or vaccination (20.2%): More common in large businesses and IT/computer software.
• Workplace more risk-tolerant than the employee (20.2%): More common in small businesses and healthcare.
• No COVID safety measures in place at all (17.9%): More common in education, fintech, IT/computer software, and retail.
• Workplace not following local COVID ordinances (17.9%): Most common in education.

86% believed their workplace would put safety measures in place

86.3% believed their office would take the steps necessary to keep them safe during the return to work. 7.3% did not. 6.4% said their company had promised precautions but they weren't aware of what those were, a communication gap that itself creates uncertainty.

91% received a COVID safety plan from their employer

90.7% of respondents were provided with a COVID safety plan by their employer. 9.3% were not. Those who received no plan were most likely to work in retail and education.

46% felt they were being forced to return to the office

46.2% felt forced to return to an in-person work environment. 35.6% did not feel forced. The remainder had no remote option or didn't need to return to an office.

56.3% of male respondents felt forced to return, compared to 31.7% of female respondents. Entry-level (55.8%) and senior-level (55.1%) employees felt nearly the same level of pressure. The feeling of being forced back wasn't purely about COVID safety. It also reflected employees who wanted remote or hybrid arrangements but weren't being offered them.

45% feared retaliation for not returning in person

45.3% of respondents feared repercussions if they chose to stay remote: being treated unfairly, excluded from decisions, or penalized for not being physically present. 29.5% felt their workplace was inclusive of remote workers and supportive of flexible solutions.

Male respondents feared retaliation more than female respondents (55.4% vs. 31.6%). Senior-level employees feared it most of all (59.7%), compared to 46.4% of entry-level employees. When employees who have a safety concern also fear punishment for expressing it, you get a workforce that stays silent, a pattern that runs far deeper than COVID policy.

Why employees stayed silent about COVID safety concerns

Not everyone had the same risk tolerance as their employer. For those with concerns about COVID precautions at work, the question was whether they felt safe enough to raise them.

20% didn't feel comfortable voicing COVID safety concerns

79.6% of respondents felt comfortable voicing COVID safety concerns to a manager or HR. 20.4% did not. Male respondents were more comfortable speaking up (82.9%) than female respondents (75.2%). Senior-level respondents were more comfortable (89%) than entry-level respondents (76.6%).

Healthcare and education employees were the most likely to report feeling unable to speak up. The majority worked at large companies.

Top reasons employees stayed silent about COVID protocols

For those who didn't feel comfortable voicing COVID concerns, here is why:

• I didn't believe reporting it would do anything, or I wouldn't be believed (28.2%)
• I feared retaliation: demotion, job loss, gossip, shaming (26%)
• I didn't know if it was a big enough deal to report (18.2%)
• I saw how others who reported in the past were treated, so I kept silent (15.5%)
• I assumed someone else would report it, or it wasn't my place (12.2%)

The top two reasons here (disbelief that action would follow, and fear of retaliation) are different from the top reasons given for not reporting physical safety hazards (where "it wasn't a big deal" and "someone else will do it" ranked higher). COVID safety concerns carried a more personal dimension. Employees feared they'd be seen as difficult, not a team player, or overly cautious, and that raising the issue would cost them professionally.

74% would be more likely to report through an anonymous channel

73.6% of respondents said they would be more likely to report concerns if a truly anonymous reporting channel existed. 10.2% said they still wouldn't, for other reasons. 8% said they wouldn't trust the channel to actually be anonymous. 8.2% said they'd use a different method.

According to AllVoices research on message anonymity and employee reporting, that skepticism is meaningful: the biggest barrier to anonymous reporting isn't the absence of an anonymous channel. It's employees doubting the channel is genuinely confidential. Building an anonymous reporting system employees actually trust requires more than a tool. It requires demonstrated follow-through.

What this research tells us about workplace safety culture

The data from this survey doesn't just describe what happened during a specific moment in 2021. It describes how employees respond when they see problems and don't feel confident that anything will be done.

Physical safety hazards go unreported because employees aren't sure if they're serious enough to flag. COVID safety concerns go unreported because employees fear being seen as a problem. In both cases, the barrier isn't capability or access to a reporting channel. It's the belief that speaking up is risky and that nothing will change anyway.

Organizations that want accurate safety data need to close that credibility gap. Psychological safety in the context of physical safety reporting means employees believe their concern will be taken seriously, acted on, and that raising it won't cost them anything. That takes consistent follow-through over time, not just a policy document.

Workplace safety in 2025 and 2026: what has changed

This survey was conducted at a specific and unusual moment: mid-2021, when COVID safety protocols were the dominant lens through which workplace safety was being discussed. Four years later, that context has shifted considerably. The underlying reporting patterns have not.

Injury and illness rates have declined, but the gap between incidents and reports persists

According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data released in 2025, US employers recorded approximately 2.5 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2024, a 3.1% decline from the prior year. The fatal injury rate stood at 3.3 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers, with 5,283 total fatalities. Physical safety in the traditional sense has improved measurably. But the gap between what employees observe and what gets reported (documented clearly in our 2021 data) has not been resolved by better physical safety outcomes alone. Employees still don't report what they see. The reasons are the same: uncertainty about severity, assumption that someone else will act, and fear that raising the issue will reflect poorly on them.

COVID-specific concerns have resolved, but return-to-office tensions have not

By 2026, COVID safety protocols have been retired across most workplaces. But the tensions our data captured around return-to-office pressure, retaliation fears, and employer-employee misalignment on flexibility have not disappeared. They have shifted to debates about hybrid work policies, remote work entitlement, and productivity monitoring. Employees still report feeling pressure to be physically present in ways that feel disproportionate or punitive. The mechanism is different; the dynamic is familiar.

Anonymous reporting remains the biggest driver of disclosure

Our finding that 74% of employees would be more likely to report safety concerns anonymously has held up. Organizations that have implemented genuinely confidential reporting channels see higher reporting rates and earlier intervention on issues that would otherwise go unaddressed. See how AllVoices works for HR and safety teams that need employees to actually use the channels made available to them.