Survey Shows a Worker Safety Gap Between Business Owner Generations

September 17, 2024

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

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

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

It’s clear from the survey that younger business owners are taking accountability, and they plan to make improvements in hopes of beefing up worker safety, said Carla Woodard, senior vice president of claims for Pie Insurance.

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

Half (50%) of all small business owners in the survey said they had a workplace injury claim in the last 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 largest volume of claims are the ones that require labor and physical demand, according to Woodard.

“Safety [in these industries] not only requires education and process and how they’re doing their work but also making sure that they control the hazards surrounding any sort of machinery, maintenance, hazardous materials, etc.” Woodard said.

Why are older business owners more tuned into worker safety than younger ones?

“I think a lot of it just has to do with their time and experience in the industries in which they work and own their businesses,” Woodard said. “If you think about it, younger business owners may not have had the same time and experiencing managing risks thinking about things like workplace safety, which unfortunately makes them a bit more prone to overlooking hazards and unsafe practices that a more experienced, tenured business owner might be aware of.”

When asked for their worst workplace safety scenario, many owners cited unforeseen hazards like natural disasters, workplace violence and mental health.

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

Workplace safety for heatwaves was also a concern, with 65% of business owners having plans in place to address the 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 U.S. small business owners, defined by companies with one to 500 employees. The survey was conducted online between Feb. 19 and Feb. 27.