The majority of employees in North America feel safe in their workplace, but incident rates are still uncomfortably high, revealing that perception doesn’t always equal protection. According to a new report from technology-provider EcoOnline, nearly half have experienced—either personally or through a relative— a workplace accident or job-related illness.
A survey, conducted online by Origo Group in April 2025, gathered responses from 1,059 workers, aged 18-65 in Canada and the United States. The data explores whether modern environmental, health and safety (EHS), environmental, social and governance (ESG), and chemical management initiatives are keeping pace with the needs of today’s workforce.
Workplace safety
Most respondents who reported experiencing a work-related incident or illness (or knowing someone who has) say it was stress-related, with this figure being significantly higher in Canada (68 per cent) than in the U.S. (44 per cent).
Another recent survey this week from Peninsula Group, a global HR, employment law and health and safety consultancy, shows the impact that mental health is having on small and medium-sized businesses around the world and particularly in Canada.
That data looked at 79,000 businesses across Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and the UK and found that employees in Canada are least likely to speak up if they are struggling with their mental health. Meanwhile, Irish and Canadian employers are the least confident that employees would discuss mental health issues with them. “Whilst the responsibility isn’t solely on the employer, what this does tells us is that mental health stigma in the workplace is still very much present, and more open conversations are needed to reduce it and foster a positive working environment,” said Raj Singh, CEO at Peninsula Canada.
Looking back at the EcoOnline report, a positive work environment was cited as a main priority for North American employees, with 83 per cent citing it as a top factor when choosing an employer. Most workers say they would consider leaving their employer due to a poor workplace environment.
When asked to rank their top 8 associations for the term ‘workplace environment,’ Canadian respondents listed colleagues, then flexible working hours, followed by the company environment.
Chemical safety
Chemical safety is also rife with risk and a critical gap, with 44 per cent of workers saying they are exposed to chemicals on the job. Of that, nearly 40 per cent say their company is not actively working to substitute hazardous chemicals. Fewer workers in Canada report exposure compared to those in the U.S.
This risk is thought to be highest where digital controls are weakest. Most workers (78 per cent) said they receive formal chemical training and 80 per cent have access to safety data sheets, which are used to inform how hazardous chemical substances and mixtures of substances can be safely handled, used, stored, and disposed of. One-third of respondents said these sheets aren’t available via QR code on mobile devices and they don’t have a digital chemical management system.
Rising pressure for lone workers
More people work alone now post pandemic. For the purposes of this survey, EcoOnline defines a lone worker as an employee who works physically isolated and cannot reach their colleagues without a phone or via radio during all or part of the workday. Nearly half of executives believe the number of lone workers in their organization will increase over the next 2 to 3 years.
One in three North American workers identify as lone workers. Of those, 45 per cent strongly agree their employer takes lone worker safety seriously; a notable gap compared to the 53 per cent of all North American workers who feel safe.
Psychosocial risks like mental health and fatigue outrank physical hazards for this group, with nearly half naming them top concerns, followed by environmental hazards like fires, as well as accidents or falls.
Digitization and AI
Through the survey, most employees say they’d feel safer with more digital health and safety tools, rising to 81 per cent among those aged 18-34. Even though 41 per cent want to report incidents digitally, many still rely on manual processes.
Most incidents are verbally reported directly to a manager. This preference is especially strong in Canada, where a significantly higher percentage favour face-to-face reporting. This trend carried over to how workers themselves receive such information, which primarily comes from managers, followed by email and department meetings.
Looking at employer efforts to improve workplace safety, results showed that 69 per cent of respondents in Canada and the U.S. were provided with competency training, the majority of which was e-learning or digital training modules.
More than half of workers are open to artificial intelligence (AI) improving workplace safety, increasing to 70 per cent for 18–34-year-olds. One in five North American workers believe AI could definitely improve workplace safety, and lots more see potential depending on implementation. Canadian workers were more optimistic about this than U.S. workers. The report suggests that opportunities lie in showing how AI can support rather than replace human safety processes, with potential use cases such as predictive alerts or virtual assistants.
Safety and sustainability
Besides health and safety, sustainability also matters as 72 per cent of North American workers say it’s important that their company actively reduces environmental impact. However, only 33 per cent say their business uses a recognized ESG framework and 24 per cent don’t even know what ESG is.
ESG frameworks are slightly more common in the U.S, but Canada is making significant strides in developing and enforcing ESG regulations, with a strong emphasis on mandatory climate-related disclosures for major financial institutions in particular. The Canadian Sustainability Standards Board has released exposure drafts reinforcing this direction. While ESG reporting is currently voluntary, growing pressure is pushing toward a standardized, mandatory disclosure.
EcoOnline CEO Tom Goodmanson cites safety, stress and sustainability as important elements of the overall workplace experience. “Supporting employee well-being means going beyond compliance, creating environments that are productive, supportive and safe,” he said. “With 81% of workers saying they’d consider leaving due to poor conditions, the link between safety, sustainability and job satisfaction is clearer than ever.”
He suggests that embracing technology to tackle psychosocial risks and make tangible sustainability commitments will be essential to keeping people protected and engaged.
As the report aims to showcase, safety investments, especially in competency training and education, are seen as key to increasing staff satisfaction, while digital tools and AI are welcomed when implemented thoughtfully.
“Hopefully, there is growing awareness around ESG and sustainability, with most employees, especially in Canada, supporting stronger environmental action and better integration of non-financial data into business reporting,” the report concludes. “To truly improve workplace safety and culture, organizations should prioritize implementation, communication, and worker engagement, especially when it comes to lone workers.”
