Safety record reveals worst injury rates… and the top 3 are supermarkets

Trips and slips happen every day, but it’s where they happen that is interesting to note. And new research shows that out of 100 companies, of the top four, three of the worst injury rates were in the nation’s supermarkets.

Citi reports that Metcash IGA has the worst safety record of all ASX100 listed companies, based on how often they record injuries.

IGA had the highest rate of injuries – 14.1 injuries that resulted in time away from the workplace for every million hours worked.

The report, Safety Spotlight: ASX100 Companies & More, found Woolworths ranked second worst (10.4), followed by Qantas (8.9) and then Coles Wesfarmers (7.6).

What this data shows is that there are quite a few injuries occurring in supermarkets particularly, though Myer and Westfield also ranked in the listed.

But overall, Wesfarmers listed the worst score for Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rate, with 31.9, down from 38.7 in the 2013 financial year. Metcash and Woolworths do not report TRIFR data, reports Fairfax.

Interestingly, a number of ASX-listed companies do not need to report their safety data, including hospitality, hospitals and medical fields.

At the very least, it’s good to know that although hospitality and retail companies have among the highest lost time rates for injuries, mining, materials and heavy industry have very few injuries.

Sadly, the resources and heavy industry companies dominate in workplace deaths, though Woolworths had seven fatalities between 2005 and 2014, including five customers, two of whom were struck by workplace equipment.

A Woolworths spokesman said the company’s injury rates were falling and that it was continuing to improve safety at the company, as did Metcash.

Tell us today: have you ever been injured at the supermarket or shopping centre? What happened? Do you think supermarkets need to be safer?