Survey: Many workers won’t tell their bosses about job-related pain

Would a staff member experiencing pain that could be linked to his or her job duties tell you about the pain?

A recent survey suggests that the employee might not alert you to pain caused by the job. The survey of 1,000 U.S. employees conducted by the National Safety Council’s MSD Solutions Lab found that 65% of respondents said they experience pain related to their jobs. Among them, 54% said they’d report the pain right away and 17% said they’d report the pain later, but 29% said they wouldn’t report work-related pain.

The findings are significant because if people won’t alert you to pain from their jobs, you can’t possibly eliminate the source of the pain. Example: A worker with a job that requires repetitive motions might have wrist pain, but if you aren’t aware of it, you can’t provide the staffer with ergonomic tools or take other steps to target the source of the pain.

What to do: Spend a few minutes at the start of your next safety meeting asking attendees whether they’re suffering job-related pain, then follow up with solutions that help address the reasons for their pain.

(From the October 27, 2025, issue of Safety Alert for Supervisors. To start your no-obligation trial subscription to the publication right now, please click here.)