05 Oct Why do employees take risks at work, even when they know better?
Ask almost any worker if they know the safe way to do their job, and they’ll say yes. Ask why they sometimes do it differently anyway, and the answers get more interesting.
Risk-taking at work is rarely about not knowing the rules. WorkSafe’s 2025 Workforce Insights survey found most employers are now getting the basics right – more toolbox talks, more formal engagement, more training than in 2023. Yet, unsafe shortcuts and rushed jobs are still a leading cause of injury. Knowing what to do and actually doing it under pressure are two different things.
If you want to reduce risk-taking in your business, it helps to understand what’s really causing it.
Time pressure
When a job is running late, the safe way often feels like the slow way. Skipping a step, working without full PPE, or not waiting for a second person can shave a few minutes off a task. Workers under deadline pressure will often make that change without even realising that they have done it.
This is one reason realistic timeframes matter as much as the safety procedure itself. If a job can only be done safely in an hour but is scheduled for 40 minutes, you’ve built the shortcut into the schedule.
Normalisation of deviance
The first time someone skips a step and nothing goes wrong, it feels like a one-off.
The second time, it starts to feel normal.
Eventually the unsafe way becomes “how we do it here” – until an incident forces a rethink.
This is especially common with tasks done often, where the correct process and the shortcut both feel routine. Regular observation and refreshers on your safe operating procedures help catch this drift before it becomes culture.
“It won’t happen to me”
Experienced workers are often the most confident, and the most likely to take a risk they’d flag in someone else. Years without an incident can create a false sense of control over a hazard rather than actual immunity to it. This is a known factor in higher injury rates among experienced workers in some sectors, not just new starters.
Wanting to look capable
Some employees take risks because they don’t want to be seen as slow, difficult, or unable to keep up.
This is more common in workplaces where asking for help, more time, or the right equipment is quietly discouraged, even if that’s not the stated policy.
It’s also more likely in a team with a strong work ethic, where going the extra mile can tip into cutting corners without anyone intending it to.
Not wanting to be the one who speaks up
WorkSafe’s most recent workforce data found 85% of workers feel comfortable discussing health and safety with someone at work, up from previous years. That’s encouraging, but it still means around 1 in 7 workers don’t feel that way. Where that gap exists, hazards go unreported and risky habits go unchallenged, because no one wants to be the one who says something.
Unclear or inconsistent expectations
If supervisors let a shortcut go on a busy day, workers reasonably assume it’s acceptable the rest of the time too. Inconsistent enforcement sends a stronger message than any policy document. Workers respond to what’s tolerated, not just what’s written down.
What employers can actually do about it
Understanding the reasons is only useful if it changes what you do next.
- Check your timeframes, not just your procedures. If jobs are consistently rushed, the schedule is part of the problem.
- Watch for normalisation, especially on routine tasks. A quick, informal check-in on how a job is actually being done (not just how it’s documented) catches drift early.
- Make it easy and safe to speak up. If a worker flags a risk, respond to it visibly and quickly. Silence trains people to stop reporting.
- Be consistent. If a shortcut isn’t acceptable, it isn’t acceptable under deadline pressure either. Supervisors need to apply the same standard every time.
- Involve workers in the fix, not just the rule. People are more likely to stick to a safe process they helped shape than one handed down without explanation.
None of this requires a big compliance overhaul. It’s about paying attention to the everyday pressures and habits that push people toward the risky option, and removing them where you can.
If you’re looking to build stronger day-to-day habits around hazard identification and reporting, our article on why workplace hazards must be reported is a good next read. And if shortcuts are creeping into a specific task or piece of equipment, the importance of a JSA article covers how a proper pre-work risk assessment closes that gap.
Please contact us if you would like to discuss.