A recent survey shows money trumps safety as a priority for both employers (as perceived by employees) and for workers themselves.

More than half of the 1,000 employees surveyed (57%) believe their employers place more importance on profits than safety. But safety doesn’t rank high on workers’ own list of priorities. Money again comes first. A high starting salary is the number one factor when taking a new job, according to employees surveyed, with physical safety being fifth out of eight priorities.

Despite safety being a lower priority for employees, many workers are not satisfied with their company’s safety efforts. More than half (54%) do not “fully trust” their company’s HR or leadership to create a safe work environment. Given that mistrust, it’s not surprising that only one in three (34%) would report safety concerns without hesitation.

Employees are increasingly concerned about their own mental health, and the survey shows employers are not matching this concern, in the eyes of their workers. About one-third (37%) of employees surveyed report feeling burned out or overwhelmed. Possibly connected to these feelings is worker dissatisfaction with how they are treated on the job – 31% feel underpaid or undervalued. Mental health strain and burnout are the number one safety-related reason employees avoided work, ranking higher than fears of physical violence or unsafe equipment. Safety-based absenteeism increasingly is associated with mental wellbeing, but 25% of employees say their employers do not provide adequate mental health support.

Poor employee perceptions and attitudes about the quality of their employer’s safety and health program go beyond misplaced priorities and lack of trust. Most workers (61%) believe their employer is not prepared to protect against an active shooter or violent intruder, and one-third report feeling unsafe due to coworker behaviors or attitudes. This concern about risks posed by coworkers could relate to more than half of employees not trusting their leadership to create a safe work environment.

The survey was conducted by Brady, an industrial and safety printing systems company, in August, 2025. “The data paints a picture of American workplaces struggling to balance productivity demands with worker safety, while failing to adapt safety protocols to address modern challenges, including mental health, interpersonal conflicts and evolving security threats,” a Brady press release states.