A new Avetta study shows organizations that integrate core risk management capabilities—like safety audits and insurance verification—with end-to-end supply chain visibility cut workplace fatality rates by up to 97%. Analyzing data from 130,000 global suppliers (2022–2024), the report introduces the Global Severe Injury Rate (GSIR) and aligns with ASTM E2920-26, a 2026 global occupational safety standard. CEO Arshad Matin emphasizes that siloed programs yield limited gains—only coordinated, systems-based deployment delivers dramatic safety and resilience improvements.
According to www.thescxchange.com, a study by Avetta—a Utah-based IT services firm specializing in supply chain risk and compliance—finds that organizations deploying core health and safety risk management capabilities alongside enhanced supply chain visibility achieve up to a 97% lower workplace fatality rate. The findings are drawn from the firm’s “Avetta Insights and Impact Report 2026”, which analyzes three years of data (2022–2024) across its global network of 130,000 suppliers.
Coordinated Strategy Drives Maximum Impact
The report confirms that isolated implementation of risk tools yields limited gains. Instead, the strongest safety outcomes emerge when foundational capabilities—including prequalification, safety audits, insurance verification, worker management, and worksite controls—are integrated into a strategic, systems-based approach over time. According to the source, this coordinated deployment correlates with significantly lower Global Severe Injury Rate (GSIR) and fatality rates. To enable cross-regional benchmarking, Avetta introduced the GSIR as a normalized metric—designed to reconcile inconsistent global definitions and reporting of severe injuries.
New Standard Supports Global Benchmarking
This effort aligns with the recent release of ASTM E2920-26, a newly published global standard for recording and benchmarking priority occupational health and safety incidents. The standard, cited in the report, provides a consistent framework for tracking events such as amputations, hospitalizations, and fatalities—addressing long-standing fragmentation in occupational injury metrics across jurisdictions including the US, EU, and Southeast Asia.
Visibility Extends Beyond Safety Functions
The report further identifies a strong correlation between broader supply chain risk visibility—including sustainability, business continuity, and cyber risk exposure—and overall safety maturity. These non-traditional risk domains often reveal latent vulnerabilities that impact frontline safety but fall outside conventional health and safety departments’ scope. For example, supplier financial instability or cybersecurity gaps in logistics software can cascade into operational disruptions that increase incident likelihood at distribution centers or ports.
Practitioner Implications
For supply chain professionals, the findings underscore a practical shift: safety performance is no longer solely the domain of EHS (Environment, Health & Safety) teams. Integrating risk data from procurement, IT, finance, and operations enables earlier identification of upstream exposures—such as a Tier-2 supplier’s lack of OSHA-compliant training records or delayed insurance renewals. This systems-level integration supports proactive interventions rather than reactive incident investigations. Industry-wide, similar coordination is gaining traction: DHL launched its integrated Risk Intelligence Platform in Q3 2025, while Maersk embedded real-time port congestion and labor strike data into its safety dashboard for vessel crews in May 2026.
Leadership Perspective
“Supply chains have become increasingly distributed and unpredictable, forcing organizations to navigate risk faster than ever before. Our 2026 report confirms that health and safety performance doesn’t improve by simply adding individual programs in a vacuum. The organizations seeing the most dramatic results—and building safer, more resilient operations—are those that shift from a siloed approach to a connected, strategic system.” — Arshad Matin, CEO at Avetta
Source: www.thescxchange.com
Compiled from international media by the SCI.AI editorial team.
