Despite increasingly complex global operations, organizations can improve their supply chain safety records by deploying two core tactics together in a coordinated strategy, according to a study from Avetta, a Utah-based IT services firm.The research shows that while foundational supply chain risk management capabilities and improved visibility both contribute to fewer serious health and safety incidents, the most significant improvements—up to 97% lower workplace fatality rates—occur when these capabilities are implemented together as part of a coordinated strategy.That was the chief result of the firm’s “Avetta Insights and Impact Report 2026,” which analyzes data from the network of 130,000 global suppliers that use Avetta’s platform to streamline their compliance, safety, and performance.To support more consistent analysis of serious health and safety outcomes across regions, this year’s report also introduces the global severe injury rate (GSIR), a normalized measure designed to address differences in how severe injuries are defined and reported worldwide, providing additional context alongside traditional fatality rate statistics. That shift is underway with the recent release of ASTM E2920-26, a new global standard for recording and benchmarking priority occupational health and safety-related incidents, Avetta said.The report provides the following key takeaways based on three years (2022-2024) of GSIR and fatality rate data:Organizations that implement core health and safety risk management capabilities—such as prequalification, safety audits, insurance verification, worker management and worksite controls—see significantly lower GSIR and fatality rates.Broader supply chain risk visibility into sustainability, business, and cyber risks relates to safety maturity because it surfaces exposures that often sit…
