Injury rates diverge between employees and workers

The filings report lost-time injury rates separately for employees and workers. These categories should not be treated as a simple split between permanent and contract staff. Compare the reported groups using the definitions and coverage in each filing.

Across twenty automobile and component makers for FY2024-25, sixteen report a higher rate for workers than for employees. Ten report a rate of zero for employees and a rate above zero for workers, at the same operations in the same year. The median across the sample is 0.00 for employees and 0.11 for workers, and the widest gap at a single company is 0.14 against 3.08.

A company reporting no lost-time injuries among employees is answering accurately for the group it was asked about. The problem comes later, when the two rates are averaged into one, or the employee figure is taken on its own because it is the one summary reporting tends to quote. Either treatment can obscure differences in reported safety outcomes between the two groups.

Five fatalities are disclosed across the twenty companies. For workforce and ESG analysis, retain the separate rates and review reporting coverage before drawing conclusions about safety performance.