Hidden Harm: Quantifying occupational injury under-reporting in veterinary workplaces through modified capture-recapture analysis

Occupational injuries are prevalent within the veterinary sector, though their true extent is unknown as evidence indicates widespread under-reporting of injuries. This study aimed to: assess injury under-reporting across roles in a group of UK veterinary practices; and audit the type, frequency, and outcomes of workplace injuries within a large veterinary organisation. A retrospective audit was conducted on a large veterinary organisation’s accident reporting system in 2022. Under-reporting was estimated using a modified capture-recapture method, comparing audit records with self-reported injury data from a cross-sectional staff survey stratified by role and employment figures. Audit data were descriptively analysed and compared with survey data. The overall injury under-reporting rate was 68.9%; for every 100 workplaces injuries, 69 went un-reported. Levels of under-reporting were higher in companion animal practices (70.0%) than large animal practices (56.4%). Common causes of injury of companion animal staff included; clinical examination (28.2%); falls, slips and trips (11.2%); drug administration (10.4%), and needlesticks and surgical sharps injuries (6.1%). Survey responses could not be directly linked to audit records due to anonymity, and survey-based prevalence estimates assumed only one injury per person per year, likely underestimating true injury rates. Occupational injury under-reporting is likely widespread in UK veterinary practices, particularly companion animal practices. Without improving reporting, it will be challenging to establish the true incidence and context of occupational injuries in the veterinary workforce. Strengthening reporting, training, leadership engagement, and visible responses to incidents are key to strengthening safety culture and injury reporting. • For every 100 veterinary workplace injuries, 69 will go unreported • In clinical roles, companion animal vets had the highest rate of underreporting,78% • Needlesticks and hazardous exposures more common than expected • Many preventable injuries occur to practice visitors • Reporting can improve with training, leadership, and visible incident responses