Results from the NASA Health & Safety Survey

In the spring, NASA's Health & Safety Committee invited NASA members to participate in a comprehensive Health & Safety Survey to better understand workplace experiences, identify key concerns, and help shape our advocacy priorities. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share your feedback. Your input is already making a difference!

The survey results have been carefully reviewed by the NASA executive board, staff, and the Health & Safety Committee. The findings are helping guide discussions with the employer and will inform the committee's ongoing efforts to advocate for safer, healthier workplaces across the university. 

Several key themes emerged from the survey:

• 79% of respondents feel somewhat or very safe at work.
• 70% believe their immediate supervisor demonstrates a commitment to safety.
• 64% reported feeling emotionally, mentally, or physically exhausted because of work during the past year.
• 53% feel safety is prioritized over productivity, deadlines, and workload pressures.
• 49% participated in an emergency evacuation drill within the last 12 months.
• 42% experienced a psychosocial hazard in the past six months.
• 15% do not report near-misses, incidents, or unsafe situations due to fear of reprisal.

The results make it clear that psychological safety remains a significant concern for many members, and addressing this issue will remain a key priority for NASA.

The Health & Safety Committee is already acting, including launching a new monthly health & safety column in the NASA Buzz beginning on September 3.

We will continue to share updates as this work progresses. If you have ideas, concerns, or experiences to share, please contact your NASA Labour Relations Officer (LRO) or the Health & Safety Committee at hs@nasaunion.ca. Your voice helps strengthen our collective efforts.

You can read the full Health & Safety Survey 2026 Results Report.

Executive Summary

The 2026 NASA Health & Safety Survey received 463 responses across a diverse range of employee groups, work environments, and employment types. Overall, the results reflect a workforce that generally understands workplace safety expectations and values safety; however, there are significant concerns regarding psychological safety, reporting culture, workload pressures, leadership accountability, and confidence in organizational follow-through.

Key Strengths

Survey respondents demonstrated strong foundational awareness of workplace safety:

• Most employees understand their safety responsibilities and know where to seek support or report concerns.
• A majority reported feeling physically safe at work and rated their local safety culture positively.
• Supervisors were generally viewed as supportive of safety initiatives and encouraging of safe work practices.
• Employees reported strong awareness of available wellness and psychological health resources.
• Many employees feel empowered to stop unsafe work and request appropriate PPE or accommodations when needed.

Emerging Risks and Areas of Concern

Despite these strengths, the survey identified several systemic concerns that may undermine long-term organizational safety culture.

Psychological Safety and Workplace Wellbeing

Psychological safety emerged as the most significant recurring theme throughout both quantitative and qualitative responses. While many employees reported feeling comfortable speaking up, a substantial proportion expressed concerns about:

• Fear of reprisal or negative consequences when raising issues
• Bullying, harassment, or inappropriate behaviour
• Workload pressure, burnout, and emotional exhaustion
• Lack of meaningful management response or accountability
• Feeling unsupported or unheard when concerns are raised

Notably:

• 64% reported feeling emotionally, mentally, or physically exhausted due to work in the past year.
• 32% reported feeling isolated or disconnected at work.
• 26% reported experiencing or witnessing discrimination frequently.
• Only 44% believe inappropriate behaviour is addressed effectively.

Qualitative comments consistently emphasized concerns about leadership responsiveness, inconsistent enforcement of expectations, lack of trust in management processes, and insufficient support for psychological health and respectful workplaces.

Reporting Culture and Confidence in Follow-through

The survey also revealed important gaps in reporting culture and confidence in organizational response:

• One-third of respondents experienced or witnessed a near miss, incident, or unsafe situation in the past year.
• Only 59% of those incidents were formally reported.
• The most common reason for non-reporting was a belief that reporting would not lead to meaningful change.

ARISE, the institution’s incident reporting system, was a major theme throughout the feedback:

• Awareness and understanding of ARISE remain inconsistent.
• Many employees do not know how or when to use the system.
• Users frequently described the system as overly complex, difficult to navigate, and poorly aligned with office or psychosocial hazards.
• Respondents repeatedly cited limited feedback, unclear outcomes, and lack of visible corrective action after reports are submitted.

Employees indicated they would be more likely to report concerns if:

• reporting processes were simpler and more accessible,
• management demonstrated visible action,
• psychological safety protections were strengthened, and
• reporting led to transparent follow-up and meaningful change.

Operational and Environmental Concerns

Several operational risks were also identified:

• Staffing shortages, workload pressures, and funding constraints were repeatedly described as barriers to maintaining safe work practices.
• Concerns were raised regarding aging infrastructure, building security, ergonomics, air quality, and exposure to environmental hazards.
• Employees working alone or in public-facing environments expressed concerns regarding personal security, particularly in locations with unrestricted public access.

Additionally:

• 42% reported exposure to psychosocial hazards in the past six months—the highest reported hazard category.
• Only 53% felt safety is prioritized over productivity or workload demands.
• 20% reported feeling pressured to work unsafely to meet operational expectations.

Overall Conclusion

The survey results suggest that while many employees recognize positive efforts related to health and safety, there is a significant gap between formal safety processes and employees’ lived experiences—particularly regarding psychological safety, workload pressures, and trust in leadership response.

The findings point to a strong need for:

• greater organizational accountability and visible action,
• improved psychological safety and respectful workplace practices,
• simplified and more accessible reporting processes,
• stronger communication and follow-through on reported concerns,
• enhanced leadership capability in health and safety, and
• renewed focus on staffing, workload management, and employee wellbeing.

Overall, the results indicate that strengthening trust, transparency, and responsiveness will be critical to improving both physical and psychological safety culture across the organization.

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Demographics

• 463 respondents
• 362 Operating and 101 Trust
• 94 in-scope supervisors
• Mix of Regular, Auxiliary, Casual and Supplemental Tradesperson
• Mix of Hybrid, Remote and In-person
• Mix of Office, Lab, Clinic, Field, Vehicle, Trades & Facilities, and Other
• Length of time working for the University varied from less than one year to over 20 years

Working Alone

Of those who indicated that they frequently work alone, the majority feel they are aware of the hazards specific to their role, do not have concerns about their personal safety when working alone, and feel comfortable declining/stopping work if it is unsafe to perform alone.

An area for improvement is boosting their confidence that help would arrive promptly if they needed assistance while working alone.

Accessibility and Accommodations

The majority of respondents indicated they feel they can access workplace accommodations when needed and feel safe requesting them. The majority also indicated that safety training and resources are available in the accessible format they require.

An area for improvement is to formalize more accommodation agreements for those who require them.

Overall Culture and Training

The majority of respondents feel "somewhat" or "very" safe in their workplace and that their immediate supervisor demonstrates their commitment to safety through their actions. Most feel comfortable raising safety concerns to management and feel those concerns are taken seriously. However, less than half of the respondents feel that reporting a safety concern leads to meaningful follow-up/change.

The majority are aware of applicable health and safety policies and procedures, who to contact with a safety question/concern, where to access emergency equipment (such as an AED), and are comfortable requesting PPE if needed.

Only about half of respondents feel safety is prioritized over productivity, deadlines, or workload pressures in their workplace, and 20 percent have felt pressured, explicitly or implicitly, to work in a way that felt unsafe to meet work demands.

Areas for improvement include ensuring members feel safety is treated as a core organizational value at the University, that their safety opinions and contributions are valued, that safety is prioritized over productivity, and that no members feel pressured, either explicitly or implicitly, to work in a way that feels unsafe.

Hazards and Reporting

The top hazard encountered by respondents (42%) was a psychosocial hazard. Of those who personally experienced/witnessed a near miss, incident, or unsafe situation, only just over half were reported.

Areas for improvement include implementing higher-level hazard control measures and increasing awareness and normalization of reporting near misses, incidents, and unsafe situations.

ARISE

The majority of respondents indicated they understand why incidents and near-misses should be reported, even when no one is injured. Only a quarter of respondents indicated they have, at some point, reported a safety concern in ARISE. Less than half know how to access ARISE, and only a bit over half are even aware of it as the University’s incident reporting system. Another quarter indicated they reported via a method other than ARISE.

An alarming 15 percent indicated that they do not report due to fear of reprisal.

Areas for improvement include increasing awareness of how and when to report near-misses and incidents, increasing the user-friendliness of the incident reporting system, and implementing strong consequences for any safety reporting reprisal.

Psychological Safety

The majority of respondents feel that if they make a mistake, management and coworkers treat it as a learning opportunity rather than a personal failure; they have a clear understanding of what is expected of them in their role; and management respects boundaries that support their work-life balance. The majority are also aware of the resources available through the University to support their physical and mental wellbeing.

Compared to one year ago, 32 percent indicated their overall wellbeing at work is better while 26 percent said worse. A quarter indicated they have experienced/witnessed discrimination in the workplace as frequently as "very often" and 13 percent indicated they have experienced/witnessed harassment or objectionable/unwelcomed actions/comments in the workplace as frequently as "very often." Less than half feel that inappropriate behaviour is addressed when it occurs.

Less than half indicated they feel they can comfortably complete their assigned workload during their scheduled working hours, and another 14 percent indicated they are expected to respond to emails or work messages outside of their regular working hours. A concerning 64 percent indicated they have felt emotionally, mentally or physically exhausted due to their work in the past year. A third also indicated they have felt isolated/disconnected at work in the past year. Only 47 percent feel they are given adequate opportunities to stay connected with colleagues while working remotely.

The top three psychological health and safety factors most important to NASA members are:

1. being treated with respect and dignity at work
2. having a manageable workload within regular working hours
3. a workplace free from bullying, harassment or intimidation

Psychological safety is an area that needs urgent and serious attention. Areas of improvement include an easy, quick, confidential reporting system for discrimination and harassment complaints, with immediate and appropriate hazard control responses; and increased opportunities for employees (on-site and remote) to engage meaningfully with colleagues. There also needs to be a swift, concerted, focused, and psychological-safety-informed review of all members’ workloads to prevent psychological harm and burnout. There also needs to be serious consequences for those demanding work of our members outside their regular hours.

Miscellaneous Bits

Most indicated they have the necessary equipment and knowledge to set up their workstation ergonomically. About a quarter are affected by scents, chemicals, or the air quality in the workplace.

Less than half indicated they have participated in an emergency evacuation drill in their primary workspace within the last 12 months.

Areas for improvement include increasing ergonomics education, expanding the number of "scent-free" zones across worksites, and increasing the frequency of emergency evacuation drills.