An analysis of occupational health and safety disclosure of JSE Socially Responsible Investment Index constituents

Abstract

Due to the growing importance for companies to report on more than economic performance, sustainability reporting tools such as the GRI and triple bottom-line reporting have been developed. Reporting practices have changed radically worldwide, leading to more transparent reporting on environmental and social sustainability. This study analyses the occupational health and safety disclosure of the constituents of the JSE SRI index against guidelines set by the GRI's G4 guidelines for sustainability reporting, as well as other occupational health and safety indicators. The study also analysed the concept of materiality regarding occupational health and safety in the reports of these companies. The study concluded that companies who publish separate sustainability reports had a higher level of occupational health and safety disclosure, and companies who publish a GRI checklist, either as part of their sustainability reports or as a separate report, had an even higher level of disclosure than companies who published a sustainability report. It was also noticed that not all of the companies who are constituents of the JSE SRI index list occupational health and safety as a material issue. Of the sectors who listed occupational health and safety as a material issue, the materials sector had the highest level of disclosure, driven by a high level of disclosure among mining companies.