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GRI 403: Occupational Health and Safety·Disclosure GRI 403-4

Worker participation, consultation, and communication on occupational health and safety

Practical guidance for preparing this disclosure. Use this card to identify the information to prepare, verify claims and organise supporting evidence. For exact requirements, always refer to the official Global Reporting Initiative source.

Legal status

GRI 403: Occupational Health and Safety 2018 remains applicable and is effective for reports or other materials published on or after 1 January 2021.

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Published passport

Last reviewed 2026-08-03
RK Reviewed by Dr Ross KurinkoLinkedIn Strategic ESG Advisor · IFRS S1 & S2 / GRI / ESRS expert GRI Certified Global Trainer · PhD, University of Cambridge · ESG-AI expert 15+ years on FTSE 100 & Fortune Global 500 disclosures Canary Wharf, London LRA educational guidance · Not issued or endorsed by Global Reporting Initiative

Standard

GRI 403: Occupational Health and Safety

Disclosure GRI 403-4 · 2018

Effective

2021-01-01

Official source: Open ↗

Last reviewed

2026-08-03

LRA educational guidance · Not issued or endorsed by Global Reporting Initiative

To prepare this disclosure
6LRA preparation fields 6claims to verify 6evidence areas

Disclosure focus

Disclosure 403-4 requires an organization to describe the processes through which employees and workers who are not employees but whose work and/or workplace is controlled by the organization participate in and are consulted on the development, implementation and evaluation of the occupational health and safety management system.

Worker participation and worker consultation are distinct. Participation means workers’ involvement in decision-making. Consultation means seeking workers’ views before a decision is made, providing timely information and taking those views into account through genuine dialogue.

The organization must also describe how it provides workers with access to relevant occupational health and safety information and how that information is communicated in practice. The description should consider language, accessibility, shift, location and digital-access barriers and can include information about work-related incidents and the actions taken in response.

Where formal joint management-worker health and safety committees exist, the organization must describe their responsibilities, meeting frequency and decision-making authority and state whether any workers are not represented and why. A forum should be treated as a formal joint committee only if it includes management and recognized worker representatives, is integrated into the organizational structure and operates under agreed written policies, procedures and rules.

Representation should not be confused with committee membership or communication through line managers. Worker representatives should be recognized or freely elected in accordance with national law or practice.

GRI additionally recommends reporting whether local or global formal agreements with trade unions cover occupational health and safety and, if so, which topics they address.

Quantitative information, such as the number of committees or percentage of workers represented, can be included as supporting context but does not replace the required description of processes and arrangements.

This LRA educational guidance supports disclosure preparation. For the exact requirements, always refer to the official Global Reporting Initiative source.

Before you start

Before you start

A quick mental checklist before you prepare this disclosure — tick each as you settle it.

Preparation

Key information to prepare

Preparation field What to capture Evidence hint Owner
Working table 1: Worker group Prepare and reconcile these columns: Worker group; Employee / non-employee; Control of work; Control of workplace; Included; Basis. Approved source records, calculation files and review evidence supporting working table 1: worker group. Occupational Health and Safety / People / Sustainability Reporting
Working table 2: OHS process Prepare and reconcile these columns: OHS process; Participation process; Consultation process; Timing; How worker views affect decisions; Feedback to workers. Approved source records, calculation files and review evidence supporting working table 2: ohs process. Occupational Health and Safety / People / Sustainability Reporting
Working table 3: Worker group Prepare and reconcile these columns: Worker group; Information provided; Communication channel; Accessibility measures; Incident/action information; Limitations. Approved source records, calculation files and review evidence supporting working table 3: worker group. Occupational Health and Safety / People / Sustainability Reporting
Working table 4: Committee or grouped arrangement Prepare and reconcile these columns: Committee or grouped arrangement; Formal committee under GRI definition; Responsibilities; Meeting frequency; Decision-making authority; Workers represented; Workers not represented and reasons. Approved source records, calculation files and review evidence supporting working table 4: committee or grouped arrangement. Occupational Health and Safety / People / Sustainability Reporting
Working table 5: Barrier Prepare and reconcile these columns: Barrier; Worker groups affected; Action taken; Protection against reprisals; Evidence. Approved source records, calculation files and review evidence supporting working table 5: barrier. Occupational Health and Safety / People / Sustainability Reporting
Working table 6: Agreement Prepare and reconcile these columns: Agreement; Local / global; Trade union parties; OHS topics covered; Workers or locations covered. Approved source records, calculation files and review evidence supporting working table 6: agreement. Occupational Health and Safety / People / Sustainability Reporting
＋ Show GRI 403-4 sub-elements (LRA working checklist)

How to prepare it

Disclosure 403-4 requires an organization to describe the processes through which employees and workers who are not employees but whose work and/or workplace is controlled by the organization participate in and are consulted on the development, implementation and evaluation of the occupational health and safety management system.
Collect and reconcile the records for: Working table 1: Worker group; Working table 2: OHS process; Working table 3: Worker group; Working table 4: Committee or grouped arrangement; Working table 5: Barrier; Working table 6: Agreement.
Apply Disclosure 403-4 when the related topic is material and the disclosure is applicable under the relevant GRI Standard.
Draft the response using the defined terms shown in the disclosure focus; do not substitute broader internal labels.
Review the final wording against every requirement and the supporting governance or data records before sign-off.

Request the data

Request the disclosure evidence

Translate the disclosure into an internal business question — then adapt it to your organisation's own language.

Provide the reporting-period records and reconciliations for Disclosure 403-4: Working table 1: Worker group; Working table 2: OHS process; Working table 3: Worker group; Working table 4: Committee or grouped arrangement; Working table 5: Barrier; Working table 6: Agreement. Include scope, definitions, methods, assumptions, limitations, owners and approvals.

Use the organisation's own role and document names, but preserve the defined GRI terms and the scope described above.

Better request

Provide the reporting-period records and reconciliations for Disclosure 403-4: Working table 1: Worker group; Working table 2: OHS process; Working table 3: Worker group; Working table 4: Committee or grouped arrangement; Working table 5: Barrier; Working table 6: Agreement. Include scope, definitions, methods, assumptions, limitations, owners and approvals.

Draft your disclosure

Notes that turn data into a disclosure

LRA training templates — adapt them to your organisation, and check the official source before sign-off.

Method note

Quantitative information, such as the number of committees or percentage of workers represented, can be included as supporting context but does not replace the required description of processes and arrangements.

Context note

Keep mandatory GRI Requirements, GRI recommendations and additional LRA preparation controls clearly distinguished. Apply a GRI 1 reason for omission where required information cannot be reported.

Download Centre

Preparation tools & forms

Professional preparation tools for GRI 403-4 — free with an LRA Community membership. Register once (it's free) and every download unlocks, together with the Disclosure Library, templates and the LRA AI Assistant.

Free · Community members
01XLSPrep & Assurance workbookDatapoints, risks, evidence to check, owner and evidence pack.Get it free ↧ 02XLSData-request packRequest email, message template, response fields and sign-off structure.Get it free ↧ 03PDFLibrary CardPrintable one-page summary of this disclosure card.Get it free ↧

Assurance readiness

For each claim, check the evidence

Claim Risk Evidence to check
Working table 1: Worker group is reported accurately and completely.The response omits, misclassifies or overstates working table 1: worker group.Approved source records, calculation files and review evidence supporting working table 1: worker group.
Working table 2: OHS process is reported accurately and completely.The response omits, misclassifies or overstates working table 2: ohs process.Approved source records, calculation files and review evidence supporting working table 2: ohs process.
Working table 3: Worker group is reported accurately and completely.The response omits, misclassifies or overstates working table 3: worker group.Approved source records, calculation files and review evidence supporting working table 3: worker group.
Working table 4: Committee or grouped arrangement is reported accurately and completely.The response omits, misclassifies or overstates working table 4: committee or grouped arrangement.Approved source records, calculation files and review evidence supporting working table 4: committee or grouped arrangement.
Working table 5: Barrier is reported accurately and completely.The response omits, misclassifies or overstates working table 5: barrier.Approved source records, calculation files and review evidence supporting working table 5: barrier.
Working table 6: Agreement is reported accurately and completely.The response omits, misclassifies or overstates working table 6: agreement.Approved source records, calculation files and review evidence supporting working table 6: agreement.

Evidence pack to prepare

Common reporting gaps

Using internal or approximate wording in place of the defined GRI terms.
Changing the required reporting population or denominator without explanation.
Treating GRI recommendations or LRA preparation controls as mandatory disclosure requirements.
Leaving a reported field unsupported by traceable source evidence and review records.
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Dr Ross Kurinko

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Framework references

Relevant GRI requirements and related disclosures

Available framework references and nearby disclosures relevant to preparing this requirement.

GRI

GRI 403-4

within GRI 403: Occupational Health and Safety

Open official source →

Related & explore

Occupational health and safety management system → CardWork-related ill health → CardHazard identification, risk assessment, and incident investigation → CardOccupational health services → CardWorker training on occupational health and safety → Card Browse all disclosures →

More in GRI 403 → Browse full catalogue → Disclosure Library home → Search all disclosures →

Go deeper · GRI 403-4

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