Shaped by the Storm: How Do CEOs' Early‐Life Natural Disaster Experiences Influence Workplace Safety?

ABSTRACT While there is growing interest in identifying the drivers of workplace safety, the role of CEOs' early‐life experiences remains underexplored. We find that firms led by CEOs with early‐life disaster experiences report significantly lower work‐related injury and illness rates. These results are more pronounced in industries with weaker union influence and in firms with greater CEO power or higher earnings pressure. Overall, this study reveals a new pathway through which top executives directly safeguard employee welfare, and by doing so, it deepens our understanding of how leader‐specific factors predict variations in workplace safety across firms.