Safety isn’t just nice to have on construction jobsites. It is a business imperative, and many construction companies are beginning to recognize and embrace this. A new report illustrates exactly this, highlighting how strategic investment in workplace safety can transform a construction jobsite.
The latest Health and Safety Performance Report from the ABC (Associated Builders and Contractors) shows comprehensive safety programs and leadership engagement can achieve incident rates nearly seven times safer than the industry average. That is a big difference. We are talking achieving incident rates 686% safer than the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics construction industry average, reducing total recordable incident rates by 85%.
How? Simply, it requires creating a plan and a culture for safety in the business. Of course, this is easier said than done. As I see it safety needs to be paramount on the minds of everyone in an organization. It can’t be a reactionary approach. It must be proactive. Our industry has a pattern. We spend a lot of money on training only to fall back into the worst habits that lead to injuries and, in the worst cases, death. I hate to be so dramatic, but it seems we just keep ignoring the hard facts and keep repeating the same mistakes. So, let’s dig into a few more specifics.
What Drives the Safety Culture?
First, let’s all agree that creating a culture of safety is a heavy lift. To help, the report identifies six core leading indicators or processes used to identify hazards and eliminate or minimize them to prevent injury, which include:
- Planning for project health and safety
- Top leadership engagement
- Leading indicators
- Incident investigation
- Trailing indicators
- Behavior-based safety observations
Digging in a bit deeper and getting a bit more granular, ABC’s research on more than 1.3 billion hours of work completed by participants in the construction, heavy construction, civil engineering, and specialty trades in 2025 identified a few foundations of industry-leading safety and health that reduce TRIR (total recordable incident rates) and DART (days away, restricted, or transferred) rates.
Numbers say a lot. And oftentimes tell a very interesting story about what is actually happening on construction jobsites. Here is what the ABC research found.
First, the frequency of toolbox talks has a big impact on these rates. Companies that conduct daily toolbox talks reduce TRIR rates by 59% and DART rates by 61% compared to companies that hold them monthly.
Second, substance abuse prevention programs show big numbers. Comprehensive substance abuse prevention programs and policies with provisions for drug and alcohol testing where permitted lead to a 55% reduction in TRIR and a 57% reduction in DART rates.
Third, communication is key and meetings can actually help here. Companies that follow best practices for health and safety meetings lower TRIR by 52% and DART rates by 54%. Clear communication builds trust, culture, and understanding.
Finally, leaders must build strong relationships and have employee participation. Companies that follow best practices on engaging the workforce reduce TRIR by 55% and DART rates by 57%.
Data Drives Safety
Data is key to improving many aspects of business and such is the case with safety in construction. If we know what works well—and what doesn’t—then we can dive headfirst into the programs that are successful. Data gives us these answers.
While there are many ways to tackle all of this, ABC offers STEP Health and Safety Management System, which is a framework for measuring health and safety data and benchmarking. The self-assessment tool helps participants identify real opportunities for scalable growth in their health and safety programs to lower the TRIR and DART rates.
Today, safety performance is both a competitive advantage and a business imperative. ABC’s report shows the right safety plan can reduce injuries and build a stronger, more resilient business. The data serves as a reminder that through strong leadership and the right practices, construction companies can achieve measurable results as it relates to safety. Always look at the numbers. They will tell you more than you ever admitted up to this point. But the good news is this is the first step to correcting and creating a safer work environment.
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