Is safety the key to enticing more workers to consider a career in the construction industry? It certainly isn’t the only step, but it is one pillar, and the investment in safety is worth it for a number of reasons. OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Admin.) shares some interesting statistics, saying companies save more than $4-6 for every $1 spent on workplace safety.
So, why then isn’t jobsite safety a greater priority? Let’s unpack some statistics that point to many of the safety challenges that still exist in the construction industry in 2025 in hopes that we can address them in 2026 and beyond.
An OSHA survey found roughly one in 10 workers feel unsafe at work—and almost 61% say their safety concerns were only sometimes taken seriously. What’s more, roughly 33% don’t receive online safety training and 18% did not regularly organize any safety drills. This is bad news for the construction industry, where roughly one in five workplace deaths occur.
What, then, can be done to ensure greater safety in the construction industry? The 2025 Construction Industry Safety Challenges study from J. J. Keller Center for Market Insights and the ASSP (American Society of Safety Professionals) unpacks safety and compliance issues in the industry today. Let’s explore a few of them.
PPE (personal protective equipment) inconsistencies: Roughly 54% report inconsistent wear by workers as the greatest challenge to PPE practices.
Insufficient training: Roughly 48% of respondents were only somewhat confident or not confident at all their current construction training prepares employees to perform the job safely.
Little compliance: Roughly 38% of construction professionals say their organization lacks a proactive approach to safety and regulatory compliance.
Mental health struggles: Roughly 51% believe their company takes employee mental health somewhat seriously or not at all seriously.
Perhaps the solution is then the inverse to these. Perhaps it is good training, consistent practices, and a proactive approach to compliance, while taking employee health concerns seriously. Perhaps the solution lies in the culture, method, and approach to safety taken broadly across the board in construction industry. And then perhaps technology can enable all of this to come to fruition.
The construction industry is making some progress—but there is still much work to be done to ensure all workers go home safely to their families every night. Perhaps if we address this, then we might be able to entice more people to consider work in the construction industry. The two will likely go hand in hand in the years ahead.
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