Safety Management in the Construction Industry 2020

This SmartMarket Report is the fourth in a series that examines safety management in the construction industry, which reveals the value contractors gain from their investments in safety, the importance of jobsite workers and supervisors to a strong safety management program, top practices used to promote safety and current trends in training and communication about safety. Some top findings include:

• Jobsite workers and supervisors dominate the four factors selected by the highest percentage of contractors as essential aspects of a world-class safety program: jobsite worker involvement (84%), strong safety leadership abilities in supervisors (83%), regular safety meetings with jobsite workers and supervisors (82%) and ongoing access to safety training for supervisors and jobsite workers (77%).
• The most popular safety policies are the site-specific ones, including creating site-specific safety and health plans and training programs for all employees and subcontractors. However, there is room for wider adoption even of these measures, especially among small contractors (fewer than 20 employees).
• While most contractors (66% or more) encourage workers to react to and report hazards onsite, far fewer ask workers for input on safety conditions (50%) or involve workers in safety planning (39%).
• Contractors still expect to increase their use of online training in the next few years, but, surprisingly, a lower percentage reported using it in the current study than in the one in 2017.