Increasingly, construction leaders are recognizing that effective safety performance is not achieved through rules alone. The most resilient organizations are adopting proactive, integrated approaches that treat safety as a core business system—one that influences planning, investment decisions, workforce development and long‑term operational stability.

Rather than responding to incidents after they occur, these organizations are addressing risk earlier and more consistently by embedding safety into how work is designed, equipped and executed. This shift supports worker wellbeing while also reinforcing productivity, quality and workforce retention across the enterprise.

One framework helping guide this evolution is Milwaukee Tool’s seven pillars of safety—seven foundational focus areas designed to address common jobsite recordables while supporting a stronger, more sustainable safety culture. Informed by field research and collaboration across the trades, the framework offers leaders a structured way to move beyond reactive compliance toward prevention‑driven safety systems.

The Seven Pillars of Safety

The seven pillars—dust management, vibration and noise, ergonomics, safety technology, visibility, emissions and personal protective equipment—represent interconnected areas where leadership focus can meaningfully reduce risk. Together, they provide an organizational lens for aligning policies, equipment decisions, training and accountability around consistent safety outcomes.

Dust Management

Respirable dust remains one of the most serious long‑term health hazards on construction jobsites. Activities such as cutting, drilling, grinding and demolition generate fine particulates, including silica, that can lead to chronic respiratory disease over time.

While regulations establish baseline requirements, effective dust management requires a proactive, systems‑based approach. Strategies that prioritize containment, extraction and filtration at the source help reduce airborne exposure, improve visibility and create cleaner work environments. Addressing dust early supports worker health while enabling more consistent performance in high‑risk applications.

Vibration and Noise

Prolonged exposure to vibration and high noise levels contributes to conditions such as hand‑arm vibration syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome and hearing loss—risks particularly prevalent in repetitive or extended‑use tasks.

Advances in vibration‑dampening designs and quieter motor technologies are helping mitigate these hazards. For contractors, addressing vibration and noise is not only about comfort, but about preserving the long‑term health and availability of skilled labor. Reducing cumulative exposure supports safer tool use and helps extend career longevity across the workforce.

Ergonomics

Musculoskeletal disorders remain among the most common and costly injuries in construction. Repetitive motion, awkward postures and poorly balanced tools place ongoing strain on the body, often resulting in lost time and shortened careers.

Modern ergonomics focuses on understanding how the body responds to work demands. Research‑driven insights into muscle activation, fatigue and joint movement are informing designs that reduce force requirements and promote more natural motion. From a leadership perspective, ergonomic improvements directly support injury reduction, operational efficiency and workforce retention.

Safety Technology

Many severe jobsite injuries stem from loss‑of‑control events such as kickbacks, bind‑ups or unintended activation. In these moments, reaction time is limited and consequences can be significant.

Integrated safety technologies help mitigate these risks by responding in real time. Systems that stop tools during unsafe conditions or require intentional activation provide an added layer of protection without disrupting productivity. When safety is built directly into equipment, it functions as a continuous safeguard rather than a separate procedural step.

Visibility

Slips, trips and falls continue to be among the most common jobsite incidents, often driven by inadequate lighting or limited visibility. Early start times, interior buildouts and congested work zones all elevate risk.

Improving visibility through better lighting, clearer work areas and high‑visibility practices supports safer navigation and stronger hazard recognition. Clear sightlines enable crews to work with greater confidence, reducing the likelihood of preventable incidents that disrupt schedules and operations.

Emissions

Gas‑powered equipment has traditionally been standard on jobsites, but it introduces exhaust emissions, increased noise and additional vibration—factors that can be especially problematic in enclosed or poorly ventilated environments.

The industry’s growing shift toward battery‑powered solutions reflects a broader emphasis on jobsite conditions and worker health. Eliminating exhaust emissions reduces respiratory risk, while quieter operation and lower vibration contribute to safer, more controlled work environments, particularly indoors.

Personal Protective Equipment

Personal protective equipment remains the final line of defense against jobsite hazards. Its effectiveness depends not only on availability, but on consistent use—something heavily influenced by comfort, fit and task suitability.

Advancements in materials and design are helping PPE better align with real‑world jobsite demands. When protective equipment is comfortable and appropriate for the work being performed, it supports consistent adoption and reinforces a culture where safety expectations are practical and achievable.

Safety as a Culture, Not a Checklist

As construction continues to evolve, so too must the way safety is defined and delivered. The most effective safety programs today are not reactive or isolated—they are structured systems built around real jobsite conditions and reinforced through leadership commitment.

The seven pillars of safety offer construction executives a practical framework for aligning safety strategy with organizational goals. By embedding safety into tools, workflows and daily decision‑making, leaders can move beyond compliance toward a more resilient, consistent approach to protecting workers and supporting long‑term business performance.

SEE ALSO: ADVANCING JOBSITE SAFETY THROUGH CULTURE, COMFORT AND WORKFORCE ENGAGEMENT

The post Advancing Jobsite Safety Through Systems-Driven Leadership first appeared on Construction Executive.

Complying with federal, state, local or industry-specific safety regulations is important, and ensuring your jobsite meets all minimum requirements can help prevent tragedies. However, basic compliance does not guarantee worker safety. Companies must constantly be at the cutting-edge of technology and industry consensus in order to provide their workers with the best chance of avoiding injury or fatality from falls.

Some recent updates to the OSHA Fall Protection code and ANSI Z359 Fall Protection standards have taken effect and will impact many construction companies. Hopefully, these updates will help employers provide more robust fall protection for their workers and encourage safer work practices in the field. This article will briefly overview basic fall protection requirements and then discuss these recent updates, their potential impact on employers and how construction companies can remain proactive to prevent falls and ultimately save lives.

Basic OSHA Fall Protection Requirements

According to federal OSHA 1926, construction companies are required to provide some form of fall protection to any worker exposed to a fall hazard of six feet or greater. OSHA deems guardrail, safety netting and personal fall protection systems as equally acceptable forms of fall protection, so it is up to the employer to decide the most effective, applicable or appropriate fall protection method for the specific fall hazard.

Fall Protection User Training Requirements

Each company must also designate a competent person who holds a current certification from an ANSI-accredited training program. The competent person will be responsible for authorizing and training employees, routinely inspecting the site for new fall hazards to mitigate and maintaining the entire fall protection program. As long as employees receive official certification from a third-party trainer like Diversified Fall Protection or another fall protection manufacturer, the employer can designate as many employees as they would prefer. Since it requires a competent person to make any changes or additions to the fall protection equipment being provided to employees, companies with multiple jobsites are recommended to have multiple competent persons within their organization.

Additionally, employees are not permitted to use fall protection equipment until their employer conducts authorized user training and the competent person officially authorizes the worker to utilize the provided fall protection equipment. Even if an individual was authorized by a former employer to use fall protection equipment, their new employer must still provide basic fall protection training to authorize the worker for at-height work.

Fixed Ladder Update

As of 2018, OSHA requires all permanent, fixed ladders 24 feet or greater to include ladder safety systems. There are many compliant options available on the market, but the most common systems provide a cable or rail channel that has a shuttle connected to the chest D-ring of the climber’s body harness. This shuttle can help arrest falls right when they happen, so users who slip from their ladder don’t fall all the way to the ground below.

For ladders installed before 2018, OSHA currently has a deadline set for November 2036 for all affected ladders to be retrofitted with a ladder safety system. In fact, this retrofit is required for any eligible ladder at the moment of repair, maintenance or replacement.

However, in recent months, OSHA has floated the idea of lifting the 2036 deadline for businesses, so ladders would only have to be retrofit at the end of their service life. Some businesses are grateful for the extra time to become compliant, but many people in the safety community fear this will only further delay the installation of life-saving equipment on ladders. There is no safe height to fall from a ladder—the majority of ladder deaths occur under 10 feet. The longer we wait to make fixed ladders safer, the more workers will be injured (or worse) in the meantime.

ANSI Z359.14-2021 Update for Self-Retracting Lifelines

One of the most recent updates affecting fall protection users concerns self-retracting lifelines (SRLs). In August 2023, ANSI Z359.14-2021 took effect which made fall protection manufacturers reclassify SRL devices. Historically, they were differentiated into Class A and Class B. Class A devices were rated for a stopping distance of approximately 24 inches and kept fall forces under 1,350 lbs, while Class B devices were rated for a stopping distance of approximately 52 inches and kept fall forces under 900 lbs. But when it came to foot-level anchors or working around sharp edges, determining which devices were compliant was more difficult.

The recent update now reclassifies SRLs as either Class 1 or Class 2. Stopping distance and fall force rates are still relevant, but are no longer being used to differentiate the two types of devices. Class 1 SRLs are designed to connect to an anchorage at or above the user’s dorsal D-ring. Class 2 SRLs are designed to connect to those anchorage points, as well as anchors installed up to five feet below the user’s dorsal D-ring (AKA foot-level anchors). This differentiation was necessary because leading-edge falls were causing equipment failures, resulting in worker injury or fatality in many cases. Class 2 SRLs are rated to withstand the additional fall forces a worker experiences during a fall while connected to a foot-level anchor, thanks to the additional shock pack integrated into the system.

Some people find it helpful to remember that Class 1 SRLs have one option for tie-off (anything at or above the dorsal D-ring), and Class 2 SRLs have two options for tie-off (at or above the dorsal D-ring, and also anything at or above foot-level). Many construction sites have opted for caution and begun assigning Class 2 SRLs to field workers so they will be protected regardless of where their provided anchor is located.

Fall protection requirements have led OSHA’s Top 10 Most Cited Violations list for the past 15 years. Furthermore, ladder, scaffold and fall protection training requirements take up three other spots on the Top 10 list. When businesses and construction companies nationwide struggle to meet basic OSHA safety requirements, worker safety is compromised. In the current state, falls are one of the most common workplace injuries, and numbers have only increased in recent years.

Often, construction workers face limited options for installing anchors on jobsites, and that can significantly affect the range of options available to provide certain fall protection systems to workers. Collaboration among general contractors, fall protection providers and their end users can help advance efforts to create safer construction sites and integrate this equipment from the beginning of the build. The sooner fall protection is provided to workers, the better chance we have at preventing falls. The more falls are prevented, the more tragedies are avoided.

SEE ALSO: HOW TO GUARD YOUR CONSTRUCTION WORKFORCE AGAINST FALLS

The post Fall Protection Equipment Updates and How They Might Affect Your Construction Company first appeared on Construction Executive.

Workforce safety should be viewed as more than a regulatory obligation. Protecting employees is critical to operational stability, workforce retention and long-term business success. For construction leaders, work zone safety is not simply about avoiding incidents. It is about creating environments where workers can perform safely and return home at the end of the day.

Construction and roadway crews routinely work only feet away from moving traffic, heavy machinery and constantly shifting conditions. Even with proper planning and controls in place, work zones remain unpredictable environments where a single moment of distraction can result in serious consequences.

According to the National Construction Work Zone Safety report, there were an estimated 101,000 work zone crashes in 2023, the latest year statistics were available. In addition, data compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics shows that an average of 776 people die annually in work zone-related incidents, including more than 100 roadway workers each year.

The Business Impact of Work Zone Incidents

Every work zone incident can have lasting effects on workers, their families and communities. They also have business implications. For contractors and business leaders, those incidents carry consequences far beyond the immediate scene of an accident. Workplace injuries can disrupt project timelines, impact productivity, increase operational costs and place additional strain on workforce stability.

Beyond the immediate costs associated with an incident, work zone accidents can create ripple effects across an organization. Delays caused by investigations, equipment damage, staffing shortages or project shutdowns can impact timelines and client relationships. In competitive industries where margins and schedules are closely monitored, even a single incident can create operational setbacks that extend far beyond the jobsite.

Companies that prioritize proactive safety planning are often better positioned to maintain productivity, strengthen workforce trust and reduce long-term exposure to costly claims and disruptions. These realities reinforce the importance of approaching work zone safety as an ongoing leadership responsibility rather than a checklist item. Strong safety cultures are built through proactive communication, consistent training and a visible commitment to protecting workers in dynamic environments.

Construction leaders play a major role in creating environments where safety remains the priority, even when conditions change quickly. Maintaining that focus requires consistent communication, planning and accountability across every phase of a project.

Building a Stronger Safety Culture

One of the most effective ways construction leaders can strengthen work zone safety is by building consistent safety practices into every phase of a project. Key areas of focus include:

Consistent Communication

Daily safety meetings help reinforce expectations, address changing site conditions and keep workers focused on situational awareness before entering active work areas. These conversations also create opportunities for crews to identify potential hazards and discuss concerns before incidents occur.

Tailored Training

Work zones present unique challenges that require workers to remain alert and adaptable throughout the day. Preparing employees to recognize changing traffic patterns, anticipate distracted drivers and respond to unexpected conditions can significantly reduce exposure to risk. Safety training should extend beyond regulatory requirements and focus on real-world conditions workers are likely to encounter on active roadways.

Pre-work Coordination

Pre-task planning, traffic control reviews and clear communication between contractors, supervisors and crews help reduce confusion in active work environments. When workers understand site-specific risks and expectations before entering a work zone, teams are better prepared to respond to changing conditions safely and efficiently.

Near-Miss Reporting

Near-miss reporting and ongoing safety evaluations can provide valuable insight into patterns or hazards that may otherwise go unnoticed. Creating an environment where workers feel comfortable speaking up about safety concerns helps organizations identify risks early and continuously improve jobsite practices.

Visibility Measures

Properly positioned barriers, signage and traffic control devices help create safer environments for both workers and motorists. High-visibility apparel and well-maintained traffic control measures become especially important during adverse weather conditions, nighttime operations, and periods of reduced visibility.

Preparing for External Risks

In addition to internal safety practices, construction leaders should recognize the growing impact distracted driving continues to have on roadway work zones. Mobile devices, speeding and driver inattention remain leading contributors to work zone incidents across the country. While contractors cannot control driver behavior, they can prepare crews for the reality of those risks through planning, communication and defensive safety strategies.

Building a strong work zone safety culture requires consistency from leadership. Employees are more likely to prioritize safe practices when company leaders visibly support and reinforce them. When safety conversations happen regularly and expectations remain clear across all levels of an organization, workers are empowered to make safer decisions in high-risk situations.

Construction leaders should also recognize the importance of reinforcing safe driving awareness beyond the jobsite. Employees operating company vehicles, transporting equipment or traveling between project sites face many of the same roadway risks as motorists passing through active work zones. Extending safety conversations to include defensive driving practices and situational awareness can help further reduce exposure both on and off the jobsite.

A Shared Commitment

For motorists, driving through a work zone may feel like a temporary inconvenience caused by lower speed limits, lane shifts or traffic delays. For construction crews, however, those environments represent active jobsites where focus and caution are essential. Encouraging drivers to slow down, remain alert and follow traffic signage remains an important part of protecting the workforce operating nearby.

Preventing work zone incidents ultimately requires a shared commitment between construction teams, business leaders and the public. While workers follow strict safety procedures to reduce risk, drivers also play a critical role in maintaining safe roadway environments.

As infrastructure investment and roadway improvement projects continue nationwide, construction leaders have an opportunity to reinforce safety not only as a compliance requirement, but as a core organizational value.

Companies that maintain strong safety cultures are better equipped to protect their workforce, support operational continuity and build long-term resilience in an increasingly demanding environment.

Supporting businesses and workers is directly tied to supporting thriving communities. As roadway construction activity continues nationwide, maintaining a proactive approach to work zone safety can help organizations protect their workforce, strengthen operations and create safer outcomes for everyone on the road.

SEE ALSO: TRANSFORMING WORK ZONE SAFETY THROUGH AUTOMATION

The post Adopting a Leadership-Based Approach to Work Zone Safety first appeared on Construction Executive.

When used to achieve general safety goals, such as real-time monitoring with video-based AI to detect risks, it can be a valuable tool if there are frontline supervisors available to respond to alerts. The inconsistent nature of a construction jobsite, where new problems and dangers can happen at any time, and workers often make split-second decisions to save themselves and their colleagues from injury or in some cases take unnecessary risks, makes relying on video-based AI highly impractical, and due to often very complex work conditions, prone to inaccuracies.

Here are five reasons why video-based AI has limitations in construction safety:

1. The Full Time Power That is Needed to Support Video-Based AI Isn’t Available in 90% of the Highest Hazard Construction Settings

AI is very energy consuming and in order to process video-based AI, full time power is required. Given that 90% of the work areas that are associated with the highest hazard construction work do not have full time dedicated power available, the battery-powered fixed-point camera systems that are needed in the highest risk work zones would require changing batteries frequently, which isn’t practical or even viable in some work areas.

2. Environmental Erraticism and Data Quality and Consistency

High-performing video-based AI depends on large volumes of consistent, high-quality data. Manufacturing naturally produces uniform datasets, improving model performance. In healthcare, hybrid-AI and human-intelligence approaches help ensure accuracy in complex situations.

Construction video data is often fragmented and inconsistent: Camera angles change regularly and are often far away from work activities; different weather patterns and lighting can impact clarity; obstructions are common; and high hazard work behaviors are unpredictable. These factors reduce data quality and increase the likelihood of missed or inaccurate video-based AI detections.

3. Roaming Video-Based AI Systems Such as Robots or Helmet Cams Miss 90% of the Story and Cannot Access the Highest Hazard Work Zones

As with almost any work environment, worker behaviors are heavily influenced when a manager is present. Roaming video-based AI systems inherently change worker behaviors when they are present but are unable to evaluate or impact 90% of the work activities when such roaming systems aren’t present. Fixed-point camera systems that record 100% of the work activities and which are then “smart sampled” by expert human video annotation construction specialists are much more impactful. Robotic camera systems are also unable to access the highest hazard work areas especially on the top floors of buildings as they are being constructed, and helmet-fixed camera systems are mostly worn by staff who aren’t permitted to access these highest risk work areas.

4. Unsafe Worker Behaviors Often Occur in a Just a Few Seconds Making Video-Based AI “Real-Time” Alerts Ineffective and Can Overwhelm Frontline Supervisors With Too Many Alerts, a Subset of Which Will Be Inaccurate

Many of the extremely dangerous worker behaviors in construction take place in 1-5 seconds, making real-time video-based AI alerts extremely impractical. Overwhelming a single safety professional on a construction project who oversees safety for 100+ workers with a barrage of real-time video-based AI alerts will almost never result in a worker being notified in real time of the high-risk action they just took.  Without human video annotation specialists being used to ensure that all videos sent to frontline supervisors are accurate, there are going to be many inaccurate videos sent which will quickly erode the confidence in the video data integrity.  Furthermore, “smart sampling” and sending a small subset of the overall coaching clips can drive safety performance to extremely high levels without overburdening safety professionals with too many alerts.

5. Video-Based AI Solutions Do Not Provide Construction Clients With the Consultative Video Coaching Services Needed to Truly and Significantly Impact the Safety Culture on Projects

There are countless examples over the last 50 years of frontline supervisors in many industries being overloaded with automated data streams that are often underutilized and wind up not materially improving safety, quality or productivity. Building a safety culture that can drive the 97%-100% compliance levels needed to significantly reduce the risk of workplace injuries requires a highly consultative coaching approach, which video-based AI alone cannot accomplish.

Over time, video‑based AI can contribute meaningfully to construction, but it should complement versus replace time-tested, human‑led consultative video coaching methods. Its greatest value lies in supporting human teams by:

• Providing additional visibility across sites in the small number of work areas where there is full-time power available
• Capturing rare, but potentially high-risk video-based AI events with fully powered cameras that can be reviewed first by human video annotation specialists before the video events are sent to frontline supervisors

A balanced approach of combining AI capabilities with experienced human oversight offers the most practical path forward.

While video‑based AI is often presented as a compelling solution for construction safety, its effectiveness is limited by the dynamic and unpredictable nature of jobsites. Unlike industries such as manufacturing and healthcare, construction lacks the consistency and stable power infrastructure needed for AI to perform reliably. As a result, the greatest impact will come from selectively combining video‑based AI with human video annotation specialists and proven consultative video coaching programs.

SEE ALSO: THE NEWEST MEMBER OF YOUR FACILITIES TEAM? YOUR BUILDING.

The post Five Reasons Why Total Reliance on Video-Based AI for Construction Jobsite Safety Isn’t the Answer first appeared on Construction Executive.

Worker fatigue isn’t just feeling tired. It’s the physical and mental strain often caused by long shifts, overtime, heat, repetitive tasks and inadequate recovery time that can raise injury risks due to:

• Slower reaction times 
• Decreased situational awareness 
• Impaired judgment

National safety and health agencies have conducted studies highlighting the urgency of this topic. One report found that nearly one in four construction workers regularly exceeds 40 work hours per week. Another revealed how physical fatigue can impair construction workers’ situational awareness. Wearable sensor data indicated a 12% drop in their hazard recognition and a 28% decline in safety risk assessment.

For an industry that employs one of the nation’s largest workforce segments and routinely delivers complex, high-cost, long-term projects, these statistics reveal a clear and persistent vulnerability. Fatigue is not simply an individual worker issue; it is an organizational risk that can drive OSHA recordable incidents, undermine project outcomes and diminish competitive standing.

Fatigued workers may overlook critical safety protocols or misjudge distances and loads, leading to accidents that could affect both their personal safety and that of their coworkers. Efficiency can also take a hit, as mistakes made by tired workers can drive costly rework, wasted labor and materials, schedule delays and budget overruns. And when contractors bid for work, their safety records are under the microscope; injuries tied to fatigue could cost job opportunities.

Managing Fatigue Proactively

Fatigue doesn’t happen by accident and it shouldn’t be managed reactively. It requires a proactive approach that involves implementing preemptive measures, such as robust worksite preventive health programming, into daily operations. This may require examining external factors that can contribute to worker fatigue, such as commute times, environmental conditions (e.g., extreme heat) and work schedules.

But fatigue isn’t just about long hours or extreme weather conditions. It’s also about physical capacity versus job demand. It’s hard to manage unknown fatigue risks. A pre-employment physical can help identify health factors that may contribute to fatigue. Often called a preplacement physical, this exam can help determine whether a candidate can safely perform the physical functions of a given role. This assessment isn’t designed to rule out candidates. It focuses on alignment—not exclusion—to confirm that the role matches the candidate’s capabilities.

Applying Worksite Intervention

Structured injury prevention programs can make a real difference at busy worksites. A firm managing a high-profile construction project might employ onsite occupational health professionals, such as athletic trainers, to help manage fatigue before injuries occur. Their duties may include:

• Conducting ergonomic assessments to remove inefficiencies and boost productivity 
• Coaching proper body mechanics and safe material handling to reduce strain 
• Leading preshift warmups to improve flexibility and comfort

An onsite occupational health model could feature other medical professionals (e.g., physicians, registered nurses) for first aid and routine health services, enabling workers to be treated for minor conditions and return to work promptly—helping projects remain on track and preventing further injury.

Delivering Targeted Care

Episodic health services provide flexible, targeted support for organizations that don’t need a permanent onsite health staff but want expert coverage for seasonal or project-specific risks. These health services can be offered at worksites on a one-time or recurring basis to address specific occupational illnesses and injuries. For example, organizing worksite flu vaccinations is a simple way contractors can curb the spread of a respiratory illness that can drive absenteeism and disrupt daily operations. Employers that take steps to limit flu spread have a better chance at maintaining stable staffing and reducing the need for overtime, which can ease workload pressures and prevent fatigue.

Measuring Impact and Demonstrating Value

An effective fatigue management strategy can drive meaningful gains in safety, performance, and employee wellbeing. Avoiding a single fatigue-related incident can easily justify the investment. Measurable outcomes can include:

• Injury Rates: Track recordable injuries and near-misses before and after plan implementation.
• Cost and Duration of Cases: Assess the speed and expense of work injury resolutions in specialized versus general care.
• Lost Workdays: Monitor reductions in days off and modified duty through improved prevention and quicker recoveries.
• Productivity: Analyze schedule adherence and rework rates to identify reductions in fatigue-related errors.
• Bid Competitiveness: Evaluate win rates on safety-sensitive projects linked to enhanced safety metrics.

Turning Insights Into Action 

A good first step in managing worker fatigue would be partnering with an occupational health provider. These medical professionals offer more than injury care. Occupational health experts can turn everyday injury data and real working conditions into a focused fatigue management strategy. By looking beyond individual cases to the patterns behind them, they can pinpoint where fatigue is increasing risk and recommend strategies that include:

• Analyzing injury and near-miss data for fatigue‑related patterns 
• Reviewing schedules and overtime to flag high‑risk rotations 
• Surveying workers and screening for sleep and fatigue issues 
• Evaluating high‑demand jobs where fatigue most threatens safety 
• Adding fatigue-related questions to injury evaluations to sharpen prevention

Reframing Fatigue Management as a Strategic Advantage

Fatigue management should be a core element of a risk mitigation strategy, not a sideline wellness initiative. Worker fatigue can impact safety performance, operational efficiency and financial outcomes. In an industry where safety records are scrutinized and margins hinge on precision, contractors that integrate a fatigue management strategy into their daily operations and workplace safety program are better positioned to protect their crews, strengthen their industry reputation and remain competitive.

SEE ALSO: A HEAD OF THE GAME: NAVIGATING TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURIES IN CONSTRUCTION

The post Worker Fatigue: The Overlooked Hazard Driving Injuries and Rework first appeared on Construction Executive.

Testifying at the hearing, “Building a Safer Future: Private-Sector Strategies for Emerging Safety Issues,” Sughrue explained that ABC’s annual report demonstrates how private-sector safety systems, including the use of leading indicators, are already helping contractors identify hazards, reduce risk and improve outcomes before incidents occur. The report shows that top-performing ABC members participating in ABC’s STEP® Health and Safety Management System achieved incident rates 686% safer than the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics construction industry average, reducing total recordable incident rates by 85%.

“The lesson is clear: Proactive, measurable safety systems work,” said Sughrue. “At Cianbro, we know that safety challenges cannot be solved by looking only at what went wrong after an injury occurs. It requires committed and engaged leadership, clear communication, team member involvement and a culture of trust. In addition, it requires a proactive approach, focused on the holistic person, which is why we utilize leading indicators to help us prevent illness and injuries. Construction professionals need to be at their best at all times as the construction industry is full of risks.”

Sughrue explained that multiple layers of accountability exist when injuries occur on a project. While those include OSHA, workers’ compensation, civil risks, contractual/owner accountabilities and insurance companies, just as powerful are the consequences for damaged client relationships, workforce morale, public perceptions and reduced ability to attract talent.

“Enforcement alone cannot build an industry-leading health and safety culture,” said Sughrue. “To address emerging safety challenges, OSHA should also emphasize compliance assistance, cooperative programs, education and practical tools that help employers prevent incidents before they happen. Relying on TRIR as a primary safety metric is increasingly ineffective and counterproductive.

“In contrast, leading indicators measure the inputs and processes that prevent injuries before they occur and directly assess how well a safety system is functioning in real time,” said Sughrue. “These indicators are actionable: They tell leaders what to improve, where risk exists and who needs support—long before someone is hurt. OSHA policy should reward prevention, encourage innovation and help more employers adopt proven best practices.”

Sughrue further testified that ABC’s 2026 Health and Safety Performance Report is a blueprint for doing exactly that. It shows that, when contractors measure safety, engage workers, hold leaders accountable and commit to continuous improvement, injury rates go down.

“People are the heart and souls of the construction industry,” said Sughrue. “The purpose of every safety program should be to protect them using leading indicators.”

Watch the hearing and read Sughrue’s testimony.

Established 37 years ago, STEP is a proven system that provides contractors and suppliers with a robust, no-cost framework for measuring health and safety data and benchmarking with peers in the industry. This self-assessment tool helps participants become an employer of choice in a competitive labor market. Any construction contractor can be a STEP participant. Visit abc.org/step to learn more.

SEE ALSO: FIVE WAYS TO INTEGRATE MENTAL HEALTH INTO CONSTRUCTION SAFETY PROTOCOLS

The post Proactive, Measurable Construction Safety Systems Work: ABC Testifies to Congress on Workforce Protections first appeared on Construction Executive.

Originally passed in mid-2024 and proposed to go into effect in July 2025, the law’s requirements were postponed until January 2026, giving ABC Minnesota/North Dakota—in partnership with NCCER and the Minnesota Cable Communications Association—time to roll out their Safety Qualified Underground Telecommunications Installer training program, which would ensure the workforce of their contractor members were certified.

When ABC MN/ND first caught wind of this law, it quickly set to work on designing this program from scratch. It would need to encapsulate enough classes to satisfy the 40-hour requirement, with both hands-on (in the field) and hands-off (digital classroom) training portions. It would need to include a training addendum for those looking to become program instructors. It would need to be flexible enough to accommodate the demands of sometimes unpredictable and often odd construction hours. It would need to be offered in both English and Spanish. And it would need to be designed in one year.

This law being the first of its kind in the country, there was no precedent for similar programs which the chapter could reference. So, it did not shock the chapter when it was approached by Minnesota Cable in late 2024 once this legislation had passed. With a relatively small staff, Minnesota Cable was conscious of the cap on its abilities to build out a bulky safety program like the one this law would require—but just as with ABC, their members needed it. “Minnesota Cable asked if ABC was interested in partnering,” says Adam Hanson, president of ABC MN/ND. “So, we went through a few meetings and agreed to take it on.”

But each association still took pause with just where and how to begin designing the program. So, NCCER was not shocked either when it received a call to action. 

Robert Jones, digital director of learning at NCCER, says, “It just made perfect sense for us to be able to support ABC. To make sure that this chapter is a leader in the state in training people how to work safely, and not just in broadband.”

Jones says they also saw the bigger picture—a national one—which influenced the type of program that they would build. “We built the program modularly,” he says. Of the seven courses, the first focuses specifically on Minnesota regulations; the other six focus on digging-safety and equipment skills. “We designed it so that if another ABC chapter came to us under similar circumstances, we are able to readily respond.”

Having worked closely with NCCER over the past several years, Hanson was confident in this next venture. “I knew that there was great opportunity there,” he says. He was also confident about the national influence a program like this could have on construction safety. “We were not only building this for Minnesota contractors.”

Perhaps the SQUTI program was built for something bigger than Minnesota, but—as it originated there—what did the contractors in Minnesota think of this program?

Director of Government Affairs for ABC MN/ND Joel Hanson says, “A lot of the feedback I got from contractors included ensuring that we weren’t just covering the bare minimum. If they’re going to have to put people through 40 hours of training, it should be worthwhile.” Hanson collected information on preexisting training that contractors were already applying, as well as supplemental activities to include. “We wanted to make this a good value for the contractors.”

Having been enacted for almost half a year now, the program is already increasing overall telecommunications safety awareness and implementation, and the more contractors who enroll and pass, the more feel and see the safety benefits. “ABC MN/ND is proud to help lead the rollout out of SQUTI”, says Janet Artmann, ABC MN/ND’s safety programs manager, “SQUTI strengthens our industry by elevating training expectations and reinforcing a culture of safety on every jobsite.”

At the time of this publication, there were 214 participants and 51 instructors enrolled; 171 of whom have already earned their orange cards—which will need to be renewed every three years.

This SQUTI certification program is already proving successful—and historical. Artmann says, “We’re always advocates for the safest, best way to do anything. Being the first program of this kind out there and already having nearly 200 orange cards, if we can keep that consistency going and keep in the forefront of people’s minds, I feel like its success will be organic and lasting.”

SEE ALSO: INFRASTRUCTURE: GOING AFTER IIJA-FUNDED WORK TWO YEARS LATER

The post New Law Prompts ABC Minnesota/North Dakota to Design New Telecommunications Safety Training Program first appeared on Construction Executive.

Mental health, however, remains largely outside of the safety system. 

This poses a safety risk because mental health conditions are associated with measurable impacts on attention, judgment, communication and risk tolerance. Fatigue, distraction and elevated stress increase the likelihood of safety-related incidents—especially in construction, where work is performed in dynamic, high-risk environments that rely on sustained attention, clear communication and sound judgment. 

Here are five practical ways construction leaders can incorporate mental health into existing safety protocols without creating parallel programs or adding unnecessary complexity. 

1. Treat Mental Health as a Job Hazard, Not a Personal Matter 

Construction safety already accounts for conditions that increase risk: weather, fatigue, congestion and schedule pressure. Mental strain belongs in that same category. Long hours, constant remobilization, rework pressure and unresolved conflict all affect how safely work gets done. Rather than framing mental health as something workers must manage on their own, leaders should recognize that jobsite conditions and culture shape it. Including mental health considerations in job hazard analyses—particularly for high-risk or high-pressure tasks—shifts the conversation away from stigma to shared responsibility. 

2. Build Awareness Into Daily Safety Routines 

Toolbox talks, pre‑task plans and daily huddles are some of the most effective safety mechanisms in construction because they are short, consistent and site led. Mental health support fits naturally into these routines. That doesn’t mean turning safety meetings into therapy sessions. It means briefly acknowledging factors that affect focus and decision-making: stress, exhaustion, workload or changes in routine. Even simple check-ins reinforce the idea that safety includes how people are doing, not only what they’re doing. When these conversations are consistent and matter-of-fact, these conversations normalize awareness and reduce the hesitancy to speak up before risk escalates

3. Train Supervisors to Recognize Behavioral Safety Signals 

Construction supervisors are already trained to identify unsafe behaviors such as bypassing controls, rushing tasks or ignoring procedures. Mental health shows up through similar signals. 

Changes in behavior—withdrawal, irritability, missed details and uncharacteristic risk-taking—can indicate increased safety risks. Training field leaders to recognize these patterns, without diagnosing or labeling them, strengthens situational awareness on jobsites. The focus should be on response, not judgment: slowing work, reallocating tasks, checking in privately and connecting workers to support when needed. Early recognition is one of the most effective forms of risk prevention. 

4. Make Support Resources Part of the Safety System 

Safety systems work when tools are visible, accessible and trusted. Mental health resources should be no different. When employees don’t know where to turn or worry about the consequences of asking for help, they won’t use available support. Leaders can reduce that barrier by clearly communicating mental health resources as part of the safety program, not as a remedial measure. Posting information alongside safety signage, referencing resources during onboarding and reinforcing confidentiality all help position support as another protective control, like PPE or  SWA, rather than a last resort. 

5. Reinforce That Speaking Up Is a Safety Action 

One of the strongest predictors of safe jobsites is whether people feel comfortable raising concerns. That applies equally to physical conditions and mental strain. When leaders consistently reinforce that speaking up is expected, and then respond constructively, workers learn that raising concerns is part of safe work—not a disruption. This matters, especially when silence is often mistaken for resilience. 

The message should be clear: asking for help, flagging overload or requesting a pause is not a failure to perform. Those are proactive safety decisions. 

The Next Step in Safety Leadership 

The construction industry didn’t significantly improve physical safety through slogans. Progress came when leaders acknowledged risk, embedded controls into daily work and modeled the behaviors they expected from others. Mental health deserves the same treatment. Integrating it into safety protocols doesn’t lower standards or distract from performance—it strengthens it. The question isn’t whether mental health affects safety. It’s whether our safety systems are designed to reflect the reality that safety is shaped as much by human factors as physical ones.  

Resources

Here are a few resources for getting started or refreshing existing programs:

• ACI Mental Health and Wellness resource page
• Skanska’s Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) program
• Strong Minds, Safe Sites by Wellness Workdays
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: Hard Hat Courage

SEE ALSO: SO YOU WANT TO BUILD A SAFETY PLAN

The post Five Ways to Integrate Mental Health Into Construction Safety Protocols  first appeared on Construction Executive.

Established in 1989, STEP is a proven system that provides contractors and suppliers with a robust, no-cost framework for measuring health and safety data and benchmarking with peers in the industry. This self-assessment tool helps participants identify real opportunities for scalable growth in their health and safety programs to lower their total recordable incident rates and become an employer of choice in a competitive labor market.

As a sponsor of Construction Safety Week, ABC published the report during this important observance to highlight and celebrate the intentional work of people in the construction industry who make health and safety the foundation of everything they do.

“ABC’s annual health and safety report details how an industry-leading safety roadmap involves leadership, culture, process and results,” said Joe Xavier, ABC senior director of health and safety. “Transformational leadership means challenging the status quo and fostering a culture where every incident is seen as preventable. When leaders refuse to compromise on safety, they set the standard for the entire industry. By implementing proven health and safety systems, companies not only protect their workers but also achieve measurable improvements in performance and reputation in the marketplace. These results are the tangible benefits that arise from the consistent application of proven best practices in jobsite safety and total human health.”

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 the following foundations of industry-leading safety and health that reduce total recordable incident rates, or TRIR, and days away, restricted or transferred—DART rates:

• Frequency of toolbox talks: Companies that conduct daily toolbox talks reduce TRIR rates by 59% and DART rates by 61% compared to companies that hold them monthly.
• Substance abuse prevention programs: Robust 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.
• Health and safety meetings: Clear, concise and consistent communication builds trust, culture and an understanding that every worker is empowered to keep jobsites safe. Companies that follow best practices for health and safety meetings lower TRIR by 52% and DART rates by 54%.
• Employee participation: Leaders must build strong relationships, listen actively and seek input from front-line workers on how to improve safety year after year. Companies that follow best practices on engaging the workforce reduce TRIR by 55% and DART rates by 57%.

The report also identifies six core leading indicators—systems or processes used to identify hazards and eliminate or minimize them to prevent injury:

• Planning for project health and safety
• Top leadership engagement
• Leading indicators
• Incident investigation
• Trailing indicators
• Behavior-based safety observations

“STEP can help any construction contractor reinforce its commitment to the well-being of its workforce,” said Xavier. “The 2026 Health and Safety Performance Report is a blueprint for industry leaders and workers to deliver projects safely and protect what is most important to us—our people.”

For nine years, ABC’s Health and Safety Performance Report has captured the results of ABC STEP member contractors performing real work on real projects to identify what comprises an industry-leading health and safety program. ABC member firms participating in STEP measure their safety processes and policies on key components and the criteria for best practices through a detailed questionnaire, with the goal of implementing or enhancing safety programs that reduce jobsite incident rates.

ABC’s 2026 Health and Safety Performance Report is proudly presented by DEWALT. With over 100 years of innovation, DEWALT delivers jobsite solutions that help professionals create safer, more productive workplaces. Through its Perform & Protect initiative, DEWALT engineers products that enhance safety, performance and productivity, advancing jobsite standards. As a trusted industry leader, DEWALT shares ABC’s commitment to protecting workers and promoting best practices. Any construction contractor can be a STEP participant. Visit abc.org/step to learn more.

SEE ALSO: A NEW VISION FOR SAFETY: CONSTRUCTION SAFETY WEEK’S FIVE-YEAR PLAN

The post Construction Companies Are Nearly Seven Times Safer With These Best Practices first appeared on Construction Executive.

With resources stretched thin to meet the priorities of developers and property owners, common or routine hazards can easily go unnoticed, resulting in workplace disruption. This includes overlooking the potential for slips, trips and falls, which can cost contractors money, time and reputation. Construction leaders should be mindful of these situations and develop safety protocols to help protect jobsites and prevent worker injuries.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, falls are a leading cause of fatalities in the construction industry. The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported that falls account for approximately 40% of all construction fatalities, and data shows there were 1,008 construction fatalities in 2024 of which 380 (38%) were due to falls.

While contractors and workers are aware of the hazards posed by falls, the risks linger, making it imperative that construction companies develop a comprehensive fall protection program to help eliminate fall hazards and make jobsites safer places to work.

Leverage Engineering and Technology

The first step in fall protection is to avoid, when possible, working in a place where the risk of a significant fall is possible. If that is not possible, having safety measures and the latest technology in place can become a differentiator for reducing the impact of injuries. The use of physical controls such as guardrails and hole covers, combined with the proactive use of technology to provide early warning of an adverse condition, can be key to a progressive fall risk prevention strategy.

The evolution of technology in the construction industry is making the job site safer. For example, companies are investing heavily in imagery technology to monitor workplaces more effectively—especially as site managers cannot always be on the job. This is a way to record what is happening and monitor various aspects of a project at one time, which helps encourage workers’ safety. A safety manager can cover more ground with this imagery technology in place. Instead of overseeing a single project, they might have capacity for multiple projects.

Additional technology that’s being deployed on construction sites includes:

• Drones, which have been used to conduct site inspections in remote or hard to access areas. With drones, contractors can make 3D and topographical models and obtain high-resolution images of jobsites.

• Wearables and site sensors that can be placed on workers or in their personal protective equipment. They use GPS tracking and biometrics to mitigate accidents. Wearables can track slips and falls, while site sensors can warn workers about potential hazards and make the jobsite safer. They can track noise levels, dust saturation in the air they’re breathing, temperature and the presence of hazardous substances.

• Robotics, which can be used for repetitive tasks such as bricklaying and tying rebar. Automation saves workers’ time and allows them to focus on more complex tasks. Robotics is also a promising way to prevent injuries and fatigue on a construction team.

Rescue Procedures

It is important to remember that a worker, suspended in a harness after a fall, is at risk of shock or unconsciousness due to blood pooling in the legs. This can become life-threatening after a few minutes. This is why a written, project-specific rescue plan is essential for a quick recovery. Contractors should consider the following:

• A suspended worker can be rescued using a ladder, scissor lift or aerial lift.
• Self-rescue procedures include a block-and-tackle device or friction device to lower the worker slowly.
• High-rise rescues may require a crane and a Stokes basket.

Spread the Word

To maintain a proactive fall protection program, contractors and businesses must always enforce the protocols. Managers and supervisors should have a written discipline and enforcement policy specifically for fall protection and share the policy with employees during orientation. In addition, they should apply the policy fairly to all employees, as well as have qualified personnel conduct daily work site inspections to evaluate compliance.

During orientation, newcomers to the construction site should learn about all fall hazards present on the site and when and where fall protection is required. Proper use, maintenance and inspection of fall protection systems should be covered along with the established enforcement program.

Workers using personal fall arrest systems should be trained in how to use and maintain the equipment. Document all training with written records. Provide retraining when procedures change or when an employee does not understand the information.

Protecting construction workers from fall hazards must be an integral part to any construction project, and developing a fall protection program can help eliminate the risks to make the job site a safer place to work.

SEE ALSO: FALL PROTECTION PRODUCTS: CONSENSUS VS. REGULATION

The post How to Guard Your Construction Workforce Against Falls first appeared on Construction Executive.