Building A Safety Culture:: Smartmarket

SmartMarket Report
Building a
Safety Culture:
Improving Safety and Health Management
in the Construction Industry
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■ Design and Construction Intelligence
SmartMarket Report
Dodge Data & Analytics Building a Safety Culture:

Improving Safety and
Chief Executive Officer Health Management in the
Michael Petrullo Construction Industry
SmartMarket Report About Dodge Data &
Dodge Data & Analytics Analytics
Executive Editor
Research & Analytics/
Industry Insights Stephen A. Jones Dodge Data & Analytics is the leading
Managing Editor
provider of data, analytics, news
Senior Director, Research & Analytics
Burleigh Morton Donna Laquidara-Carr, Ph.D., LEED AP and intelligence serving the North
American commercial construction
Senior Director, Industry Vice President, Marketing
industry. The company’s
Insights Research Ed Walloga
Stephen A. Jones information enables building
Contributing Art Director product manufacturers, general
Director, Industry Insights Research Alison Lorenz contractors and subcontractors,
Donna Laquidara-Carr, Ph.D., LEED AP
Contributing Art Director architects, and engineers to size
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SmartMarket Report
Introduction
S
afety and health considerations huge jump up from the 66% who selected
BUILDING A SAFETY CULTURE: IMPROVING SAFETY AND HEALTH MANAGEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
need to permeate all levels of a it previously, which caused it to shift from

construction company’s culture, sixth place to first place in the percentage
informing decisions, planning, selecting it.
activities and behaviors. It is not enough ■■Higher Number of Respondents Now
to simply have safety rules, training and Experiencing Benefits From Safety
protocols in effect. Leading companies Investments: A significantly higher
nurture a comprehensive safety culture percentage of contractors report: Stephen A. Jones
throughout their organizations, both from • Decreased Reportable Injuries, Senior Director
the top down and the bottom up. up 10 percentage points in the current Industry Insights Research
In this report, our latest study on safety study to 81%
management in the construction industry, • Increased Ability to Contract New Stephen A. Jones leads
we take a close look at 33 indicators of a Work, up 10 percentage points to 76% DD&A’s Industry Insights
Research division. He
safety culture, including: • Increased Ability to Retain Staff, is active in numerous
• Measures of Management Commitment up 18 percentage points to 64% industry organizations
to Safety and Health • Increased Ability to Attract New and frequently speaks at
industry events around
• Worker Involvement in Jobsite Safety Staff, up 8 percentage points to 46%
the world. Before DD&A,
• Company Communications on Safety Jones was vice president
While the business benefits of reducing
• The Degree to Which Safety is Treated with Primavera Systems
injuries and increasingly being able to (now part of Oracle), a
as a Fundamental Company Value
contract new work are clear, the ability global leader in project
The findings provide a fascinating view to retain and attract staff is becoming management software.
Prior to that, he was
across a safety culture spectrum, with more important to remain competitive as principal and a Board of
nearly equal numbers of companies the construction market grows and the Directors member with
currently showing high, moderate and availability of skilled workers tightens. Burt Hill, a major A/E firm
(now merged with Stantec).
low levels of engagement with these Strikingly, all of the 10 positive
indicators. While this reveals that we still impacts of safety were also experienced
have work to do as an industry before by a much higher percentage of those
safety cultures are prevalent at most at the high end of the safety culture
companies, it also shows that enough spectrum, demonstrating its undeniable
companies now have a strong safety value to companies seeking to be
culture in place to begin to identify best more competitive.
practices and inspire improvements that The findings also suggest that we
will benefit the entire industry. may be on the cusp of a strong increase
In addition to exploring the elements of in the use of online training, potentially
a safety culture, the study also provides spurred by continual advances in mobile
Donna Laquidara-Carr,
new data on many of the topics covered devices and better software. This will
Ph.D., LEED AP
in the 2013 Safety Management in the be an interesting trend to track in our Industry Insights
Construction Industry SmartMarket future research. Research Director
Report, enabling comparisons that suggest We would like to thank our premier Dodge Data & Analytics
some interesting changes. partners, CPWR and United Rentals, and Donna Laquidara-Carr
■■Increasing Industry Recognition of the all of our supporting, contributing and currently provides
Importance of the Jobsite Worker to association partners, for helping us to editorial direction,
analysis and content
Enhance Safety: Consistently, more bring this information to the industry. to DD&A’s SmartMarket
respondents in the current study than in Reports. Prior to this
the previous one report the important position, she worked for
role of jobsite workers in encouraging nearly 20 years with DD&A’s
Dodge division, where she
safety. One of the most telling findings gained detailed insight into
is that 85% of respondents now consider the construction industry.
jobsite worker involvement to be a critical
aspect of a world-class safety program, a
Dodge Data & Analytics 1 www.construction.com SmartMarket Report

SmartMarket Report
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
4 Executive Summary
Executive Summary
4
7 Data
7 Introduction
8 Safety Culture Indicators

8 Management Commitment to Safety and Health (Indicator Category 1)
Safety and Health Are Fundamental Company Values (Indicator Category 2)
10
Accountability on Projects for Safety and Health (Indicator Category 3)
11
Worker Involvement in Jobsite Safety and Health (Indicator Category 4)
12
Supervisory Leadership on Safety and Health (Indicator Category 5)
14
Company Communication About Safety and Health (Indicator Category 6)
15
Owner Involvement in Project Safety and Health (Indicator Category 7)
16
Safety Culture Spectrum Based on the Degree of Use of the Safety Culture Indicators
17
18
sidebar Safety’s Leading Indicators
20 Types of Safety Practices

20 Practices Used on Projects to Promote Safety
Opposite: Left: courtesy of Clark Concrete Contractors, LLC; Right: courtesy of Skanska USA
22
sidebar Safety Cocoon for High-Rise Construction
Top Five Most Effective Safety Practices

23
Aspects of a World-Class Safety Program
24
26
sidebar Emerging Uses of Technology to Advance Safety
28
sidebar Wearable Devices and Onsite Safety
29 Impact of Safety Practices and Programs on Business

29 Impact of Safety Practices on Project/Business Success Factors
Impact of Safety on Project Budget
32
Impact of Safety on Project Schedule
32
Impact of Safety on Project ROI
33
Impact of Safety on Injury Rates
33
34
sidebar Lean Project Delivery Enhances Project Safety
36 Influence Factors
36 Most Influential People/Positions for Improving Safety
Front cover illustration by Jordana Psiloyenis
Top 10 Factors That Drove Adoption of Current Safety Management Practices

37
Factors Encouraging Future Investment in Safety Management Practices
39
40
sidebar Associations Promote Safety in the Construction Industry
41
sidebar Demographic Inequities in Workplace Safety
SmartMarket Report Dodge Data & Analytics 2 www.construction.com

Left: Clark Construction workers
engage in mandatory stretching
exercises before starting work.
Below: Skanska is creating a library

of simulated safety incidents that
are inspired by real events. These
simulations help to highlight the root
cause of incidents, as well as showcase
how to plan for or avoid similar
incidents from happening.
CONTENTS
42 Training Practices and Communication

42 Safety Training Availability and Requirements
Frequency of Safety Training Conducted Online
44
Impact of Safety Training by Role
45
Value of Different Modes of Safety Training by Role
46
Jobsite Worker Safety and Health Training Trends
47
Leadership Training for Supervisors
50
51
sidebar Best Practices in Safety Training
52 Methodology
53 Resources

Executive Summary
A safety culture helps to ensure wider adoption of safety practices and

allows companies to better reap the benefits of their safety investments.

The new findings on the influence of a safety culture at a construction company, along with striking differences from
the findings in 2012, demonstrate that encouraging a safety culture is critical, that safety investments in the industry are
clearly paying off and that jobsite workers are increasingly recognized as playing a critical role in ensuring high safety
performance at construction companies.
Indicators of a Safety Culture Degree of Use of Safety Culture Indicators

A safety culture at a construction company goes (All Respondents)
beyond adopting specific safety practices and policies. Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
Companies with a strong safety culture have a High (20 or More Indicators)
commitment to safety both from the company leadership Moderate (12 to 19 Indicators)
down and from the jobsite worker up where safety is a Low (11 Indicators or Less)
fundamental consideration in all planning and activities in
the organization.
In order to gauge the degree to which construction
companies have adopted a strong safety culture,
22%
respondents were asked about the use of leading 32% 33% 30% 32%
indicators of a safety culture in their organizations and,
57%
where applicable, their level of use at their companies.
32%
The respondents are divided almost evenly into three
groups, high, moderate and low: a high level of use 35% 33%
37%
of these indicators suggests the likelihood that these 50%
companies have a strong safety culture.
This safety culture spectrum, especially a 32%
46%
comparison of those at the high and low end, was 33% 37%
30%
then applied to the rest of the data gathered in the 18%
11%
study. The findings clearly indicate that companies
at the high end of the safety culture spectrum have in All General Specialty Fewer 100 to 499 500 or
place more safety practices, are influenced by more Respondents Contractors Trade Than 100 Employees More
Contractors Employees Employees
factors to invest in safety, and see much stronger impacts
from their safety investments than those at the low end
of the safety spectrum.
As the chart at right indicates, large companies
4_01_Safety_Management_Batch4
are more likely to be further along the safety culture
_REV_SafetyCultureSpectrum_#02
spectrum than smaller companies. This may suggest
the need for more outreach to smaller companies
to help provide the information and resources needed
to encourage growth of a safety culture within
their organizations.
USE OF SAFETY CULTURE INDICATORS

There is wide recognition of less tangible indicators
that focus on the attitudes of companies toward
supervisors and jobsite workers, and low levels of
use of indicators involving owners and specific,
procedural approaches.

Executive Summary CONTINUED
Most Widely Used: The most widely used indicators of a Impact of Safety on Contractor Success
■■
safety culture are encouraging workers to report unsafe Factors (Percentage of Respondents Reporting
conditions, holding everyone accountable for safety and Positive Impact by Year)
having supervisors lead by example.
2012 2015
■■Least Used: Indicators with the lowest levels of use
are joint worker/management safety and health Reportable Injuries 71% 81%
committees, recognition and reward for safety and Ability to Contract
66% 76%
health participation, owners providing incentives for New Work
safety and health performance and owners requiring Staff Retention 46% 64%
safety and health precertification of all bidders. Project ROI 51% 58%
The low use of incentives, from rewarding safety and Ability to Attract
37% 46%
New Staff
health participation at construction companies to owner
incentives for safety, may reflect growing awareness
of the challenge of using direct incentives that may
inadvertently discourage workers from reporting
Positive Impact of Safety on Contractor
potentially unsafe incidents.
Success Factors (Factors With the Greatest
Difference in Percentage Reporting Positive
Benefits of Safety Impact Across the Safety Culture Spectrum)
GROWTH IN THOSE EXPERIENCING Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
BENEFITS FROM 2012 High Use of Safety Culture Indicators

More respondents in 2015 reported that they were seeing Low Use of Safety Culture Indicators
positive impacts from their safety practices than in 2012,
in several key categories. Willingness of Jobsite Workers to Report Unsafe Conditions
■■Reportable Injuries: Reducing injuries is the most
95%
immediate goal of safety, and the contractors who 60%
reported a positive impact on this goal increased by 10
Project Quality
percentage points between 2012 and 2015.
■■Business Benefits: Not only did many more contractors 88%
in 2015 than in 2012 note that their safety investments 56%
helped them to contract new work, but more also saw Staff Retention
improvements in their project ROI in 2015.
79%
■■Staffing Benefits: With work increasing, workforce
45%
shortages are becoming a serious factor for many
companies, making the ability to retain existing staff Project ROI
and attract new staff of growing importance. More 75%
contractors in 2015 reported that safety had a positive 38%
impact on each of these benefits than in 2012.
Ability to Attract New Staff
POSITIVE IMPACT OF A STRONG 67%
SAFETY CULTURE 27%
More contractors at the high end of the safety culture
spectrum consistently report experiencing benefits from
safety than those at the low end of the spectrum, which
demonstrates the powerful payback that can be achieved
from committing to developing a strong safety culture _ES_Benefits_Matrix_#01
at a construction company. The greatest differential
between those at the high and low ends of the spectrum
include critical success factors for contractors such as

Executive Summary CONTINUED
improved project quality, the ability to attract and retain Most Effective Safety Practices
staff and improved project ROI. The willingness of jobsite (All Respondents)
workers to report unsafe conditions is a direct result of a Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
strong safety culture and one of its indicators. Ranked First

Ranked Second or Third
Wider Recognition of the Role of
Jobsite Workers for Increased Safety Enforce Use of PPE
One of the most striking differences between the findings 24% 21% 45%
in 2012 and those in the 2015 study is the increased
recognition of the important role of jobsite workers for Conduct Job Hazard Analysis/Job Safety Analysis Before
Construction Begins
increased project safety.
■■Jobsite workers’ involvement is selected by 85% as an
13% 17% 30%
essential aspect of a world-class safety program, a leap Provide Functional PPE

of 19 percentage points above the 2012 findings, and 11% 15% 26%
now ranking as the top aspect.
■■The highest percentage (64%) rank jobsite workers as
Include Jobsite Workers in Safety Process
one of the top three most influential roles for improving 10% 21% 31%
safety, demonstrating the importance of investing in Establish Site-Specific Training Programs for
worker training. Supervisors, Workers, Specialty Contractors
■■The highest percentage of respondents in 2015 find 9% 17% 26%
that the jobsite worker is the role most impacted by
safety training, a shift from second place in 2012.
■■The six indicators for worker involvement in jobsite
safety and health are among the most widely adopted 2_2_Safety_Management_Batch2_Practices_Most Important
in the industry. In particular, most respondents report
that workers are encouraged to report unsafe conditions
and near-misses on most of their projects. Safety Training
A few key trends are evident in safety training:
Most Effective Safety Practices ■■Online Training: While growth in use has been modest
The most effective safety practices are indicated in in the past two years, its use is expected to grow
the chart at right, with providing personal protective dramatically in the next two years. Far more contractors
equipment (PPE) and especially enforcing its use of consider it valuable for supervisors (42%) than for
primary importance. Most of these are also among the jobsite workers (24%) currently, but it is possible that
most widely used safety practices, except for conducting constantly improving technologies on the jobsite could
a job hazard or safety analysis before construction change that.
begins. The relatively low level of use of this practice ■■Influence of Safety Training: Safety training is
and the high value attributed to it by those who use it considered highly influential by a much higher
indicate that this is an opportunity for many companies to percentage of respondents in 2015 for company
improve their safety measures. leadership (74%) and estimators (41%) than it was in
2012 (63% and 31%, respectively).
Drivers for Greater Safety Adoption ■■Most Effective Means of Communicating Safety
The top factors encouraging companies to adopt safety Messages to Jobsite Workers: Toolbox talks continue
practices remained consistent with the findings from 2012, to grow in influence, with 48% ranking them first
including concerns about worker health and safety, liability among the means of communication in 2015 compared
concerns and insurance costs. Reduced insurance rates are with 41% in 2012. That change, and a decline in those
also by far the most important driver for future investment selecting training, has resulted in an 18 percentage point
in safety management practices and have gained in difference between those ranking toolbox talks first
importance compared with other factors since 2012. compared with training, a striking increase.

Data:Introduction
D
odge Data & Analytics (DD&A) first conducted
BUILDING A SAFETY CULTURE: IMPROVING SAFETY AND HEALTH MANAGEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY DATA
research on safety in 2012 and published

Notes About the Data
the findings of that study in the Safety
The data and analysis in this report are
Management in the Construction Industry based on an online survey conducted with
SmartMarket Report in 2013. That study established the responses from 254 general contractors,
safety management practices used and most valued in specialty contractors, design-build firms,
the industry, the benefits resulting from investment in construction managers and engineering
safety, the factors that influence companies making those firms. For the purpose of analysis, the
investments and trends in training. category of general contractors used in
the report includes design-build firms
This new study builds upon that research by looking at
and construction managers, and the
how these critical topics have evolved in the construction category of specialty contractors includes
industry since 2012. The timing is critically important engineering firms. The online survey was
because, as the amount of work has begun to increase, so conducted in the fall of 2015.
have fatalities. DD&A reports a 55% increase in the value of The data includes comparisons with
construction starts between 2011 and 2014, and the Bureau the study conducted by Dodge Data &
of Labor Statistics reports a 16% increase in the number of Analytics (previously known as McGraw
Hill Construction) in 2012, published in
fatalities in the construction industry in that same period.
2013. Data from the previous study is
The recovery of the construction industry has led to more identified by the year in which the study
work and the need for more workers, and in turn, this made was conducted (2012) rather than the
focusing on safety a necessary priority. date it was published, and data from the
In order to offer deeper insight into how to increase current study is also identified by the year
safety, this study, in addition to looking at the evolution it was conducted (2015).
of the topics described above over the last three years, Data gathered in the 2015 study on the
use of safety culture indicators was used
also explores the prevalence of a safety culture in the
to create a safety culture spectrum of
organizations of the survey respondents. It does so by
low, moderate and high. A description of
examining 33 indicators of a safety culture. These fall in that spectrum can be found on page 17.
seven groups: The spectrum was then used as analytic
• Management Commitment to Safety and Health variable to identify trends throughout
• Recognition of Safety and Health as Fundamental the rest of the data on the use of safety
Company Values practices, the impact of safety on business
and project success, influences driving
• Accountability for Safety and Health on Projects
investments in safety and training.
• Worker Involvement in Jobsite Safety and Health
Other analytic variables used
• Supervisory Safety and Health Leadership commonly throughout the data are the
• Effectiveness of Company Communications type of company (general contractors
• Owner Involvement in Safety and Health or specialty contractors) and size of
company by number of employees. More
The findings reveal that the industry falls nearly evenly information on these variables and on
into three levels along a safety culture spectrum: low, the survey in general can be found in the
moderate and high (see page 17 for more information). methodology section on page 52.
Contrasting the responses from companies at the high
end of the range with those at the low end, the findings
make clear that companies with the elements of a strong
safety culture engage in many more safety practices
and reap the benefits of them. The 33 indicators also
offer a way for readers from the construction industry to
determine how strong their safety culture is compared with
industry norms.

Data:Safety Culture Indicators
Management Commitment to Safety and Health
(Indicator Category 1)
The degree of management’s commitment to safety at a Use of Practices That Indicate Management
construction company is as critical as the commitment of Commitment to Safety and Health

workers and supervisors to establishing and maintaining (All Respondents)
a strong safety culture. Management sets the priorities Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
for a company and can profoundly influence the

Formal Process for Safety-Related
behaviors and attitudes of its employees.
Corrective Action
Eight indicators reveal the degree to which
management is helping to foster a safety culture. For
the first three, respondents were simply asked whether
they used the practice, and the percentage that do 72%
are indicated in the pie charts at right. The other five,
represented in the chart on the next page, include not
only whether the respondents adopted these measures,
Safety/Health Is a Key Part of
but the level of engagement with each.
Strategic Planning
Use of Three Indicators of
Management Commitment to Safety
69%
FORMAL PROCESS FOR SAFETY-RELATED
CORRECTIVE ACTION
Nearly three quarters (72%) of respondents report that
their companies have a formal process for safety-related Company Has Joint Worker/Management
corrective action. A formal process demonstrates to Safety and Health Committee
workers across the companies that management takes
safety concerns seriously.
Medium to large companies (all companies with more 48%
than 50 employees) are more likely to have a formal
process. This may be due to more formalized procedures
in general at larger companies. However, there is no
significant difference in the use of a formal process
the previous two indicators—just under half—report
between general and specialty contractors.
that their companies have a joint worker/management
SAFETY/HEALTH ARE A KEY PART OF 1_05_Safety_Management_Batch1
safety and health committee. Size of company has
STRATEGIC PLANNING _Indicators_Mangement_Pie_#02
a particularly strong correlation with the use of this
Making safety/health a key part of strategic planning is practice: It is reported by 72% of those from companies
also in use by a majority of companies (69%). Companies with 500 or more employees, compared with only 14%
that take this approach are proactive rather than reactive of those from companies with fewer than 50 employees.
to safety concerns. It is likely that small companies do not feel the need for
• Size of Company: While this is a practice reported by formal committees to engage the input of both workers
nearly all (94%) of the respondents from companies and management on safety. However, only a little over
with over 500 employees, it is only used by between half report adoption of this practice in companies with
half and three quarters of smaller companies. between 50 and 499 employees, suggesting that this
• Type of Company: This practice is more widely practice should be considered by more midsize firms.
adopted by general contractors (76%) than specialty
contractors (60%). Level of Use of Five Indicators of
JOINT WORKER/MANAGEMENT SAFETY AND
Management Commitment
Compared with the previous three indicators, all five of
HEALTH COMMITTEE
the indicators that can be implemented by degrees are
A smaller proportion of respondents than those using
in wider use across the industry, with between 83% and

Safety Culture Indicators
Management Commitment to Safety and Health (Indicator Category1) CONTINUED
95% of respondents reporting these practices in place at Level of Use of Practices That Indicate
their companies. However, the degree to which they are Management Commitment to Safety and
adopted varies. Health (All Respondents)
Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
JOBSITE MEETINGS
Both of the practices involving meetings—safety/health Safety/Health Is a Top Agenda Item at Meetings
is a top agenda item at meetings and management Percentage of Meetings
participates in all safety and health meetings on With Safety/Health a Top Agenda Item
the jobsite—are used by nearly all (95% and 90%, High: More Than 70% 48%
respectively) respondents. Over three quarters using 95% Moderate: 25% to 70% 35%
these practices are also using them at a high or moderate Low: Less Than 25% 17%
level. Clearly, meetings are widely used as an opportunity
to reinforce safety messages. Clearly Defined Health and Safety Expectations
• Size of Company: Respondents from very large Percentage of Expectations
companies (500 employees or more) are most likely to That Are Well Defined
report a high level of use of both of these indicators. High: More Than 70% 57%
• Type of Company: 54% of general contractors report 93% Moderate: 25% to 70% 31%
that their companies make safety and health as a Low: Less Than 25% 12%
top agenda item at 70% or more of their meetings,
compared with 35% of specialty contractors. However, Management Participation in All Safety and
there is no significant difference in the percentage Health Meetings on Jobsite
of general and specialty contractors who report that
Percentage of Projects
management participates in safety and health meetings
High: More Than 70% 42%
on a high percentage of their project jobsites.
90% Moderate: 25% to 70% 39%
CLEARLY DEFINED SAFETY AND Low: Less Than 25% 19%
HEALTH EXPECTATIONS
Most respondents (93%) report that their companies have
Practice Prevention Through Design
clearly defined safety and health expectations, and over
half of those respondents (57%) believe that this occurs at Percentage of Projects
a high level. There is no significant variation by company High: More Than 70% 34%
size or type, which is not surprising since this practice 84% Moderate: 25% to 70% 37%
is so widely adopted across the industry. It is notable, Low: Less Than 25% 29%
though, that this indicator is more subjective than many
of the others.
Safety/Health Data Used for Improvement
OTHER PRACTICES
Most of the respondents report that their companies
practice prevention through design (84%) and use safety
83% Moderate: 25% to 70% 40%
and health data for improvement (83%), but they are
Low: Less Than 25% 27%
adopted on a much lower percentage of projects than
the practices involving meetings. In both cases, those
who report that these practices are used at a moderate
level (37% and 40%, respectively) exceeds those who through design, there is a tendency for general
report it at a high level (34% and 33%). More research is contractors (33%) and very large companies of 500
needed to discover why these practices, which the data employees or more (51%) to use data for improvement on
_Indicators_Management_PieBars_#03
demonstrate are widely known in the industry, are not more than 70% of their projects, compared with specialty
more widely used. contractors (21%) or smaller companies (24%). This may
While there are no significant variations by size or suggest that resource constraints could be a factor in the
type of firm for the level of use of practicing prevention lower adoption of this practice.

Safety Culture Indicators CONTINUED
Safety and Health Are Fundamental Company Values

A safety culture depends on recognition across the Use of Practices That Indicate That
company, from management to workers, that the Safety and Health Are Fundamental
company has adopted safety and health as fundamental Company Values (All Respondents)
company values. Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
There is still a lingering perception that safety and

Value Safety and Recognize/Reward
productivity are at odds, even though many studies,
Health at Least as Safety and Health
including this one, demonstrate the positive impact of
Much as Productivity Participation
safety on factors such as project schedule that are tied
directly to productivity (see page 29). However, 81% of
respondents report that their company values safety and
health at least as much as productivity. This is critical if 57%
81%
workers are to feel sufficiently empowered to stop work
or ask for changes that may have a brief impact on the
productivity of a project.
On the other hand, a much lower percentage (57%)
report that their company recognizes/rewards safety
Level of Use of Practices That Indicate
and health participation. This is one of the lowest scoring
That Safety and Health Are Fundamental
_Indicators_CompanyValue_Pie_#02
indicators of a safety culture in the study, but that may be
Company Values (All Respondents)
due in part to the challenge of rewarding safety without
inadvertently incentivizing workers to fail to report safety
infractions. It is more commonly reported by general Encourage Safety and Health Mentoring
contractors (65%) than specialty contractors (47%).
A relatively high percentage (89%) report that their Percentage of Leadship That
Encourages Safety and Health Monitoring
companies encourage safety and health mentoring.
Also notable is that the highest percentage believe that 89% Moderate: 25% to 70% 34%
the majority of their company leadership (more than Low: Less Than 25% 22%
70%) encourage mentoring, which, again, supports the
perception that safety is valued at their company. Factor Safety and Health Into
The degree to which companies factor safety and Planning and Bidding
health into planning and bidding is very similar to their
encouragement of mentoring, with 90% reporting this Percentage of Jobs on Which
occurs at some level, and the highest percentage (39%) Safety and Health Are Factored in
who say it occurs on more than 70% of their projects. High: More Than 70% 39%
90% Moderate: 25% to 70% 34%
However, a higher percentage of general contractors (43%)
factors safety and health into planning and bidding than
specialty contractors (26%), but there were no significant
differences by company type for mentoring.
Variation by Size of Company 1_02_Safety_Management_Batch1

All of the indicators that safety and health are _Indicators_CompanyValue_PieBars_#02
fundamental company values are more widely reported
by respondents at large companies, especially those with
500 or more employees, than at smaller companies. This
suggests that the industry needs to find ways to encourage
smaller companies to adopt these approaches. Concerns
about the time involved may prevent companies from
adopting such key indicators as encouraging mentoring or
making sure safety is factored into planning and bidding.

Accountability on Projects for Safety and Health

A key part of a safety culture is universal recognition Use of Practices That Create Accountability
within a company that all employees are accountable for on Projects for Safety and Health
safety on projects, not just designated safety personnel. (All Respondents)
Three indicators measure the degree to which a company Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
fosters widespread accountability for safety and health

Hold Everyone Accountable for Safety
on projects.
Accountability High: More Than 70% 73%
The first indicator reveals the wide recognition of Moderate: 25% to 70% 20%
97%
safety accountability in the construction industry. Low: Less Than 25% 7%
Nearly all (97%) of respondents feel that everyone is
held accountable for safety on at least some of their
Near-Misses Taken Seriously and Investigated
projects and a very high percentage (73%) see this
happening on more than 70% of their projects. Given Percentage of Near-Misses
how widespread this perception is, it is not surprising that High: More Than 70% 60%
there are no significant differences by company type or Moderate: 25% to 70% 22%
95%
size on this issue. Low: Less Than 25% 18%
Near-Misses Use External Safety and Health Audits

The findings also demonstrate that near misses are
being taken seriously and investigated, with most (95%) Percentage of Projects
reporting that this takes place on at least some of their High: More Than 70% 41%
projects. 60% report that this occurs on more than 70% Moderate: 25% to 70% 28%
74%
of their projects, still a very high percentage, though a Low: Less Than 25% 31%
little short of those seeing widespread accountability in
general. Use of this practice is most common at a high
level among companies with 100 or more employees
(78%), but it drops off sharply among smaller companies
(42%). This may be due to larger companies having 1_06_Safety_Management_Batch1
better established procedures and resources for _Indicators_Accountable_PieBars_#02
investigation, but it is a disparity that the industry
may benefit from addressing.
External Safety and Health Audits

Use of external safety and health audits are far less
commonly reported by respondents, with only 74%
reporting this occurring on any of their projects. Less than
half (41%) of them report the use of audits on 70% or more
of their projects, and nearly one third (31%) report it on
less than one quarter of their projects.
As with near-misses, there is no significant difference
between general and specialty contractors in their degree
of use of this practice, but there is a notable difference
by size of firm. Nearly half of the respondents from
companies with over 500 employees (49%) report a high overall expenses is much lower on very large projects
level of use, but less than one quarter from companies than on the smaller ones, so it may be harder for smaller
with fewer than 50 employees report the same. It is firms to justify the ROI for these expenses for many of
possible that the cost of external audits as a share of their projects.

Worker Involvement in Jobsite Safety and Health

While management recognition of the value of safety Indicators of Worker Involvement in Jobsite
is critical to a safety culture (see page 8), it is equally Safety and Health (All Respondents)
important that the workers themselves are actively Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
engaged in and take full responsibility for safety. In

Workers Encouraged to Report Unsafe Conditions
addition, companies need to recognize and encourage
worker input on safety at all levels of planning. Percentage of Projects
The study findings demonstrate that generally,
workers are highly engaged with safety in the industry. Moderate: 25% to 70% 23%
The six indicators of worker involvement in jobsite 99%
safety are all reported by more than 90% of respondents,
although the degree to which they are used at a high level
does vary. These indicators fall into three categories, Workers Encouraged to Report Near-Misses
which will be discussed in the order of frequency of use: Percentage of Projects
communication about problems; stop-work authority;
and involvement in planning and analysis.
Moderate: 25% to 70% 24%
97%
Communication About Problems
Workers are the most likely to be aware of problems
onsite that can impact safety or to be aware of ‘near- Workers Asked for Input on Site Safety and
misses,’ which may indicate a safety issue that should be Health Conditions
addressed to prevent further problems. A company with Percentage of Projects
a strong safety culture will actively encourage workers to High: More Than 70% 48%
report these issues. Moderate: 25% to 70% 35%
It is important that nearly all of the respondents 96%
(99%) find that workers are encouraged to report
unsafe conditions, the highest percentage of any safety
culture indicator included in the study. In addition, Workers Given Stop-Work Authority
nearly three quarters (71%) find that this occurs on more Percentage of Projects
than 70% of their projects. Generally, this is also widely
adopted regardless of size of company, although it is Moderate: 25% to 70% 23%
particularly common at a high level among respondents 94%
from companies with 500 or more employees, reported
by 85%. This is a fundamental building block of safety
culture, and its wide adoption in the study demonstrates
Workers Involved in Safety and Health Planning
how effective the industry has been in encouraging Percentage of Projects
this practice. High: More Than 70% 30%
Nearly as high a percentage (97%) of respondents Moderate: 25% to 70% 40%
believe that workers are encouraged to report near- 92%
misses in their company, and two thirds find that this
occurs on a high (70% or more) percentage of their
projects. Again, this suggests that this behavior has
Workers Involved in Job-Hazard Analyses
become a standard industry practice, and companies that Percentage of Projects
do not have strong performance in this area are not living High: More Than 70% 46%
up to a general industry standard. Moderate: 25% to 70% 29%
While a high percentage (96%) also report that 90%
workers are asked for input on site safety and health
conditions, this is less frequently reported on a high
percentage of projects, with less than half (48%)
SmartMarket Report Dodge Data & Analytics 12
_Indicators_Workers_PieBars_#02
www.construction.com
Worker Involvement in Jobsite Safety and Health (Indicator Category 4) CONTINUED
reporting this occurs on 70% or more of their projects. Worker Involvement in Safety
Midsize companies, those with between 10 and 49 Planning and Analyses

employees, are less likely to participate in this practice While still widely adopted on a general basis, these
than smaller or larger ones, with only 33% reporting it at indicators see the lowest overall adoption levels of all
a high level. At very small companies, it may be easier to the safety culture indicators involving jobsite worker
have open lines of communication between workers and involvement. In each case, the percentage who report
leadership, and at large companies, it is more likely that at least some activity at their companies is still very
formal communication policies are in place, which may high, with 92% reporting that workers are involved
be why these small-to-midsize companies are most at risk with safety and health planning and 90% reporting that
of not seeing this practice used on a high percentage of workers are involved in job-hazard analysis on at least
their projects. some of their projects.
However, the degree to which these practices are
Stop-Work Authority adopted is far lower than the previous indicators.
Providing jobsite workers authority to stop work is a • Only 30% report that workers are involved in safety
common practice, with 94% reporting that it occurs and health planning on more than 70% of projects,
on at least some of their projects. 59% of those who and 30% also report that this occurs on less than
report it also see it occurring on more than 70% of their 25% of their projects.
companies’ projects. • Less than half (46%) report that workers are involved
This practice is more prevalent among large with job-hazard analysis on more than 70% of projects,
companies, with less than half of the respondents and one quarter report that this occurs on less than
from companies with fewer than 50 employees 25% of their projects.
reporting this occurring at a high level, compared
In general, these findings indicate a broad awareness of
with 81% of respondents from companies with over
each of these measures. It also suggests, though, that
500 employees. This may suggest that this particular
there must be fundamental obstacles that the industry
practice is most likely to be the result of a highly
needs to investigate to see more widespread adoption of
formalized safety procedure, which is more likely to
these practices.
be found at the largest companies.
Involving workers in jobsite hazard analyses on a
There is no statistical difference, though, for this
high percentage of projects is correlated with company
practice between general and specialty contractors.
size. 64% of respondents from companies with 500
employees or more see this implemented on a high level
of projects, compared with 28% from companies with
fewer than 100 employees.

Supervisory Leadership on Safety and Health

Leadership by jobsite supervisors is a fundamental Use of Practices That Demonstrate Supervisory

aspect of a safety culture that is critical to support greater Leadership on Safety and Health (All Respondents)
safety on the jobsite. Three indicators suggest whether Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
this fundamental element of a safety culture is in place,

Supervisors Lead by Example
but use of them varies in the construction industry.
Nearly all of the respondents (97%) believe that at Percentage of Supervisors
least some of the supervisors at their companies lead High: More Than 70% 68%
by example when it comes to safety and health, and 97% Moderate: 25% to 70% 26%
over two thirds of them (68%) find that a high percentage Low: Less Than 25% 6%
(more than 70%) do so. It is notable that, while there
are no significant differences between general and
Subcontractors Monitored on Safety Practices
specialty contractors for this practice, there is a difference
by size of firm. Percentage of Leadership
• Around three quarters (72% to 79%) of the respondents High: More Than 70% 53%
from the smallest (less than 10 employees) and largest Moderate: 25% to 70% 33%
86%
(100 or more employees) companies report that more Low: Less Than 25% 14%
than 70% of their supervisors lead by example.
• In contrast, only about half of the respondents from
Subcontractors Mentored on Safety Practices
companies with between 10 and 100 employees see
this high level of commitment for supervisors. Percentage of Leadership
It is among these midsize companies that greater
Moderate: 25% to 70% 40%
emphasis on this factor needs to be encouraged by 80%
the industry.
The remaining two indicators deal with the ability
of supervisors to encourage greater safety among
subcontractors by either monitoring or mentoring
them. Monitoring subcontractors on safety practices 1_07_Safety_Management_Batch1
occurs more frequently than mentoring, with 86% of _Indicators_Supervisors_PieBars_#02
respondents reporting that monitoring is done by at least
some of the supervisors at their companies, compared
with 80% who report that their supervisors mentor
subcontractors. In addition, when factoring in the level of
use of this practice, an average of 63% of supervisors are
monitoring subcontractors, compared with an average of
53% who mentor them.
More respondents from large companies report that
their supervisors monitor subcontractors, but firm size
has little impact on the tendency of companies to have a
high percentage of supervisors mentoring subcontracts.
This suggests that while monitoring could be the result
of specific company policies, the choice to mentor
subcontractors is more likely to be an individual choice
among supervisors.

Company Communication About Safety and Health

Good communication across a company is important Communication Practices That Are Indicators
to help sustain a good safety culture. Four indicators of a Safety Culture (All Respondents)
directly deal with this issue. With the first two, which Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
deal directly with the communication of safety and

Safety and Health Safety and Health
health policies, respondents were asked simply whether
Policies Communicated Policies Communicated
these indicators were used by their companies or not.
Clearly to All Employees Consistently
With the latter two, respondents were asked to identify
both the use of the indicator and the degree of its use at
their companies.
92% 83%
Safety and Health Policy
Communication
Most respondents (92%) believe that safety and health
policies are clearly communicated to all employees. A
notably lower percentage (83%) believe that the policies
are communicated consistently, although this is still a 1_10_Safety_Management_Batch1
_Indicators_Communicate_Pie_#02
very high percentage overall. These findings are relatively Type and Degree of Communication About
consistent by type of firm and by size of firms. Therefore, Safety and Health (All Respondents)
the findings as a whole indicate that the industry believes Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
that safety and health policy communications are

Managers Regularly Engage
generally handled effectively.
With Workers One-on-One
Other Communication Indicators Percentage of Managers
92% of respondents report that at least some of their High: More Than 70% 40%
managers regularly engage with workers one-on-one. Moderate: 25% to 70% 43%
92%
However, less than half (40%) report that most of their Low: Less Than 25% 17%
managers (more than 70%) engage in this practice,
and nearly the same percentage (43%) find this
Safety and Health Policies Coordinated
engagement occurs at a moderate level for their
With All Subcontractors
companies. This suggests that the use of this practice
varies based on the manager and is not typically Percentage of Policies
formulated in company policy. High: More Than 70% 52%
Manager one-on-one engagement with workers is also Moderate: 25% to 70% 32%
85%
one of the few practices most commonly done at a high Low: Less Than 25% 16%
level by small companies, with 59% of respondents from
companies with less than 10 employees identifying this
at a high level, compared with 34% of respondents from
larger companies. It may be easier for managers
at small companies to be able to engage with their 1_09_Safety_Management_Batch1
_Indicators_Communicate_PieBars_#02
workers one-on-one, since there are likely to be fewer
workers per manager.
85% of respondents report that safety and health
policies are coordinated with all subcontractors. 52%
report that this occurs at a high level. Unlike the previous
communication indicator, this one follows the pattern compared with 34% from companies with less than 100
of most of the others in terms of wider use by larger employees. This makes it more likely that this indicator is
companies, with 66% who work for companies with 500 more influenced by formalized company policy than the
or more employees reporting a high level of occurrence, previous one.

Owner Involvement in Project Safety and Health

While the findings indicate that owners are actively Indicators of Owner Involvement in Safety
engaged in helping to improve safety and health on and Health Measures on Projects
their projects, there is a relatively low degree of activity (All Respondents)
compared with many of the other indicators of a safety Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
culture included in the study. This suggests that more

Owners Monitor Onsite Safety and
owner engagement could help to improve safety culture
Health Performance
across the industry.
Three of the six indicators of owner involvement Percentage of Owners
in safety and health are noted by more than 80% High: More Than 70% 36%
of respondents: 87% Moderate: 25% to 70% 33%
■■Owners Monitor Onsite Safety and Health Performance Low: Less Than 25% 31%
(87%): An unsafe project can hurt the schedule, the
budget and the owners’ reputation, and depending on
Owners Participate in Safety and
the contract, owners may be exposed to some legal
Health Activities
liability as well. Therefore, it is not surprising that the
highest percentage of contractors note that owners Percentage of Owners
monitor onsite safety and health performance. High: More Than 70% 33%
• Contractors report that nearly equal numbers of owners 84% Moderate: 25% to 70% 33%
engage in low, moderate and high levels of monitoring Low: Less Than 25% 34%
activity, suggesting a broad spread of different owner
behaviors in the industry.
Owners Support Safety and Health Audits
• 43% of contractors in the South report that owners
engage in these activities, nearly double the 23% of Percentage of Owners
contractors from the East and 24% from the Midwest. High: More Than 70% 43%
■■Owners Participate in Safety and Health Activities Moderate: 25% to 70% 31%
82%
(84%): Owner participation is noted by a relatively Low: Less Than 25% 26%
high percentage of contractors. However, similar to
monitoring, the nearly even split among the contractors
Owners Require Safety and
reporting low, moderate or high levels of owner
Health Precertification of All Bidders
participation suggest that this varies widely from
owner to owner. Also similar to the previous indicator, a Percentage of Owners
significantly higher percentage of contractors from the High: More Than 70% 27%
South (45%) report owner participation, compared with 77% Moderate: 25% to 70% 35%
those in the East (21%), Midwest (21%) or West (18%). Low: Less Than 25% 38%
■■Owners Support Safety and Health Audits (82%):
Owner support of safety and health audits ensures Owners Provide Incentives for Safety and
that concerns over productivity or schedule do not Health Performance
interfere with making safety a priority. A relatively high
percentage of contractors (82%) report that at least Percentage of Owners
some of their owners support these audits, and use of High: More Than 70% 28%
this at a high level is reported by the highest percentage 59% Moderate: 25% to 70% 29%
of contractors (43%) of any of the owner indicators. Low: Less Than 25% 43%
• 26% of respondents from companies with fewer than
100 employees do not report that any owners provide
this support, compared with just 2% of those from greater opportunities for safety and health issues
larger companies. This may be related to the size of the that could be captured by audits, and, therefore,
projects that smaller and larger companies are involved owners of those projects may be more attuned to the
_Indicators_Ownerss_PieBars_#02
with. Larger projects are often more complex and have risks they pose.

Owner Involvement in Project Safety and Health (Indicator Category 7) CONTINUED
Just over three quarters of contractors (77%) report respondents from companies with 500 employees or
that at least some of the owners they work with more (4%). Again, this is currently much more likely to be
require safety and health precertification of all bidders. implemented on large projects than on small ones, but
However, this is just an emerging trend in the industry, the benefits reported may eventually encourage broader
and so it is not surprising that the largest share of adoption on smaller projects.
respondents (38%) report that less than one quarter of Only 59% of contractors report that any of the owners
their project owners engage in this practice. This finding they work with provide incentives for safety and health.
suggests a growing recognition in the industry of the Notably, the largest group of them (43%) only see this
importance of including safety and health considerations among less than 25% of owners. By being applied at the
in the team selection process. company rather than the individual employee level, this
As with safety and health audits, the reported level of could be a valuable incentive for prioritizing safety, but
use of this indicator is correlated with company size. A it must involve clear metrics that include the indicators
much higher percentage of respondents from companies of a safety culture rather than just the reported incidents
with fewer than 100 employees (35%) report not seeing on a project to avoid the possibility of inadvertently
this implemented at all by owners, compared with discouraging workers from reporting incidents.
Safety Culture Spectrum

Based on the Degree of Use of the Safety Culture Indicators
Dodge Data & Analytics has developed a three-tier safety Degree of Use of Safety Culture Indicators
culture spectrum to rank respondents in terms of the level (All Respondents)
of their companies’ engagement with the 33 indicators of Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
a safety culture described on pages 8 to 17. High (20 or More Indicators)

■■High: 20 or more indicators Moderate (12 to 19 Indicators)
■■Moderate: 12 to 19 indicators Low (11 Indicators or Less)
■■Low: 11 indicators or less
As the chart at right shows, they fall roughly evenly

along these tiers when taken as a whole, but interesting
variations occur between general and specialty 22%
32% 33% 30% 32%
contractors, and across company size ranges.
These ranking tiers are included in analyses of data 57%
findings throughout the rest of the report. The analysis 32%
shows that companies that rank high on the safety culture 33%
35% 37%
spectrum are also more likely to have adopted safety 50%
practices at high levels and to reap the benefits from
these practices. 32%
46%
33% 37%
30%
18%
11%
All General Specialty Fewer 100 to 499 500 or

Respondents Contractors Trade Than 100 Employees More
Contractors Employees Employees
Dodge Data & Analytics 17

www.construction.com SmartMarket Report
_REV_SafetyCultureSpectrum_#02
Sidebar: Safety Culture and Safety Climate
Safety’s Leading Indicators
The presence of the key leading indicators of construction safety provide

insight into the state of a company’s safety culture. A strong safety

culture is proactive about safety rather than reactive and helps ensure
safer, more productive jobsites by supporting a strong safety climate.
B
efore Balfour Beatty help identify and measure the key A Two-Way Arrow
instituted its Zero Harm leading indicators of construction Safety culture and climate are
program in 2012, the safety, researchers organize the mutually formative—“a two-way
number of high-potential forces and factors shaping it into arrow,” says Linda Goldenhar,
incidents—near-misses that could two concepts: safety culture and CPWR’s director of research and
have resulted in serious injury— safety climate. evaluation—so that a change in either
reported annually throughout Safety culture encompasses “the one can yield results in the other.
the company’s global operations deeply held, but often unspoken, Balfour Beatty’s change in attitude
was almost none. Suspecting safety-related beliefs, attitudes toward high-potential incidents, for
significant underreporting, the firm and values that interact with an example, enabled it to learn more
changed its response to the high- organization’s systems, practices, about them, and to identify falling
potential incidents that did get people and leadership to establish objects from elevated work as the
reported. Instead of a fault-focused norms about how things are done most common type. In response,
investigation, the firm instituted in the organization,” according to a the firm focused education efforts
what it calls a 72-Hour Conference, definition published by CPWR—The on roping off areas below elevated
in which senior staff meet via Center for Construction Research work—adding the issue to a phone
Skype within days of an incident and Training. Balfour Beatty’s Zero app that prompts safety officers on
to generate an understanding of Harm program, with its goals of zero site tours, for example—thereby
it, and to determine what changes fatalities, zero injuries causing long-
could prevent similar incidents in the term disabilities and zero harm to the
future. As a result, the firm now leads public as a result of the company’s
the industry in the number of high- work, is an example of an explicit
potential incidents reported. safety culture.
“We turned it completely around,” Safety climate, on the other
says Steve Smithgall, senior vice hand, comprises “the shared
president of safety, health and perceptions of safety policies and
environment at Balfour Beatty. procedures by members of an
“Instead of assigning blame, we organization at a given point in time,”
thank the people onsite who put according to CPWR. And, just as an
the report together, and we turn the organization has a safety climate,
incident into a lesson learned that we so each construction project will
can share around the company.” have one too. A project’s safety
climate is a product of the multiple
Photos courtesy of Clark Concrete Contractors, LLC
Safety Culture and safety climates of the different

Safety Climate organizations involved in the project:
High-potential incidents are an the project owner, construction
example of a leading indicator, manager or general contractor, and This young man’s highlighter-green hat
an occurrence which precedes subcontractors. Factors such as announces that he’s new to his job. The
injuries, and which can help project delivery method, schedule, hat gives him permission to ask all the
questions he needs to, and it tells other
construction firms target their safety planning and incentives also affect a workers on the jobsite to watch out for
interventions more effectively. To project’s safety climate. him and help keep him safe.

Sidebar: Safety Culture and Safety Climate CONTINUED
translating an improvement in
safety culture into an improvement These workers’ paid and mandatory 15

minutes of warm-ups and stretching at the
in safety climate. start of each day reduce injuries directly
Conversely, the achievement of by helping to ready workers’ bodies for
an exceptional safety climate over the exertions of the day, and indirectly by
the course of a project can reinforce strengthening the site’s safety climate,
and reinforcing the firm’s safety culture.
a company’s safety culture. On
the U.S. Navy’s Camp Pendleton
Replacement Hospital, a Clark/
McCarthy joint venture delivered
a four-year construction project
comprising over 2.6 million work
hours with zero DART (days away,
restricted or transferred) or lost-
time incidents. The project built
its exemplary safety climate with
strong support from the client,
initial orientations to safety as part
of a larger mission for a place of
healing, weekly site walks by a joint
government-contractor safety team
looking for ways to improve, monthly unit’s boosted safety culture, The point is to work from leading
meetings to review and recognize the American Subcontractors indicators, not react—or underreact—
safety-based behaviors, and Association of Metro Washington to problems as they arise. From
celebrations to acknowledge major has recognized Clark as General research in consultation with industry
safety milestones. Contractor of the Year in overall stakeholders, CPWR has identified
When the project director for jobsite safety for the last two and described eight key leading
Camp Pendleton, Carlos Gonzalez, years running. indicators for construction safety:
a vice president with Clark, moved • Demonstrating management
East to take on the leadership of Targeting Change commitment
the firm’s self-perform concrete The academic definitions of safety • Aligning and integrating safety
business unit in the Mid-Atlantic culture and safety climate may not as a value
region, he brought all of the lessons correspond to the way construction • Ensuring accountability at all levels
from the Camp Pendleton safety safety practitioners use the terms. • Improving supervisory leadership
climate with him. As measured by But that’s okay: “Which term • Empowering and involving workers
the severity of workplace injuries someone uses is probably less • Improving communication
across all sites over a three-year important than knowing where to • Training at all levels
period, importing those lessons target needed change to improve • Encouraging owner/client
into the concrete business unit’s overall safety performance,” involvement
Photos courtesy of Clark Concrete Contractors, LLC
safety culture has improved it by an Goldenhar says in a recent interview

For companies wanting to check
order of magnitude: the company’s with Professional Safety, the journal
their own policies and practices
expenditures on injury treatment of the American Society of Safety
against these key leading indicators,
and rehabilitation (to which Clark Engineers. “Do corporate safety
a questionnaire and workbook
continues to be committed, Gonzalez policies need to be improved
are available from CPWR (see
emphasizes) have dropped from two (culture) or is it a matter of how good
page 53 for more information on
dollars per person-hour to 20 cents. policies are implemented on the
these resources). n
In another measure of the business jobsite (climate)?”

Data:Types of Safety Practices
Practices Used on Projects to Promote Safety
The study looked at 16 practices used to promote safety Use of Safety Practices
by contractors. The practices fall into four major groups: Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
organizational safety practices, those involving personal Organizational Safety Practices

protective equipment (PPE), those involving equipment, Maintain Open-Door Policy for Workers to Report
and general safety policies. Hazards, Incidents, Concerns
• At least one practice in each category (and a total of 7 93%
of the 16) are used by 80% or more of the respondents, Include Jobsite Workers in Safety Process
suggesting that a broad approach to safety is widely 85%
adopted in the construction industry.
Designate Competent Project Safety Personnel
• However, at least two of the categories, organizational
81%
safety practices and safety policies, include practices
Conduct Job Hazard Analysis/Job Safety Analysis
that are adopted by fewer than two thirds of the Before Construction Begins
respondents. This suggests that these categories
69%
may offer the greatest opportunity for improvement in
Do Prompt/Thorough Near-Miss and Incident Investigations
the industry.
68%
Organizational Safety Practices Prevention Through Design: Integrate Safety Mitigation Into
Engineering and Design Processes
OVERALL USE OF PRACTICES 41%
Nearly all contractors who participated in the study
Safety Practices Involving Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
(93%) maintain an open-door policy for workers to
report hazards, incidents and concerns. Clearly the Enforce Use of PPE
construction industry widely recognizes the importance 93%
of encouraging jobsite workers to report what they see. Provide Functional PPE
Though reactive, this worker engagement is an important 87%
element of a strong safety culture. Inspect PPE for Functionality Prior to Use
Two additional organizational practices are used by 73%
over 80% of respondents:
■■Include Jobsite Workers in Safety Process: With 85% Safety Practices Involving Equipment and Protection
using this, it ranks as a common practice in the industry. Inspect Equipment for Functionality Prior to Use
It is also more proactive than having an open-door 89%
policy to report safety concerns. Install Safety Protection (e.g., guardrails, safety nets, alarms)
■■Designate Competent Project Safety Personnel:
79%
While a strong safety culture does encourage all
employees to be responsible for safety (see page 11), Safety Policies
having personnel with appropriate safety training Develop Site-Specific Safety and Health Plans
designated on a project basis is a good practice that 80%
could still be more widely adopted than by the 81% who Establish Site-Specific Training Programs for Supervisors,
report using it. Workers, Specialty Contractors
78%
Two out of three of the least frequently adopted safety
Have Measurable Safety Goals and Objectives
practices are also the most proactive approaches to
64%
safety. Wider use would offer companies a notable
opportunity to improve their overall safety performance. Use Prequalified Subcontractors Based on Performance
■■Conduct Job Hazard Analysis/Job Safety Analysis 55%
Before Construction Begins: Over two thirds of Offer Safety Incentives
respondents (69%) conduct a formal analysis, which can 43%
eliminate the possibility of many problems, and thus
improve schedule and reduce cost.
2_1_Safety_Management_Batch2_Practices_Used_#02
Types of Safety Practices
Practices Used on Projects to Promote Safety CONTINUED
Prevention Through Design: Integrate Safety correlated to this, with only 76% of respondents from
■■
Mitigation Into Engineering and Design Processes: companies with fewer than 10 employees reporting this
Active consideration of project safety during practice, compared with 99% of those from companies
engineering and design can have a big impact on with 100 or more employees.
making projects safer without a big cost investment. Providing functional PPE (87%) is also widely used,
However, less than half (41%) of contractors report with no difference in use by size of company or type
engaging in this practice. The ongoing prevalence of of contractors.
contracting methods that only engage contractors However, there is an opportunity for the industry
toward the end of the design process are likely to be to improve when it comes to inspecting PPE for
preventing wider use. General contractors (50%) also functionality prior to use, a practice that is not
report wider use than specialty contractors (29%), expensive to adopt, but one that is only used by 73% of
which also underscores the need to engage specialty respondents and by less than two thirds of respondents
contractors earlier in the construction process to from small companies.
promote the strongest safety outcomes.
There is also an opportunity for more contractors to

Safety Practices Involving Equipment
engage in prompt/thorough near-miss and incident
and Protection
Most respondents (89%) report that they inspect
investigations, which are currently only conducted by
equipment for functionality prior to use. The risk of
68% of respondents.
faulty equipment is particularly high on a construction
VARIATION BY SIZE OF COMPANY site, so it is not surprising that this result is consistent
Large firms, those with 100 or more employees, are across small and large companies and across general and
widely using all the organizational practices included in specialty contractors.
the study except Prevention Through Design, with over However, the findings differ when it comes to installing
80% (and in many cases over 90%) of respondents from safety protection, such as guard rails, safety nets and
these companies reporting use of the other five practices. alarms. While 79% of firms overall report installing
Smaller companies, on the other hand, are far more this equipment, a much higher percentage of general
likely to include jobsite workers and designate personnel contractors (93%) do so than specialty contractors. This
than they are to have formalized safety processes. More is important because general contractors are more likely
formalized processes such as job hazard/job safety to set up the site initially, so their high level of use of this
analyses and prompt/thorough near-miss and incident practice may be a better indicator of its overall prevalence
investigations are used by less than three quarters of on jobsites.
respondents whose firms have between 50 and 99
employees and by less than half of those from even Safety Policies
smaller companies. All the safety policies included in the study are adopted
by a higher percentage of general contractors and
VARIATION BY SAFETY CULTURE SPECTRUM
companies with over 100 employees than they are by
A significantly higher percentage of respondents
specialty contractors or smaller companies. In fact,
from companies at the high end of the safety culture
differences in adoption of safety policies by companies
spectrum (see page 17) designate competent safety
with 500 or more employees compared with those with
personnel, conduct job hazard/job safety analyses and
fewer than 10 can vary by as much as 40 to 50 percentage
carry out prompt and thorough near-miss and incident
points. This is consistent with other findings in this study,
investigations than those whose companies fall lower on
in which more programmatic safety activities are done
the safety culture spectrum.
more frequently by larger companies.
A relatively high percentage of respondents report
Safety Practices Involving PPE developing site-specific safety and health plans (80%)
Nearly all respondents (93%) enforce use of PPE,
and establishing site-specific training programs (78%).
although general contractors (96%) are more likely to do
The fact that these are the most widely adopted of the
so than specialty contractors (89%). Size of firm is also
safety policies included in the study is likely due to OSHA

Practices Used on Projects to Promote Safety CONTINUED
regulations as well as additional state requirements for use of prequalified subcontractors based on safety
site-specific safety plans. performance, the higher percentage reported by general

Less than two thirds (64%) report that they have contractors (70%) suggests that this practice may be
measurable safety goals and objectives. Goals can becoming more common in the industry. Wider use
help companies to manage safety more proactively by could have strong implications for safety in the long run,
providing measurable results about successes rather as the ability to obtain contracts directly hinges on a
than just the reduction of injuries and incidents. There subcontractor’s safety record.
is a particularly wide difference between respondents The use of safety incentives is the least adopted
from companies with over 100 employees, 86% of whom policy. This may be due in part to growing awareness of
report having these kinds of goals, and those from concerns of unintended impacts of this measure, where
companies with fewer than 50 employees, with only 40% workers refrain from reporting safety concerns or near-
reporting the same. misses, or even minor injuries, in order to get the incentive.
While it is not surprising that the overall Contractors using these incentives need to make sure they
percentage of respondents is relatively low for the avoid encouraging behaviors that mask safety problems.
Safety Cocoon for High-Rise Construction

High-rise construction presents around the exterior of the risk of damage to the netting.
significant risks, especially in building to help crews Mennella says crews conduct
dense urban areas. In recent reach work areas safely inspections of the cocoon
years, some projects have and efficiently. every day and make repairs,
utilized a safety “cocoon” A driving factor behind the as necessary.
system to provide greater use of the system was its ability The system was designed
protection against falls and to catch falling materials such to withstand wind in excess
dropped materials. The system as bolts and washers, says of 100 miles per hour. “When
was utilized for the first time Mike Mennella, executive vice you have to batten down the
on a hybrid and concrete president at AECOM, which hatches during a storm, that
building at One World Trade was the program manager on gives you a tremendous amount
Center in New York City. One World Trade Center. “If a of confidence,” says Tom Leo,
A netting system surrounds bolt comes off, work stops for senior vice president
the top floors under days or, even worse, it causes an at AECOM.
construction to protect the injury,” he says. The majority of components in
initial trades such as steel, The cocoon material is the cocoon system are reusable,
concrete and spray fireproofing. also fire resistant so welding so they can be moved and
At One World Trade Center, can take place nearby without installed on numerous projects.
steel-framed netting
surrounded the top four floors—
where work was under way—
with trailing nets that extend
up to 20 floors below.
The system can be raised
to follow work as it advances
up a tower. On One World
Trade Center, a crane was
used, but on subsequent
Photograph by Joe Woolhead
projects, a hydraulic system

was developed to automate
that process.
Workers were also able to
set up continuous walkways

Types of Safety Practices CONTINUED
Top Five Most Effective Safety Practices
Respondents were asked to rank the safety practices they Most Effective Safety Practices
employ by their effectiveness. The most effective safety (All Respondents)

practice selected by respondents is to enforce use of Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
personal protection equipment (PPE). Not only was this Ranked First
ranked first by the highest percentage of respondents Ranked Second or Third
(24%) , but it was also selected among the top three
choices by the highest percentage (45%). Clearly, there is Enforce Use of PPE
a strong call for enforcement of PPE use onsite to ensure 24% 21% 45%
a safer jobsite.
Conduct Job Hazard Analysis/Job Safety Analysis Before
Including jobsite workers in the safety process was Construction Begins
ranked among the top three by the second highest
13% 17% 30%
percentage of respondents (31%). However, it is
only ranked first by the fourth highest percentage of Provide Functional PPE
respondents (10%). This suggests that there is a general 11% 15% 26%
consensus that this is very important, but that many
Include Jobsite Workers in Safety Process
respondents find other issues more critical.
10% 21% 31%
Conducting job hazard/job safety analyses was
ranked by 30% among the top three practices and by Establish Site-Specific Training Programs for
13% as the most effective practice. This factor is also Supervisors, Workers, Specialty Contractors
considered most effective by 54% of respondents from 9% 17% 26%
companies with 500 or more employees, and over three
quarters of them rank it first, making it clear how valuable
they perceive it to be. It is possible that respondents
from the largest companies are more likely to have 2_2_Safety_Management_Batch2_Practices_Most Important
been involved in job hazard and job safety analyses,
so this high percentage is strong evidence for the value
of this practice.
However, it is notable that, despite the high degree
of effectiveness attributed to conducting job hazard/job
safety analyses, this practice is still in relatively limited
use (see page 20), especially compared with the other five
practices identified as most effective in the study. The
finding suggests that contractors have an opportunity to
improve site safety by adopting this practice more widely.

Types of Safety Practices CONTINUED
Aspects of a World-Class Safety Program
Essential Aspects of a World-Class Safety Program

In the 2012 study (published in the 2013 Safety
(By Year)
Management in the Construction Industry SmartMarket Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
Report), contractors were asked to identify the essential
aspects of a world-class safety program. Asking that 2015 2012
question again in the current 2015 study allows for the
Jobsite Workers’ Involvement
analysis of shifting priorities in contractors’ perspectives
on various safety practices. 85%
By far, the most striking difference between 2012 66%
and 2015 is the importance placed on jobsite workers’ Strong Safety Leadership Abilities in Supervisors
involvement in a world-class safety program. In 2012, 82%
this was considered essential by 66% of respondents
81%
and ranked sixth compared with other factors. In 2015,
85% of the contractors now consider it essential, and Regular Safety Meetings With Jobsite Workers and Supervisors
it ranks first. This finding is consistent with others 80%
throughout the 2015 study that show increasing industry 81%
recognition of the importance of engaging jobsite
Ongoing Access to Safety Training for
workers directly in safety. Supervisors and Jobsite Workers
It is notable that the only other significant difference 77%
between 2012 and 2015 in the top aspects of a world-
69%
class safety program is an increase in the percentage
who consider ongoing access to safety training for Hazard Assessments and Safety Plans at Each New Jobsite
supervisors and jobsite workers essential. While the 76%
leap is less dramatic than the one for worker involvement 70%
(an eight percentage point increase in 2015 versus a 19 Strong Emphasis on Communication for Company and Project
point gain), it does further reinforce the general trend that
71%
more emphasis is now being placed on jobsite workers in
safety programs. 68%
For the most part, the other aspects of a world-class Prompt and Thorough Incidence and Near-Miss Investigations
safety program were selected by a similar percentage of 63%
respondents between 2012 and 2015. This consistency 61%
reinforces the widespread recognition in the industry of
the importance of such program elements as leadership
ability in supervisors, regular safety meetings with the wide and growing recognition of the importance of
jobsite workers and supervisors, hazard assessments and the jobsite worker in the industry.
safety plans at each new jobsite, and a strong emphasis The priorities of larger companies versus smaller
_Practices_WorldClass_Year_#02
on communication. companies, however, are more apparent when looking
at the next lower size, companies with 100 to 499
Variation by Size of Firm employees. 70% or more of respondents from these large
For the most part, a significantly higher percentage companies regard the following four factors as essential,
of respondents from companies with 500 or more but the percentage of respondents from companies with
employees consider each of the aspects of a world- fewer than 50 employees lag 12 to 30 percentage points
class safety program included in the study to be behind them in these same factors.
essential. Clearly, the largest companies take a broadly ■■Strong Safety Leadership Abilities in Supervisors
encompassing approach to safety and recognize that a ■■Ongoing Access to Safety Training for All Supervisors
successful program needs to include many factors. and Jobsite Workers

The one exception to this trend is jobsite worker ■■Prompt and Thorough Incidence and
involvement, which was widely recognized as essential Near-Miss Investigations

by respondents from firms of all sizes, again reinforcing ■■Staff Positions Dedicated to Safety

Aspects of a World-Class Safety Program CONTINUED
It is notable that three of these four factors include Essential Aspects of a World-Class Safety
direct investments or resources needed, from access Program (By Companies at the Low and High
to ongoing training to dedicated staff. It may be easier Ends of the Safety Culture Spectrum)
for large companies to dedicate resources to these Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
initiatives. However, emphasis on strong leadership High Use of Safety Culture Indicators
abilities in supervisors seems equally attainable in a Low Use of Safety Culture Indicators
company of fewer than 10 employees and in a company
with more than 100, and more education in smaller Jobsite Workers’ Involvement
companies on the importance of this aspect of a safety 94%
program could yield immediate benefits. 73%
Strong Safety Leadership Abilities in Supervisors
Variation by Safety Culture Spectrum
As the chart at right demonstrates, respondents from 93%
companies at the high end of the safety culture spectrum 68%
(see page 17) are far more likely to consider each aspect Ongoing Access to Safety Training for
of a world-class safety program essential, compared Supervisors and Jobsite Workers
with respondents from companies at the low end of the 93%
spectrum. This strong degree of difference about the 58%
top aspects of a safety culture suggests that those with a
Hazard Assessments and Safety Plans at Each New Jobsite
strong safety culture in place are more likely to recognize
the need for a broad range of safety practices than those 93%
without that strong foundation. 60%
Regular Safety Meetings With Jobsite Workers and Supervisors
Variation by Type of Firm 90%
A significantly higher percentage of general contractors
63%
than specialty contractors consider the following
essential to a world-class safety program: Strong Emphasis on Communication for Company and Project
■■Jobsite Workers’ Involvement: This finding is 84%
surprising, given that most jobsite workers are 56%
employed by specialty contractors.
Prompt and Thorough Incidence and Near-Miss Investigations
■■Hazard Assessments and Safety Plans at New Jobsites:
The role of the general contractor at the beginning of 80%

the project likely contributes to this strong finding 40%
among them.
■■Regular Safety Audits: The need to monitor safety
across the life of the project and concerns about liability

issues may drive the greater emphasis on this factor 2_4_Safety_Management_Batch2
projects (90%) regard strong safety leadership abilities
among general contractors than specialty contractors. _Practices_WorldClass_Matrix_03
in supervisors as important, compared with those doing
■■Safety Incentives/Recognition. General contractors more new construction (79%).
may consider incentives to their own employees as well One factor that may contribute to this finding is the
as specialty contractors, thus increasing the value they need during renovation projects to react to unexpected
see in this practice. developments onsite more frequently than during new
construction projects. Unexpected workarounds may be
Variation by Primary Type of needed on an ongoing basis for a renovation project that
Construction (New or Renovation) can be avoided in a well-designed and carefully executed
The only significant difference in 2015 based on the new project. In these circumstances, supervisory
amount of renovation work conducted is that a higher leadership on safety may be even more important to
percentage of those doing more than 50% renovation react to unexpected work and conditions.

Sidebar: Safety and Technology
Emerging Uses of Technology to Advance Safety
With continued adoption of digital tools such as building information

modeling, some construction firms are now exploring the potential

uses of these tools for safety planning and training.
T
o date, the use of BIM
for safety applications
is limited, but emerging.
Recent Dodge Data &
Analytics data, published in the
Measuring the Impact of BIM on
Complex Buildings SmartMarket
Report, shows that 18% of owners
and 13% of contractors say BIM has
a high impact on reducing reportable
safety incidents, reflecting the
emerging nature of this BIM metric.
Jonathan Widney, president of
technology company Solibri, says
he sees untapped potential in the
application of BIM for safety. Solibri’s
suite of software includes a model
checker, which can be applied to
safety planning. A company’s ability Skanska is creating a library of simulated safety incidents that are inspired by
real events. These simulations help to highlight the root cause of incidents, as
to leverage data for safety depends well as showcase how to plan for or avoid similar incidents from happening.
largely on its commitment to detailed
and updated modeling throughout The company began its code check in a model, but difficult to keep
design and construction of a project, checking efforts in 2010, first looking track of as a person.”
he says. at building codes. “That evolved into Downey says that even simple
For example, he says gaps in floors the idea that you could go beyond model checking can be a time-saver.
could be modeled. “If you have an building codes to things that apply “If you can automate the low-level
opening of more than a half inch and to us like site safety,” says Jennifer work, it leaves more time for the
you need netting below that, you can Downey, national BIM manager at complex work,” she says. “You’re
have that applied as part of a rule Turner Construction. “Anything really taking advantage of the skills of
set,” he adds. “We’ve seen people that’s rules based, we wanted to see the person, so they aren’t spending
modeling to that detail, so it can be if we could check that.” time checking really manual
done and it can be checked. It takes The company can set up rules in laborious things.”
people who really understand the its models to check them against
value of modeling and being able OSHA and local requirements. Site Safety Plans
to visualize.” Downey notes that because codes In a parallel effort, Turner is
can vary significantly in different developing BIM-based safety
Code Checking locals, collecting those codes can be logistics plans. The initiative was
All images courtesy of Skanska USA
In recent years, Turner Construction daunting. “We set up a matrix of all launched in 2012 as a means of
has developed safety applications the different regulations and realized submitting 3D site safety plans to
of BIM data ranging from simple just how complicated it could be,” the New York City Dept. of Buildings.
pre-planning visualization to full she adds. “So we started to identify “It gives us a more comprehensive
BIM-based safety logistics plans. areas that were straightforward to plan that we can submit to the city,”

Sidebar: Safety and Technology CONTINUED
Downey says. “We are thinking on a potential risk area with a envisions that staff and employees
through in more detail, and we can selector tool. “You click on the could experience incidents more
understand the plan better.” PlanIt tool, and it automatically effectively using virtual reality.
Although Turner doesn’t submit downloads a prepopulated and “Rather than sitting and watching
these same logistics plans for preapproved corporate control a video, you can develop a virtual
projects in other cities, the initiative program that would mitigate that model as an experience, not just an
has created a useful template for specific risk,” says Paul Haining, chief education,” he adds.
safety planning on any project. environmental, health and safety The company also plans to
“They don’t have the regulations for officer at Skanska. use virtual reality for safety
submitting the drawings, but they PlanIt is part of a larger initiative training and analysis. Albert
are still going through the process by Skanska to collect, analyze and Zulps, regional director, virtual
and find it beneficial from a modeling leverage data relevant to safety. design & construction at Skanska
standpoint. Simply using the model Haining says that through collection USA, says the company hopes
to preplan in detail has been helpful.” of both lagging and leading to make animations of incidents
Charlie Whitney, a project indicators, Skanska aims to develop more interactive by using gaming
executive at Turner, says these BIM- more effective predictability models technology. “Gaming engines are all
based site safety plans help Turner on projects. “We’re creating a virtual based on physics and gravity,” he
“engineer safety into projects earlier, environment where we can predict says. “A gaming engine enables us
instead of leaving it to the project outcomes relative to BIM models, to use gravity and create different
team as an ‘add-on’ later.” relative to client processes, relative situations and explore things we
Other observed benefits include: to movement of people, relative didn’t even know about.”
• Better visualization of risk results to machinery and other factors,” Zulps says that gaming engines
in a better plan, and a better plan he says. “We want to be able to could help the company not only
results in a safer project. identify that risk way ahead of time, train employees, but also better
• The tool allows them to convey using data we’ve collected, before analyze risk. “We can inject
the plan to the client better we expose our employees to any situations that haven’t happened and
(especially valuable in campus or potential risk.” train people in that same manner,
institutional settings). One future step that the firm is therefore preventing future accidents
• More accurate definition of scope exploring is the use of virtual reality that we don’t know about yet,” he
results in a tighter buy and better to help better inform its employees. says. “You learn from your mistakes
execution in field. In the past, Skanska has created as much as you do from doing it
• It is easier to implement and animations of accidents to better correctly. That’s what makes having
administer safety. analyze and demonstrate the factors BIM and the ability to access this
that led to those incidents. Haining information very powerful.” n
Safety Planning,
Training and Evaluation
Skanska is developing multiple
digital tools for safety planning,
training and evaluation. The
company’s initial step is automating
the corporate manuals for
environmental health and safety
that it uses to develop risk profiles
for projects and the controls for
mitigating those risks. Skanska is
VDC Director Albert Zulps views Skanska’s virtual Global Safety Stand Down,
deploying a new system, called which is a safety incident report along with an interactive simulation that walks
PlanIt, which allows users to click through why and how the incident happened.

Sidebar: Wearable Devices
Wearable Devices and Onsite Safety
Technologies that attach to—or are incorporated in—standard

safety equipment such as vests and helmets can be part of a

system that warns workers and/or supervisors when risks arise
and can also provide data for analysis after incidents occur.
T
o better monitor potential on a construction site. If a worker safety. The helmet features a
safety issues in the field in is not qualified to enter an area, the visor that can provide an augmented
real time, the construction wearable device can give off a visible reality view of a jobsite. Workers
industry is rapidly moving and audible alert. These zones could are increasingly provided with
toward wearable technology for be set up to restrict all access to an tablets and other devices that
workers. A broad range of practices area or to specific individuals based can offer access to 3D models
and technology exists—from simple on skills, training, certifications or and BIM models. These smart
identification systems to advanced other factors. Tags can also be placed helmets can provide a hands-free
health and motion monitoring. on pieces of equipment to track the view of models, laying the model
proximity of workers to potentially view over real view via the visor.
Identifying Worker hazardous equipment that is in use. The helmet is also equipped
Skills, Training The system can store data for with 360-degree camera views,
and Locations future analysis, including tracking allowing workers to see their
Based on studies of best practices, near-misses or other incidents. full surroundings.
Associated General Contractors of Human Condition Safety is in
America (AGC) recommended last Warning Systems early stage development of a system
year that a simple first step could Researchers at Virginia Tech are that combines wearable technology
be giving all workers badges with developing a wearable warning with virtual reality and cloud
scannable QR codes (quick response system that can communicate computing to monitor and analyze
codes that can be easily read by a cell between workers and the driving worker safety on construction sites.
phone) that identify each worker’s public. The InZoneAlert system The system, which started piloting
level of training and certification for aims to work with in-vehicle projects at Citi Field in New York
operating equipment. communication technology and City last year, aims to provide real-
“If you tell a worker to go do a task, mobile devices such as cell phones. time tracking of worker movement
most workers, especially new ones, Tests are centered on dedicated in the hopes of preventing accidents
want to say ‘yes’ to the boss,” says short-range communication systems and injuries. The system is being
AGC spokesperson Brian Turmail. (DSRC), which can allow vehicles to developed to not only monitor
“The worker’s badge could be communicate with each other. DSRC when a worker enters an unsafe
scanned so you don’t send someone is being developed in part to aid in environment, but also when the
to work on a piece of equipment that operation of autonomous and semi- worker is in an unsafe condition.
they don’t know how to use.” autonomous vehicles. The DSRC This could include detecting when
That type of information could system can also communicate with a worker carries too much weight,
also be included in more automated sensors in a worker’s safety vest. loses balance or falls, according to
monitoring systems. Redpoint When a collision between a motorist the company.
Positioning offers a “real-time and a worker is imminent, the worker Although the company is an
location system” that can track and motorist would both be alerted. early-stage startup, it already
worker locations using indoor GPS has significant backing. Global
that reads tags worn by workers Augmented and insurance firm AIG announced
on vests or helmets. The system Virtual Reality in January 2016 that it had made
allows users to map out hazardous A new “smart” helmet is available a strategic investment in Human
zones or restricted-access areas that could have an impact on worker Condition Safety. n

Data:Impact of Safety Practices
and Programs on Business
Impact of Safety Practices

on Project/Business Success Factors
In the 2012 study published in the 2013 Safety Impact of Safety on Project and/or Business
Management in the Construction Industry SmartMarket Success Factors (Respondents Who Report a
Report, contractors were asked about the impact of the Positive Impact by Year)
safety practices they had implemented on 10 different Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
benefits influencing project and/or business success. The 2015 2012

same question was included in the current 2015 study.
Willingness of Jobsite Workers to Report Unsafe Conditions
The factors fall into two groups:
79%
• The chart at right shows the percentage of
respondents who report a positive impact from 76%
safety on six benefits. Ability to Contract New Work
• The chart below shows the contrast between 76%
positive and negative assessments for four benefits. 66%
Additionally, the percentage improvement for each of
these four benefits can be found on pages 32 to 33. Standing in the Industry
75%
Variation by Year 82%
As the findings in both charts make clear, a higher Project Quality
percentage of contractors report seeing many positive
71%
impacts from safety in 2015 than in 2012. The statistically
66%
significant differences include the percentage of
contractors who find that safety investments have: Staff Retention
■■Decreased Reportable Injuries (81% report this in 2015, 64%
a 10 percentage point change from 2012) 46%
■■Increased Ability to Contract New Work (76% in 2015,
Ability to Attract New Staff
also a 10 percentage point change)
■■Increased Ability to Retain Staff (64% in 2015, an 18 46%
percentage point change) 37%
■■Increased Ability to Attract New Staff (46% in 2015, an
eight percentage point change)
Positive and Negative Impacts of Safety on Project Budget, Schedule, ROI and Reportable Injuries
(By Year) _Impact_Benefits_Year_#01
Positive Impact Negative Impact
2012 2015
81%
71%
58%
51%
47%
43% 43%
39%
15% 17%
13% 10%
5% 6% 5% 2%
Project Project Project Reportable Project Project Project Reportable

Budget Schedule ROI Injuries Budget Schedule ROI Injuries

3_02_Safety_Management_Batch3_Impact_Benefits_PosNeg_#04
Impact of Safety Practices and Programs on Business
Impact of Safety Practices on Project/Business Success Factors CONTINUED
The value of reducing reportable injuries and contracting Impact of Safety on Project and/or Business
new work is clear, but it is particularly notable in the Success Factors (Respondents Reporting a
current job climate in the construction industry that Positive Impact by Type of Company)
safety is also increasingly helpful to retain and attract Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
staff. Construction has been an important sector in the General Contractors

recovering U.S. economy, and concerns about having Specialty Contractors
sufficient skilled employees have increased in the
industry. Talent may be key to competitiveness in the Reportable Injuries
coming years, and there is increasing industry recognition 86%
of the impact of safety on this critical area. 75%
In addition to the statistically significant differences,
Standing in the Industry
the general trend is for a higher percentage to experience
the benefits in 2015 than in 2012, including positive 84%
impacts on project quality, budget, schedule and ROI. 65%
In fact, the only benefit reported by fewer contractors in Ability to Contract New Work
2015 than 2012 is the impact of safety on their standing in
81%
the industry. This is probably due to higher expectations
71%
around safety in the last few years.
Staff Retention
Variation by Type of Firm 69%
Significantly more general contractors report a high 58%
level of benefits from their safety investments than
Project ROI
specialty contractors. The chart at right shows the
66%
greatest differences.
There is a notable gap between the percentage of 48%
general (84%) and specialty contractors (65%) who Project Schedule
believe that safety improves their standing in the 56%
industry. If the industry continues to shift away from
35%
low-bid selection, and subcontractors are increasingly
prequalified based on performance, then industry Ability to Attract New Staff
standing may become more important to specialty 56%
contractors in the future. 35%
In addition, the feeling that their safety investments Project Budget
do not impact their standing in the industry may also be
52%
reflected in the low percentage of specialty contractors
33%
who believe their safety investments increase their ability
to attract new staff (35%). Again, as worker shortages
increase, this may become an increasingly important
driver for safety investments.
Many of the tangible, measurable benefits, including 3_03_Safety_Management_Batch3
project ROI, schedule and budget, are more frequently _Impact_Benefits_FirmType_#01
experienced by general contractors. More general
contractors are using safety practices than specialty
contractors (see pages 20 to 22), so it is not surprising that
they are also experiencing greater benefits resulting from
those practices. However, until more specialty contractors
can attribute these business benefits to a more robust
safety program, they are less likely to invest in safety.

Impact of Safety Practices and Programs on Business
Impact of Safety Practices on Project/Business Success Factors CONTINUED
Variation by Firm Size Positive Impact of Safety on Project and/or

The size of a company affects the reported impact that Business Success Factors (Percentage at the
safety has on most benefits, likely due to their greater High and Low End of the Safety Culture Spectrum
investment in safety practices. This includes a notably Reporting Positive Impact From Safety)
greater percentage of respondents from large companies Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
reporting improvements in project ROI and reportable High Use of Safety Culture Indicators
injury rates. Low Use of Safety Culture Indicators
■■Improved Project ROI: 75% of respondents from
companies with 100 or more employees report Willingness of Jobsite Workers to Report Unsafe Conditions
improved project ROI, compared with 45% of 95%
smaller companies. 60%
■■Reportable Injury Rates: Most respondents from large
Reportable Injuries
companies and medium-size companies experienced
reduced reportable injury rates due to their safety 90%
investments, including 90% from those with more than 64%
100 employees and 93% from companies with 50 to 99 Standing in the Industry
employees. However, there is a notable drop-off among
89%
smaller companies. In fact, only 59% of those with fewer
58%
than 10 employees report a reduction in injury rates due
to their safety practices. Ability to Contract New Work
89%
However, large companies with 100 or more employees
see a high degree of impact on less tangible measures 63%
dealing with staffing and industry standing. Project Quality
• 92% of respondents from large companies report that 88%
their standing in the industry is improved. 56%
• 89% report improved ability to contract new work.
Staff Retention
• 76% report that they see improved staff retention.
• 59% report improved ability to attract new staff. 79%
45%
Large companies may be able to capitalize on better
measures of these impacts, as well as more formal Project ROI
safety processes. However, smaller companies will be 75%
competing against them for a limited pool of skilled 38%
workers, and they will need to be able to demonstrate Ability to Attract New Staff
through safety that they are attractive employers.
67%
27%
A strong safety culture is the most influential factor in Project Schedule
generating high levels of benefits. Unlike variations by 61%
firm type or size, every benefit included in the study is 31%
more widely reported by companies at the high end of the
Project Budget
safety culture spectrum than by companies at the low end
(see page 17). Also the differences between these two 59%
groups exceed any other differences reported in 32%
the study. In fact, three quarters or more of respondents
from companies at the high end of the safety culture These findings demonstrate that investment, not just
spectrum report that they experience seven out of 10 in safety practices but in an overall safety culture, are
of the benefits measured. 3_04_Safety_Management_Batch3_
critical to experience the full benefits of safety.
Impact_Benefits_Matrix_#01

Impact of Safety Practices and Programs on Business CONTINUED
Impact of Safety on Project Budget
One third of the respondents who report a positive Impact of Safety on Project Budget
impact from their safety practices on the project (According to Respondents Who Report a
budget (see page 29) report decreases of 1% to 5%, with Positive Impact)
an average decrease of 4.7%. With profit margins on Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
construction projects often below 10%, savings of 4% to

5% can influence whether a project is successful. These 33%
30%
findings are consistent with the 2012 study.
It is notable, though, that 30% of the respondents
21%
who report a positive impact on their project budget
due to safety cannot quantify that impact. It may be
easier to justify safety investments if these benefits can 10%
be quantified. Surprisingly, the largest companies find 6%
it the most difficult to quantify project budget savings,
with 52% of the respondents from companies with 500 or
more employees noting that they do not know. Decreased Decreased Decreased Decreased Don’t
There are no other significant variations by company by More by by by Less Know
Than 10% 6% to 10% 1% to 5% Than 1% Percentage
type, size or level of use of safety culture indicators.
_Impact_Benefits_Budget_#01
Impact of Safety on Project Schedule
29% of respondents who said that they experience a Impact of Safety on Project Schedule
positive impact on project schedule due to their safety (According to Respondents Who Report a
practices report decreases of 1% to 5%, with an average Positive Impact)
response of 4.9%. It is notable that 23% see decreases of Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
6% or more, a relatively high percentage for such a strong

degree of impact 32%
29%
Project schedule also has the highest percentage of
respondents who report that they do not know the exact
impact, at 32%. This may be in part due to the measure
17% 16%
provided in the study. It may be more common in the
industry to consider schedule savings in units of time,
like days or weeks, rather than by percentage of overall 6%
schedule. However, units of time do not allow for
accurate comparisons between small and large projects.
The measurement by percentage also precludes Decreased Decreased Decreased Decreased Don’t
by More by by by Less Know
comparisons to the 2012 findings, which were measured Than 10% 6% to 10% 1% to 5% Than 1% Percentage
in units of time.
There are no significant variations by company type,
size or level of use of safety culture indicators among
those reporting shorter project schedules. 3_06_Safety_Management_Batch3
_Impact_Benefits_Schedule_#01

Impact of Safety Practices and Programs on Business CONTINUED
Impact of Safety on Project ROI
Well over one third (36%) of respondents who said Impact of Safety on Project ROI
that they experience a positive impact on project ROI (According to Respondents Who Report a
due to their safety practices report increases of 1% Positive Impact)
to 5%, with an average response of 3.0%. When only Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
considering those who are able to assign a percentage

of impact, there is an eight percentage point gain in 2015 36%
in those who report increases of 6% or more over the
27%
2012 findings, and a corresponding eight percentage
point drop in those reporting increases of 5% or less. This
suggests that many companies are seeing greater returns 16% 16%
on their investment in safety over the last few years.
Although lower than that reported for budget or 5%
schedule, there is still a sizable percentage (27%) of
respondents who report that they cannot quantify the Increased Increased Increased Increased Don’t
impact of their safety programs on project ROI. by More by by by Less Know
There are no significant variations by company type, Than 10% 6% to 10% 1% to 5% Than 1% Percentage
size or level of use of safety culture indicators among
those reporting ROI increases.
_Impact_Benefits_ROI_#02
Impact of Safety on Injury Rates
Among the respondents who were able to quantify Impact of Safety on Injury Rates
the impact of their safety program on injury rates, the (According to Respondents Who Report a
highest proportion (20%) reported decreases of more Positive Impact)
than 20%, with an average injury rate reduction of 13%. Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
47% of respondents from companies with fewer than

10 employees report decreases of less than 1%, nearly six 20% 21%
19%
times the overall average. This may be due to the relative 16% 16%
infrequency of injuries among such a small number of
employees compared with firms with more than 100
8%
employees, where the injury rate is easier to track.
Even though the proportion of respondents who could
not quantify the impact of safety on project injury rates
(21%) is lower than that for budget (30%), schedule (32%) Decreased Decreased Decreased Decreased Decreased Don’t
and ROI (27%), it is still surprising that a relatively large by More by by by by Less Know
percentage of respondents was not able to measure the Than 20% 11% to 20% 6% to 10% 1% to 5% Than 1% Percentage
impact of their safety programs on injury rates. It may be
because of the challenges of measuring the avoidance
of injuries, as well as a notable percentage who have not
altered their safety program in a few years. 3_08_Safety_Management_Batch3
_Impact_Benefits_Injury Rates_#01

Sidebar: Lean and Safety
Lean Project Delivery Enhances Project Safety
Through the adoption of lean construction, many companies have

reported improved safety performance among its benefits. Planning and

collaboration around safety, as well as encouraging increased worker
engagement, help enhance the safety climate of lean projects.
A
lthough the direct “Improved safety is a natural Howell is part of a study with
correlation between by-product of lean tools and the Project Production System
lean and safety isn’t techniques,” says Heinemeier. Laboratory at UC Berkeley that is
always apparent, “The more you remove waste from researching how lean construction
research continues to show how project sites and better organize the improves safety performance.
lean can reduce risk. In fact, Dan flow of a project, the less scope there Some lean techniques have
Heinemeier, executive director of is for accidents.” shown obvious benefits for both
Lean Construction Institute (LCI), Greg Howell, a co-founder of LCI, productivity and safety, Heinemeier
says safety improvements were says companies often report a 30% says. For example, modular
realized early on, even though to 50% reduction in accidents on lean construction and prefabrication
the primary initial goals of lean projects compared with non-lean can be performed offsite in a
construction aimed at being more projects. “That’s the good news—the controlled environment—out of
efficient, better serving owner needs bad news is we don’t know exactly the elements and at ground level—
and removing waste. why it happens,” he says. before being shipped to project
sites to be installed.
Planning, Collaboration
and Safety
Southland Industries has employed
lean thinking on safety planning
for installation. On a recent project
that used multi-trade modular racks
in corridors, the initial concept
called for skating the racks into
the building and using chain falls.
With safety professionals engaged
in the planning process, the team
instead chose to use a side-load
forklift. This technique meant the
operator and other workers were not
under the rack during installation;
exposure to sprain and strain injuries
was eliminated; and productivity
increased by eliminating the need for
Photo courtesy of Balfour Beatty Construction
chain falls.
Henry Nutt, general sheet metal
Image of a weekly work plan using the Last Planner system. The yellow dots superintendent at Southland
represent a phase change that requires a safety discussion. An onsite safety Industries, says that collaborative
professional brings the safety committee through and they discuss the phase
planning efforts provide the “biggest
change as well. The blue dot is a quality control hold—meaning significant
coordination is required or an inspection is needed before work can proceed or be bang for the buck” on lean. By
considered complete. working together, different firms can

Sidebar: Lean and Safety CONTINUED
streamline their efforts and Predictability and Safety Improvement program. The
find ways to reduce manpower Will Lichtig, construction executive program calls on workers to identify
deployed in specific work areas, at The Boldt Company, says lean potentially hazardous conditions
using crews more efficiently. tools like Last Planner help improve in the workplace and submit any
“You avoid congesting an area safety by providing better controls. concerns to management. “When we
that you’re working in,” he says. “When people do work when they began the program, people thought
“That’s a big factor we’ve found in plan to do it and with materials that it was a snitch card,” Lichtig says.
improving safety.” are delivered and ready for them “It took a while for people to realize
Nutt also says that safety to use, the likelihood that you’ll it wasn’t there to rat people out. It
personnel from multiple companies have things out of place is greatly was an honest and legitimate look at
can work together to streamline reduced,” he says. the opportunities for improvement
their planning and processes, Lichtig says that, historically, at the jobsite. How it is organized or
and not duplicate efforts. “It’s a construction firms have used a maintained. What tools could make
more seamless effort, so we don’t “compliance mentality” in regard the job safer.”
have injuries,” he says. “All of to safety—establishing rules and Lichtig says that the program not
that collaborative front-end work punishing workers who violate only helps the company improve
prevents stuff from happening down those rules. Under the “continuous its planning and practices, it also
the line.” improvement” philosophy of lean, engages workers to think more
On a recent Southland IPD Lichtig says factors other than worker about site safety. He even believes
project with a collaborative safety error need to be considered. “We’re that it serves as an audit of its site-
approach, the team realized not saying that the rules don’t matter, specific safety plan and job hazard
significant budget savings while but the reason people end up not analysis. “Even though we are
maintaining a clean safety record. following the rules isn’t because they planning at those levels, conditions
The team’s lean process saved set out in the morning to not follow will arise at the site that are unsafe,”
$300,000 in one work area, while the rules—it’s because we have he says. “The CSI program is a way
mechanical trade partners and tiered conflicting priorities and we haven’t for workers to say that, despite all of
subs worked more than 800,000 done enough to enable them to the work [Boldt has] done, we’re still
hours without injury. approach their work safely.” experiencing conditions that expose
Balfour Beatty Construction Lichtig cites the example of us to risk.”
incorporates safety planning into its someone working above the ceiling Lichtig says that the company’s
pull planning sessions on projects. on a 6-foot ladder, when the task safety record improved significantly
The technique allows the company requires an 8-foot ladder. “The with its adoption of lean techniques
to adjust safety plans to address typical response is to write up the nearly 15 years ago, but it eventually
changes in plans for daily tasks. For person on the ladder, send him home plateaued. Following introduction
example, when mapping out tasks on and punish him for using the ladder,” of the CSI program, he says that as
a timeline, the company uses yellow he says. “What we want to know is, the number of CSI cards delivered
safety stickers to denote major why he had the wrong size ladder. on a project and across the company
changes that could affect safety Why didn’t he have an 8-foot ladder? increased, Boldt’s safety incident
such as logistics, environmental Why didn’t he have access to the rate improved.
conditions, staging or access. right ladder and only that ladder? “On a big job in San Francisco right
“As a mind-set, for us, lean We look at that as a planning failure, now, we’ll get close to 100 CSI per
is a philosophy of continuous rather than a personal failure.” week,” he says. “That’s from a job
improvement built on a respect for force of a few hundred field workers.
people working smarter,” says Bevan Worker Involvement It provides a feedback mechanism,
Mace, vice president of operations/ Similarly, Boldt tries to enable and it keeps them more mindful of
lean at Balfour Beatty. “Respect for workers to be part of the process the environment they are working in.
people and safety are intertwined.” under its Continuous Safety There’s tremendous value in that.” n

Data:Influence Factors
Most Influential People/Positions for Improving Safety
Respondents were asked to rank the three most Most Influential People/Positions for
influential people or positions within their company for Improving Safety (Based on Rankings by
improving safety. Please note that, for this question only, All Respondents)
the term “owner” refers to the owner of the construction Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
company and not the owner of the construction project, Ranked First
as it does in the rest of the study. Ranked Second or Third
The chart at right shows the people or positions
ranked first, second or third by most respondents. The Construction Company Owners
differences in how they were ranked are revealing. 31% 9% 40%
■■Owners and Company Leadership: Owners and
company leadership are ranked first by the highest Company Leadership

percentage (31% and 29%, respectively) as the most 29% 34% 63%
influential for improving safety. Company leaders are Jobsite Workers
also widely recognized in the top three rankings, but
18% 46% 64%
owners are selected by only 9% more as among the
top two or three influencers, compared with 34% of Project Management Team
respondents who rank company leadership second 9% 48% 57%
or third. This finding demonstrates that when owners
Safety Personnel
engage in promoting safety, they are quite influential,
6% 35% 41%
but when they are not, other roles predominate.
Therefore, encouraging more owner engagement with
safety may be a very effective strategy, but it is not as
essential as engagement by company leadership.
■■Jobsite Workers: The highest percentage of 3_09_Safety_Management_Batch3
respondents (64%) rank jobsite workers among their _Influences_Influential Position_#01
top three most influential positions for improving
safety. However, workers rank a distant third to owners
and company leadership in terms of being ranked
first. This finding corresponds to an overall tendency
by respondents to place great importance on the role
jobsite workers can play to increase safety, but it also
suggests that leadership support is essential for jobsite
worker influence to be effective.
■■Project Management Team: The high percentage
who rank project management teams in the top three

(57%), in combination with the low percentage who
ranks them first (9%), suggests that this role falls into a
second tier in terms of improving safety, but that they
still are quite influential. They are particularly influential
at small to medium-size firms, those with between 10
and 49 employees, where 19% rank them first, second
only to owners at 39% and above both company
leadership and jobsite workers at 18% each.

Influence Factors CONTINUED
Top 10 Factors That Drove Adoption of

Current Safety Management Practices
Most Influential Factors Factors That Influenced Companies to Adopt

The top factor that influenced companies to adopt their Current Safety Management Practices
current safety management practices is concern about (By Year)
worker health and safety, consistent with the findings Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
in 2012. Concern about workers’ welfare is an important 2015 2012

motivator and continues to exceed the strong business
reasons for investing in a safety program. Concern About Worker Health and Safety**
• Size of Company: 94% of respondents from 84%
companies with 100 or more employees regard this 79%
as highly influential, compared with just 66% of those
from companies with fewer than 10 employees. Liability Concerns
• Safety Culture Spectrum: 96% of respondents 74%
from companies at the high end of the safety culture 77%
spectrum (see page 17 and the chart on page 38) also Insurance Costs
consider this highly influential, compared with 69% of
74%
those at the low end of the safety culture spectrum.
78%
Concerns about liability and insurance costs also
Avoiding Potential Business Disruptions
continue to be among the top drivers for adoption of
61%
current safety management practices, again consistent
with the findings from 2012. Liability carries high financial 65%
risk, and containing insurance costs is important when Past Incidents Involving Worker Health and Safety**
profit margins are often quite slender on projects. 55%
• Size of Company: Both of these factors are less 52%
influential for companies with less than 10 employees
than they are for larger ones. Industry Leadership in Overall Safety Culture
• Safety Culture Spectrum: Both factors are also 54%
considered influential by 85% of respondents from 51%
companies at the high end of the safety culture spectrum. Regulatory Requirements
52%
Additional Influential Factors
63%
As in the 2012 study, there is a moderate percentage who
consider several factors influential in their adoption of Owner/Client Demand
safety practices. 52%
■■Avoiding Potential Business Disruptions: The size of
64%
a firm does not make a difference when it comes to
Competitive Advantage
the influence of this factor. However, 24% of specialty
contractors consider it to have little to no influence, 49%
compared with 13% of general contractors. This finding 50%
is logical because, while a specialty contractor may Desire to Improve Productivity
only be involved with a project for a few weeks, a 47%
safety incident could cause delays and disruptions for a
54%
general contractor that cascade down through the life of
the project. ** In 2012, the phrase "Health and Well-Being" was used rather than "Health and Safety."
■■Past Incidents Involving Worker Health and Safety:
Unlike concerns about business disruptions, the size of

companies and their position on the safety culture index
make a notable difference in terms of how influential 3_10_Safety_Management_Batch3
this factor is, but type of company does not. _Influences_CurrentDrivers_#01

Influence Factors
Top 10 Factors That Drove Adoption of Current Safety Management Practices CONTINUED
• Size of Company: 70% of respondents from Factors That Influenced Companies to Adopt
companies with over 100 employees consider this very Current Safety Management Practices
influential, but only 46% of those from companies with (By Position on the Safety Culture Spectrum)
fewer than 50 employees agree. Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
• Safety Culture Spectrum: The percentage of

High Use of Safety Culture Indicators
respondents from companies that fall high on the Low Use of Safety Culture Indicators
safety culture matrix (75%) who consider this highly
influential is more than double that of respondents from Concern About Worker Health and Safety
companies at the low end of that matrix (32%). 96%
■■Industry Leadership in Overall Safety Culture: In this
69%
case, the size of the company, the type of company
and where it falls on the safety culture spectrum are all Liability Concerns
indicative of the level of influence of this factor. 85%
• Size of Company: 78% of respondents from 66%
companies with 100 employees or more consider
Insurance Costs
this influential, compared with 33% of those from
85%
companies with fewer than 50 employees.
• Type of Company: 65% of general contractors 62%
consider this influential compared with 41% of Industry Leadership in Overall Safety Culture
specialty contractors. 83%
• Safety Culture Spectrum: 83% of respondents from 20%
companies that are at the high end of the safety culture
Past Incidents Involving Worker Health and Safety
spectrum consider this influential, compared with 20%
who are at the low end of the spectrum. 75%
32%
Factors Declining in Influence Avoiding Potential Business Disruptions
All of the three statistically significant differences
74%
between the 2015 and 2012 findings involve a decline in
45%
the percentage considering the factors important. This
suggests that fewer respondents are selecting as wide Competitive Advantage
of a range of factors as highly influential and are more 70%
focused on a few key items. 24%
Regulatory requirements and owner/client demands
Regulatory Requirements
both declined from nearly two thirds of the respondents
67%
in 2012 who thought they were highly influential to just
over half in 2015. The declines in these two elements 35%
suggest that fewer companies are finding a “push” to Owner/Client Demand
adopt safety from outside factors and are more focused 65%
on improving their workers’ health and safety and on
36%
creating a more positive (or less negative) impact on
their business. Desire to Improve Productivity
The percentage who consider the desire to improve 64%
productivity highly influential also declined significantly 30%
in 2015 compared with 2012. Recent attention to
productivity in the construction industry has demonstrated
that this is a particularly challenging metric to capture.
Greater awareness of the challenge of demonstrating 4_02_Safety_Management_Batch4
improvements may contribute to this decline. _Influences_CurrentDr_Matrix_#01

Influence Factors CONTINUED
Factors Encouraging Future Investment in

Safety Management Practices
Reduced insurance rates are the most influential factor Factors Encouraging Future Safety Investments
encouraging future investments in more extensive (By Year)

safety practices. This is consistent with the 2012 findings, Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
and it demonstrates the ongoing importance the 2015 2012

insurance industry has on encouraging wide adoption of
safety practices in the construction industry. Reduced Insurance Rates
There is a notable decline in the percentage who 79%
consider most of the other factors to be important as 78%
drivers for future increased safety investments. While
only one decline is steep enough to be considered Increased Owner/Client Requirements
statistically significant—increased owner/client 57%
requirements—the general trend is quite evident, and it 68%
is also consistent with a tendency for small declines in More Data on Positive Financial Impact
importance in the factors that encouraged the adoption of of Improving Safety
current safety measures. 53%
One commonality among most of the factors that have 54%
suffered declines is that they tend to be requirements
Greater Enforcement of Regulations
rather than encouragements for greater safety adoption.
Owner requirements and regulations are declining in 42%
influence, while factors that have business impacts like 50%
reduced insurance rates and more data on the financial Stronger Regulations
impacts of improving safety remain steady. 42%
The other factor in decline is wider adoption of risk
50%
analysis. Over half (52%) of respondents from companies
with over 100 respondents consider this a positive Wider Adoption of Risk Analysis
influence, but only 33% of those from companies 38%
with 10 to 49 employees and only 10% of those from 43%
companies with fewer than 10 employees see this factor
as influential. Clearly, smaller companies are not seeing
wider adoption of risk analysis in the industry. However, Factors Encouraging Future Safety
this type of proactive approach is essential to see safety Investments (Greatest Difference Based on
improve across the industry. Position on the Safety Culture Spectrum)
_Influences_FutureDrivers_#01
Companies at the high end of the safety culture Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
spectrum (see page 17) place a much greater importance High Use of Safety Culture Indicators
on a few factors indicated in the chart at right than those Low Use of Safety Culture Indicators
at the low end of the spectrum do.
■■Increased Owner/Client Requirements: Increased Owner/Client Requirements
The companies at the high end of the spectrum 74%
buck the general decline in the importance of owner 38%
requirements, suggesting that those with a strong
More Data on Positive Financial Impact of
safety culture recognize the need for owners to be Improving Safety
part of a collaborative approach to safety.
58%
■■Data on Safety: Not only do the respondents from
43%
companies at the high end of the safety culture
spectrum place greater importance on data on financial Wider Adoption of Risk Analysis
impacts, but they also see strong influence in the 56%
data drawn from risk analysis to help encourage 24%
safety investments.

_Influences_Future_Matrix_#01
Sidebar: Associations
Associations Promote Safety

in the Construction Industry
With an ability to interact with thousands of members of the construction

industry, associations have proven to be powerful agents for promoting

safety culture in the United States. Many national associations in the
construction industry use their broad reach to gather and analyze
data, share best practices and recognize excellence in safety.
Developing Best Safety Standards and with “world-class” on-boarding

Practices to Make New Benchmarks averaged 203 minutes of training
Workers Safer In 1989, Associated Builders and with participation by a leader in the
Given the influx of the new and Contractors (ABC) created its Safety organization. The average safety
inexperienced workers needed Training Evaluation Process (STEP) orientation was less than 50 minutes
to meet rising demand for program. STEP provides ABC and covered basic safety information.
construction services in recent members an approach for analyzing ABC data showed that firms with
years, Brian Turmail, spokesperson and developing their safety and loss “world-class” on-boarding practices
for Associated General Contractors prevention programs. Among its performed 1,500% safer than firms
of America (AGC), says AGC has resources is a 20-point guide, which with average on-boarding. If someone
stepped up its efforts to share can be used to start, update or audit wants to improve their [safety] rates,
safety information. “Data tells us safety programs. that’s a best practice,” Bellaman says.
that those are the workers who are The program establishes goals for As part of these efforts, Bellaman
most likely to get hurt,” he says. members, offering STEP recognition says ABC aims to quantify how
“We surveyed members and 15% of at the Participant, Bronze, Silver, “safety pays.” We’re working on
firms say they have already seen an Gold, Platinum and Diamond return on investment,” he says.
increase in accident rates because of levels. Safety rates are part of the “What’s the cost of deployment of a
inexperienced workers.” designation process. “We have safety management system and what
To help reverse that trend, AGC established a level of commitment are the savings in terms of benefits?
analyzed the safety practices of to safety by putting a program out We’re working on a correlation
its recent safety award winners, there that tries to establish standard between safety and productivity.”
focusing particularly on ones that language across the industry that
address training of new workers. people can productively use,” says Owners and Safety
From that, AGC released 13 tips to Michael Bellaman, president and Construction Users Roundtable
help improve workplace safety. CEO of ABC. (CURT) first created its Construction
“We send that out regularly to During its decades of safety Owners’ Safety Blueprint in
members and encourage them to programs, ABC has also been able 2004, noting that “CURT believes
act on it.” to amass considerable data. In 2015, construction owners hold the greatest
AGC’s research of safety solutions ABC launched its annual Safety potential leverage—the authority to
reaches beyond its members as well. Performance Report, leveraging influence the behavior of others.”
AGC is working with Virginia Tech’s STEP program data to determine the A core component of its blueprint is
Center for Innovation in Construction correlation between leading indicator the importance of promoting a safety
Services to conduct a review of every implementation and lagging culture and establishing
construction fatality that occurred indicator safety performance. safety expectations.
during the past three years. The In one example, ABC data Currently, CURT’s safety committee
goal of the study is to find common compared “world-class” is also working on several white
threads that could help inform ways on-boarding of new hires with papers, exploring topics such as
to improve construction safety. The average on-boarding practices transitioning to leading indicators,
results are scheduled for release in to show the relationship to human/construction traffic interface
summer 2016. safety performance. Firms and safety culture. n

Sidebar: Demographics and Safety
Demographic Inequities in Workplace Safety
Not all workers are equally at risk for occupational injury and
illness, even if they have the same job. In the construction industry,
Hispanic workers may face greater risks due to language barriers
and cultural mores that can reinforce risky behaviors.
I
n construction, Hispanic An increasing number of jobsite,” says Eileen Betit,
immigrant workers, construction companies are a research director at CPWR.
young workers and small introducing initiatives to help “They’re very inexpensive and
business employees are all workers cross the language barrier easy to use.” In February this year,
at increased risk, according to a to safety. Clark Construction, CPWR initiated a study to evaluate
2015 report published jointly by the for example, provides Spanish this new tool’s effectiveness.
National Institute for Occupational translation at every all-hands
Safety and Health (NIOSH) and meeting, including weekly crew Cultural Vulnerabilities
the American Society of Safety meetings, daily Safe Plan of Action While language is the elephant
Engineers. Put all three categories meetings and at every other in the room, a more subtle yet
together in one worker, and opportunity possible, either on significant factor in increasing the
you’ve got what the report calls paper or in person. When Balfour risks for Hispanic workers is culture.
“overlapping vulnerabilities.” Beatty Construction produced a For example, a 2010 study of Hispanic
Between 1990 and 2010, the new safety orientation video last immigrant workers in Chicago by
proportion of U.S. construction year, instead of dubbing the English Ruth Gomberg-Muñoz at Loyola
workers who identified themselves version into Spanish, the company University Chicago, found that
as Hispanic almost tripled, an elected to remake the video from workers’ behaviors reflected
increase mainly accounted for scratch using Hispanic actors. a culture that placed a high value
by immigration. By 2013, some That effort wins the video an on being perceived as hard workers
1.8 million Hispanic immigrant appreciative audience, says Steve by their employers, a cultural
workers made up about 20% Smithgall, Balfour Beatty’s senior value which increased their likelihood
of the construction labor force. vice president of safety, health and of taking risks, such as working
With this rapid growth in numbers environment: “It’s great to see the too fast.
has come a corresponding increase look on Hispanic workers’ faces Mention these studies to a
in injuries. when they realize that we actually long-time construction worker,
made the video in their language.” and he knows how this works
First, Language But the majority of Hispanic firsthand. Here’s how one such
Language, not surprisingly, immigrants are employed in worker sums it up: “You need
is key. Communication is the smaller companies, with less than somebody to climb up that
single most significant factor 50 employees, where only 28% scaffolding with a jack hammer. You
in fostering jobsite safety, from of workers receive training in any look around, and you’re not going to
formal communications, such language. To address the overlapping ask the guys you’ve been working
as site orientation and vulnerabilities of Hispanic workers with a long time, or the guys who’ll
equipment training, to informal in smaller companies, CPWR has complain and maybe mess it up.
communications, such translated a series of toolbox talks You ask the new Hispanic guy, who’s
as tips from peers. Yet more than into Spanish. Based on NIOSH really glad to have the job: ‘Sure, I
80% of site supervisors and safety research, each talk focuses on a can do that!’ And he becomes your
directors, and more than 90% of single construction workplace go-to. None of that’s about safety:
company leadership speak little to hazard. “Smaller employers can use Everything’s safe enough. It’s just a
no Spanish, according to a recent them at tailgate meetings to help set of relationships. But then it comes
survey by Dodge Data & Analytics. identify and mitigate an issue at that down to safety in the end.” n

Data:Training Practices
and Communication
Safety Training Availability and Requirements
Nearly all the contractors participating in the study report Safety Training Availability and Requirements
that their companies have basic safety training available Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
and fundamental requirements in place, although many

Safety and Health Training Provided
do not implement them on all their projects. It is likely that
for Supervisors and Jobsite Workers
this high level of adoption is influenced by the fact that
offering or requiring safety training may reduce liability Percentage of Projects
and insurance rates for contractors. High: More Than 70% 68%
97% Moderate: 25% to 70% 24%
Offering Versus Requiring Training Low: Less Than 25% 8%
One notable difference is that while nearly all (97%)
respondents report that their companies provide safety All Employees Receive Orientation Training
and health training for supervisors and jobsite workers, When Starting Work on a New Site
fewer (87%) report that they require all of their jobsite
workers to have basic safety and health training. Among Percentage of Projects
the 97% whose companies offer safety training, two High: More Than 70% 69%
thirds offer it on more than 70% of their projects, but 93% Moderate: 25% to 70% 20%
among the companies that require all jobsite workers to Low: Less Than 25% 11%
have basic safety and health training, only 53% require
it at that same high level. While workers do need to Supervisors Required to Have Basic Safety
be active partners in ensuring safety, simply offering and Health Training
training does not make the clear, direct statement about
how a company values safety that requiring basic safety Percentage of Projects
training does. The requirements for jobsite workers High: More Than 70% 69%
demonstrate that the company considers safety to be 91% Moderate: 25% to 70% 19%
fundamentally important, as important as other factors Low: Less Than 25% 12%
like productivity.
In addition, the findings demonstrate that basic Supervisors Required to Have Safety
safety and health training is more likely to be required and Health Leadership Training
of supervisors than it is of jobsite workers. Not only do
91% report these requirements for supervisor safety Percentage of Projects
training at some level, compared with the 87% requiring it High: More Than 70% 65%
of jobsite workers, but 69% also report that this is widely 89% Moderate: 25% to 70% 22%
implemented in their company, a requirement on more Low: Less Than 25% 13%
than 70% of their projects. Thus, even though the overall
survey findings throughout this report demonstrate a All Jobsite Workers Required to Have
shift in the industry to wider recognition of the need Basic Safety and Health Training
to actively engage jobsite workers in the process of
increasing safety, the requirements around safety Percentage of Projects
training do not appear to have kept pace with that shift, High: More Than 70% 53%
and reliance on supervisory leadership is more prevalent. 87% Moderate: 25% to 70% 26%
In fact, most companies are actively supporting Low: Less Than 25% 21%
leadership by their supervisors on safety and health
issues. 89% report that supervisors are required to have
safety and health leadership training on at least some
of their projects, and nearly two thirds (65%) of those
that offer this training offer it on more than 70% of their
_Training_Practices_PieBars_#02
projects. This relatively high level of required leadership
training demonstrates wide industry recognition of how

Training Practices and Communication
Safety Training Availability and Requirements CONTINUED
leadership by supervisors can be critical to improving Variation by Type of Company

safety at the jobsite. General and specialty trade contractors report different
One factor made clear by the findings is the relatively levels of implementation for two of these requirements
wide recognition of the need to tackle safety on a and practices, both of which involve the training
jobsite-by-jobsite basis. 93% of contractors report requirements for supervisors.
that their employees receive orientation training when ■■Supervisors Are Required to Have Basic Safety &
starting work on a new site, and well over two thirds Health Training: 69% of general contractors report
(69%) of those that have adopted that practice do so that supervisors are required to have basic training on
on more than 70% of their projects. Each jobsite may more than 70% of their projects, compared with 56% of
pose a unique set of hazards, and increasing supervisor specialty contractors.
and worker awareness of the unique hazards posed by ■■Supervisors Are Required to Have Safety & Health
specific jobsites can be critical to helping mitigate Leadership Training: 64% of general contractors report
those risks. that supervisors are required to receive safety and
health leadership training on more than 70% of their
Variation by Size of Company projects, compared with 51% of specialty contractors.
Consistently, for all of these practices and requirements,
Since project supervisors at general contractors hold
a higher percentage of respondents from large
responsibility for the safety of the entire project, it is
companies, those with 100 or more employees, report
perhaps not surprising that supervisory training is of
that they are more widely implemented than those
particular importance for them as a safety requirement.
from companies with fewer than 50 employees.
However, the difference between small and
large companies is only evident in the degree of
Perhaps not surprisingly, companies at the low end
implementation, not in whether they use any of these
of the safety culture spectrum (see page 17) are less
requirements and practices. This demonstrates that
likely than those higher on the spectrum to use or have
small companies are as familiar with these training
requirements in place for safety and health training.
practices and requirements as large companies, and the
That was true for each of the five factors studied, and, in
difference appears to lie in their ability to consistently
fact, around one quarter of companies at the low end of
implement them across the company.
the safety culture spectrum report that they have
The most notable gap in the level of implementation
not implemented:
is in the use of orientation training when starting work
• Requirements that supervisors have basic safety and
on a new site. 84% of respondents from companies
health training (24%)
with more than 100 employees report that this occurs
• Requirements that supervisors have safety and health
on more than 70% of their projects, but less than half
leadership training (25%)
(46%) of respondents from companies with fewer than
• Requirements that jobsite workers have basic safety
50 employees report the same. It is possible that larger
and health training (26%)
companies have clear-cut policies in place regarding
this, while smaller companies may have more variation These findings again reinforce the importance of a safety
depending on the project leadership, a factor that could culture to encourage widespread adoption and use of
also contribute to the other, less dramatic, statistically basic sound safety practices, including training.
significant differences in the degree of implementation
between small and large companies.

Training Practices and Communication CONTINUED
Frequency of Safety Training Conducted Online
Respondents were asked about the frequency with which Safety Training Conducted Online
they have conducted or expect to conduct safety training Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
online in three time frames: 2013, 2015 and expected in No Safety Training Conducted Online
2017. The chart at right reflects their responses. Less Than 25% of Safety Training Conducted Online
The findings reveal a higher expectation for increased 25% to 70% of Safety Training Conducted Online
use in safety training online over the next two years than More Than 70% of Safety Training Conducted Online
the increase that has occurred over the last two years.
• From 2013 to 2015, the percentage using online safety 77%
training has only increased by one percentage point. 66% 67% 15%
However, there has been a shift to more use of online 7% 9%
safety training among those who are already using
it, with a six percentage point increase among those 19% 29%
23%
conducting 25% or more of their safety training online. 34% 33%
• Between 2015 and 2017, though, there is a 10
23%
percentage point increase in those who expect to use 40% 35% 33%
online safety training. In addition, there is an expected
12 percentage point increase in those who expect to
use it for 25% of their safety training or more.
2013 2015 2017 (expected)
These findings are likely affected by contractor
expectations regarding improvements of devices
used onsite and better availability of safety training
software and apps. A 2015 study on information 3_13_Safety_Management_Batch3_Training_Online_#01
mobility improvements in the construction industry,
published in the first edition of the SmartMarket Brief:
BIM Advancements series of reports, reveals that 95% of
contractors report that they’ve experienced at least some
improvement in their information mobility in the last two
years, with the majority (43%) reporting a very high level
of improvement. These improvements, though, have only
set the stage for greater expectations about technology
advancements, with 76% still reporting the need for
improved devices at the jobsite.
General contractors are also significantly more likely
than specialty trade contractors to be using online
safety training currently, with 75% of general contractors
reporting at least some safety training occurring online
compared with 57% of specialty contractors. However, by
2017, the difference drops from 18 to 9 percentage points,
which now places it within the margin of error. This
suggests that specialty contractors have been slower to
embrace online training thus far, but that improved, less
costly equipment may eventually eliminate that gap.

Impact of Safety Training by Role
In both the 2012 and 2015 studies, respondents were Impact of Safety Training by Role
asked to rate the level of influence of safety training (Percentage Selecting Highly Positive Influence in
for different roles within their companies, from jobsite 2012 and 2015)
workers to company leadership. The chart at right Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
represents the percentage of those from each study 2015 2012

who believed that safety training had a highly positive
influence on each of these different roles. Jobsite Workers
Taken together, the findings suggest growing 87%
recognition that safety needs to be implemented both 81%
top-down and bottom-up.
■■Jobsite Workers: In 2015, jobsite workers have the
Supervisors
highest percentage (87%) who believe that safety 86%
training has an impact on them, a switch from 2012, 85%
when supervisors ranked first. Even though the increase Project Management Team
in the percentage who consider safety training a highly
78%
positive influence is not statistically significant, it is
77%
consistent with the other findings in the study that
demonstrate increased attention in the construction Company Leadership
industry to the importance of having jobsite workers 74%
actively involved in safety. 63%
• There are no statistically significant differences
Estimators
between large and small companies or between
general and specialty contractors in those who find 41%
safety training has a highly positive influence on 31%
jobsite workers.
• However, 94% of respondents from companies at the
moderate to high end of the safety culture spectrum
(see page 17) report this strong positive influence 3_14_Safety_Management_Batch3
compared with 73% from those at the low end of the _Training_InfluencebyFunction_#02
spectrum, which may suggest that a safety culture
helps reinforce the recognition of the importance of
jobsite workers to improve safety.
■■Supervisors and Project Management Team: The
findings between 2012 and 2015 are very consistent

in terms of the positive influence of safety training
for supervisors and project management teams on
implementing a good safety program.
• 91% of general contractors consider safety training
influential for supervisors, compared with 81% of
specialty contractors. However, there are no significant
differences by company size for this factor. ■■Company Leadership: Safety training is recognized
• There are no statistically significant differences of note as a highly positive influence by more respondents in
by company type or size for the influence of safety 2015 (74%) than in 2012 (63%). As with the other roles,
training on project management teams. those in the middle and at the high end of the safety
• As with jobsite workers, there is much wider culture spectrum are much more likely to recognize a
recognition of the influence of safety training for both of high degree of influence than those at the low end, but
these roles among respondents in the middle and at the no other significant differences by company size or type
high end of the safety culture spectrum. are evident.

Value of Different Modes of Safety Training by Role
In the current study, respondents were asked to rate the Value of Different Modes of Safety Training
value of different modes of training for jobsite workers by Role (Percentage Who Consider Safety
and for supervisors. The chart at right represents the Training to be of Great Value)
percentage of those who find the different modes of Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
training to be of great value for these two positions. Jobsite Workers

For both jobsite workers and supervisors, training Supervisors
on the jobsite is by far considered to be the most
valuable, with the percentage who consider it valuable for On the Jobsite
jobsite workers slightly higher than those who consider 85%
it valuable for supervisors. There are no significant
77%
differences between the 2015 findings and the findings
for each role in 2012, although in 2012, the findings for Authorized OSHA Outreach Trainer
both were the same (82%), suggesting a slight shift in 44%
the current findings toward considering on-the-jobsite 54%
training particularly important for jobsite workers. Classroom
This is consistent with a shift toward understanding
33%
the importance of the role jobsite workers can play in
51%
making projects safer.
However, a much higher percentage of respondents Online/eLearning
consider all other modes of training, including training 24%
by an authorized OSHA outreach trainer, training in a 42%
classroom and online/eLearning training, to be of value
for supervisors than for jobsite workers. This may be in
part because other training may help with supervisory
leadership on safety and health on the jobsite, a key role
for that position. _Training_ValuebyType_#02
• A significantly higher percentage of respondents in
2015 (42%) than 2012 (26%) consider online training
important for supervisors, but the findings about
the value of online training for jobsite workers is
notably consistent between 2012 and 2015. Many
factors may impact this, including an emphasis on
making jobsite worker training more focused on the
needs of specific projects and the challenges of online
safety training via small mobile devices compared with
functionality on a computer, which more supervisors
may have access to.
• There is a notable decline in the percentage who
consider classroom training of value for jobsite
workers, from 52% in 2012 to 33% in 2015. There is
no significant difference for this factor for supervisors. of moderate to great value for jobsite workers, and
Again, this may reflect a tendency to prefer jobsite 97% of them consider it of value for supervisors.
worker safety training to be more focused on the needs However, among firms with fewer than 50 employees,
of the specific projects on which they are engaged. only 76% consider it of value for jobsite workers and
• Larger firms are more likely to find value in 83% consider it of value for supervisors. This may be
classroom training for both jobsite workers and due to the ability of larger companies to capitalize on
supervisors. 93% of those who work for companies more extensive training resources when they provide
with 100 or more employees consider this training classroom training.

Jobsite Worker Safety and Health Training Trends
Keeping jobsite workers well trained about safety is continue to offer training more frequently than smaller
widely recognized as important in the construction companies. However, there are also some distinctions
industry (see page 42), but it also presents several critical year over year that suggest trends in how frequently
challenges. Depending on the company and the type of safety training is offered across the industry.
construction, jobsite workers may experience higher
LARGEST COMPANIES (THOSE WITH 500 OR
turnover than other functions in the industry. Their
MORE EMPLOYEES)
productivity also directly impacts factors like project
Over half (53%) of respondents from companies with
schedule and budget. They may be the least likely to
500 or more employees offer their jobsite workers safety
have access to computers and other means of delivering
training at least once a quarter, a finding consistent with
training. These and other factors may influence the
the percentage of very large companies that offered
frequency with which these workers are trained.
training at that frequency in 2012. This is in contrast to
Industry best practices about who trains these
the smaller companies. In fact, in the current study, the
workers and how safety messages are communicated to
percentage of respondents from the largest companies is
them most effectively can help contracting companies
more than double any other category.
determine the best approach to safety training and
There is also a notable increase in the percentage of
communication with jobsite workers.
respondents from the largest contracting companies
who report that they deliver training twice a year, from
Frequency of Training 6% in 2012 to 13% in 2015, and a corresponding decrease
In both the 2012 study, published in the 2013 Safety
in training delivered less frequently. This suggests that
Management in the Construction Industry SmartMarket
the largest companies are increasingly recognizing the
Report, and in the current study, contractors were asked
value of frequent training of jobsite workers and continue
how frequently they offer formal safety training to jobsite
to increase their investments to provide that training.
workers. As the findings indicate, larger companies
Frequency of Safety and Health Training (By Size of Company)

Once a Quarter or More Only When First Hired

Twice a Year Only When Required
Annually
Less Than 10 Employees 10 to 499 Employees 500 or More Employees
18% 21% 32% 25%

51% 53%
15% 14%
23% 23%
27% 21%
6%
18% 13%
9% 14% 28% 22%
8% 15%
24% 24% 4% 8%
19% 6%
11% 10% 8%
2012 2015 2012 2015 2012 2015
** Respondents could also select an “Other” response, which is not reflected in the data listed.

4_04_Safety_Management_Batch4_Training_Workers_Frequency_#02
Jobsite Worker Safety and Health Training Trends CONTINUED
MIDSIZE TO LARGE COMPANIES (THOSE WITH Person/Role Who Conducts Safety Training
BETWEEN 10 AND 499 EMPLOYEES) for Jobsite Workers (By Year)

Midsize to large companies follow the opposite trend Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
of the largest companies. The respondents from the 2015 2012

midsize to large companies are trending overall toward
less frequent training for jobsite workers now than they Company In-House Training Expert
offered in 2012. 68%
• That trend is most evident in the category of delivering 63%
training once a quarter or more, where the percentage
of respondents from midsize to large companies drops Third-Party Trainer
from 32% in 2012 to 25% in 2015. 28%
• It is also evident in the categories in which training is 38%
offered least frequently. The current percentage in 2015 Joint Labor Management Training Fund
(8%) who offer training only when workers are first
17%
hired is double the previous finding from 2012 (4%), and
7%
the increase in those who provide training only when
required is almost double (from 11% in 2012 to 19% Online/eLearning Site
in 2015). 9%
These findings demonstrate that the industry needs to 15%

engage firms of this size more actively in the importance
of frequently training jobsite workers. spectrum (24%) who report their companies only offer
safety training when needed is more than threefold
SMALL COMPANIES (THOSE WITH LESS THAN
that of respondents of companies at the high end of the
10 EMPLOYEES) _Training_Workers_WhoConducts_#02
spectrum (7%). This finding again demonstrates that
There is less of a distinct trend among the respondents
those who are actively engaged in building a safety
from the small companies between the two studies.
culture have better safety management practices.
While there is a slight increase of three percentage points
in those providing training once a quarter or more from
18% in 2012 to 21% in 2015, there is also a decline of six
Person/Role Who Conducts Safety
percentage points in those who provide annual training
Training for Jobsite Workers
Respondents were also asked who conducts safety
and an increase of five percentage points in those who
training for their jobsite workers. Consistent with the
only provide training when the worker is first hired.
findings of the 2012 study, training for jobsite workers is
However, in general, respondents from this group still
most commonly conducted by their company’s in-house
tend to report the least frequency of training for jobsite
training expert, reported by over two thirds (68%). An
workers. They are the highest percentage of any category
in-house training expert is also more frequently used
who only train workers when they are first hired or only
by companies with 100 or more employees (86%) than
train when required. While not trending notably worse,
by companies with fewer than 50 employees (50%)
these data still suggest that providing these companies
and by general contractors (75%) more than specialty
with better training resources could be valuable to
contractors (60%). No doubt, having access to more
improve safety in the construction industry.
in-house training resources is an essential factor in
VARIATION BY SAFETY CULTURE SPECTRUM these findings.
46% of respondents from companies at the high end However, there is clearly a shift occurring in the industry
of the safety culture spectrum (see page 17 for more in terms of the popularity of other roles for delivering
information about the spectrum) report that they offer training. There is a significant decline in the percentage
safety training once a quarter or more, compared with of respondents who report that their company uses third-
19% at the low end of the spectrum, and the percentage party trainers from 38% in 2012 to 28% in 2015. Since there
of respondents from companies at the low end of the are no significant variations by firm type or size, it is not

Jobsite Worker Safety and Health Training Trends CONTINUED
clear what is driving this decline. Perhaps it is in part due Most Effective Means of Communicating
to the lingering effects of the 2007 to 2010 recession and Safety Messages to Jobsite Workers
the sluggish recovery, which may have impacted the funds (Ranked First By Year)
available to use third-party sources for training. Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
On the other hand, there is a significant increase in the 2015 2012

use of joint labor-management training funds, from 7%
in 2012 to 17% in 2015. While the overall percentage is still Toolbox Talks
low, it is clear that this is an emerging practice, and one 48%
that will be interesting to track over time. 41%
The most surprising finding on its surface is a
significant decrease in the use of online/eLearning Training
sites for jobsite workers, from 15% to 9%. In fact, this 30%
finding is consistent with the much lower level of use of 38%
online/eLearning resources for jobsite workers than for Chain of Command
supervisors (see page 46). However, as mobile devices on
16%
the jobsite continue to improve, it is surprising that their
13%
use as a delivery method for safety training is in decline.
It is possible that the increase expected in the next two Email Alerts
years in safety training conducted online in general (see 2%
page 44) could be due in part to expectations that mobile 2%
devices will be sufficiently enhanced to allow better
Text Alerts
delivery of online learning to jobsite workers.
2%
Most Effective Means of Communicating 1%
Safety Messages to Jobsite Workers Flyers With Paychecks
In both 2012 and the current study, respondents were 2%
asked to rank the top three most effective means of
4%
communicating safety messages to jobsite workers. The
chart at right represents the communication means that
they ranked first.
While there are no statistically significant differences
in any one item, the small shifts do make a difference 3_18_Safety_Management_Batch3
_Training_Workers_Communication_#02
when looking at the degree of preference for toolbox
talks. In both 2012 and 2015, they are selected by the
highest percentage as the most effective means of
communication, and training comes in second. However,
in 2012, there was only a small three percentage point
difference between these top means of communication.
In 2015, there is a substantial 18 percentage point
difference, demonstrating a clear industry preference for
toolbox talks over training.
Other than chain of command, all of the other means
mentioned, including email alerts, text alerts and paycheck
flyers, are all considered effective only by a small percentage
of respondents. These findings are quite consistent with
the previous study and demonstrate that a company’s
efforts should include toolbox talks, supplemented by
training and chain-of-command messages.

Leadership Training for Supervisors
Safety and health leadership by supervisors is an Would Have Supervisors Request Leadership
essential part of a strong safety culture at a company. Training as an Elective for OSHA 30-Hour
The findings in this study show that the need for that Training (By Size of Company)
leadership is widely recognized across the industry, Dodge Data & Analytics, 2016
with 97% of respondents reporting that at least some of 100 or More Employees
their supervisors lead by example, and the vast majority 94%
reporting that most of their supervisors do (see page
14). However, a lower percentage (89%) report that their 50 to 99 Employees
company requires leadership training on health and 88%
safety to their supervisors (see page 42), which suggests Fewer Than 50 Employees
a gap that needs to be filled.
72%
Part of the challenge may be the availability of
leadership training for construction supervisors with a
focus on health and safety. Therefore, the study asked
respondents whether they would encourage their
supervisors to take leadership training if it were added to
_Training_LeadershipTraining_#02
the OSHA 30-Hour training for supervisors as an elective.
A high percentage of respondents (84%) agree that
they would encourage their supervisors to request that
leadership training.
As the chart at right reveals, the larger the company
that the respondents work for, the more likely they
are to believe that they would encourage their
supervisors to undertake leadership training. This
corresponds with the greater emphasis on training
opportunities and requirements from larger companies
throughout the data.
In addition, 94% of respondents at the high end of the
safety culture spectrum (see page 17) report that they
would encourage their supervisors to undertake the
training, compared with 69% at the low end, reinforcing
the recognition of supervisors as important contributors
to a safety culture.
However, it is notable that there are no significant
differences on this point between general and specialty
contractors. That finding is somewhat surprising since
a much higher percentage of general contractors than
specialty contractors require their supervisors to have
basic safety and health training, and safety and health
leadership training (see page 43). Clearly specialty
contractors place enough emphasis on this issue to at
least encourage their supervisors to take advantage of
available training, even if many are not willing to actually
require it at this point.

Sidebar: Best Practices in Safety Training
Best Practices in Safety Training
Organizations are finding that making safety training personal,

delivering it to as young of an audience as possible and keeping interest

engaged in safety beyond the training classes themselves are helping
them to bring their safety message more effectively to workers.
W
hen Balfour Beatty workers switch on when they arrive Anton, an associate professor in the
Construction launched at the jobsite, safety becomes a department of physical therapy at
its Zero Harm program full-time attitude. Eastern Washington University. “We
in 2012, it required want them to have long careers.”
new employees to sit through a video Catch Them Young
that parsed jobsite safety rules and The earlier that attitude begins, Keep It Fresh
regulations. “It was 27 minutes of the better: That’s the idea behind a With any safety training, the constant
pain,” says Steve Smithgall, senior new program that integrates safety challenge is to keep it fresh. SAVE,
vice president of safety, health and skills into masonry apprenticeship. for example, uses text messages and
environment at Balfour Beatty. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) emails to deliver refresher training
So in 2015, the company replaced are the scourge of the masonry four times a month over a one-year
that initial effort with a new video sector, and of the construction period to maximize retention. An
exemplifying a more progressive industry in general. The best way increasing number of phone apps
approach to safety training: one that to avoid them is through ergonomics; offer safety reminders, and futuristic
aims to get project teams “to truly but beyond—perhaps—“proper” equipment with augmented-reality
embrace a safety culture focused on lifting, many construction trade (AR) safety training is coming down
positive, proactively safe behaviors,” workers, and especially young the pipe. “The future of safety is
says Smithgall. apprentices, have no training going to be wearables [such as
in ergonomics. helmets and vests] that tell you
This Time, It’s Personal The Safety Voice for Ergonomics how to do a task correctly and in
Mandatory viewing for all workers (SAVE) program, a national a safe manner,” Peter Grant, CEO
joining a Balfour Beatty jobsite, the program developed by a team of of Safesite, an Australia-based
new film introduces nine safety researchers in collaboration with app provider, predicted at a recent
principles that address construction’s the International Masonry Institute BuiltWorlds event. And wearables
most common safety challenges, and the Masonry r2p Partnership, may turn out to be only a bridge
and it does so in a way that makes integrates evidence-based health technology until construction tools
them personal. First, the film makes and safety training strategies into themselves train workers in safe
explicit the link between working masonry apprenticeship. And, use, predicts Mark Barry, chief
safely during the day, and going because apprenticeship programs technology officer at Capital
home safe at the end of it: “Thinking often lack soft-skills training in Construction Solutions.
about the family the worker has to how to respond appropriately to A more timeless approach to
support hopefully makes him ask unsafe environments and practices, keeping safety training fresh is the
whether taking a risk is really worth the program combines training in growing practice of onsite morning
it,” says Smithgall. Second, the film ergonomics with problem-solving, warm-ups, in which the entire crew
extends the nine safety principles to self-management and leadership limbers up together. This simple
personal contexts—a man stops his skills to help young masons develop practice works on multiple levels—
child from climbing a ladder at home, their safety voice. individual and collective, immediate
for example, and puts up a guard “We’re trying to introduce these and long-term—delivering the
to keep himself safe on scaffolding ideas during their apprenticeship, safety message to the body directly,
at work—so that, rather than a and not when they’re 30 and where hopefully it will become
compartmentalized behavior that already injured,” says Daniel second nature. n

Methodology:
Safety in Construction Study Research
Study Goals Study Approach POSITION ON THE SAFETY

Dodge Data & Analytics conducted The survey data was collected CULTURE SPECTRUM
the 2015 Safety Management in the using an online survey of industry See page 17 for more information
Construction Industry Study with professionals between October on how this analytical variable
two purposes in mind: 27th and November 4th, 2015. was derived and the percentage
■■Longitudinal Comparison to Study The Dodge Data & Analytics of respondents that fall into
Conducted in 2012: The study Contractor Panel was used to reach each category.
sought to assess trends in the general and specialty contractors
COMPANY TYPE
industry for the following topics throughout the U.S. This panel
The survey respondents identified
by including comparisons with the contains a representative sample
themselves as follows:
benchmark Safety Study completed of construction contractors across
■■111 general contractors (44%)
in 2012. the U.S. The panelists are identified
■■115 specialty contractors (45%)
• The use of specific by many categories, including size,
■■8 design-build contractors (3%)
safety practices region, types of projects undertaken
■■19 construction management
• The impact of a safety and specialty. To gain an industry-
firms (8%)
management program on project wide perspective, no specific
■■1 engineering firm (.4%)
safety and outcomes, including contractor group was excluded from
productivity benefits the study. For the analysis in this report, the
• Influence factors category general contractor includes
• Training practices Survey Respondents the design-build and construction
■■Indicators of a Safety Culture: In The survey had 254 complete management firms, and the
addition, new data was gathered responses. The use of a sample engineering firm was included in the
on 33 indicators of a safety culture to represent a true population is specialty contractor category.
in seven categories. These 33 based on the firm foundation of Respondents were working on
indicators were used to formulate statistics. The sampling size and projects across the commercial,
a safety culture spectrum. The technique used in this study conform institutional and manufacturing sectors.
findings from the rest of the study to accepted industry standards
SIZE OF COMPANY
were then analyzed in regard to expected to produce results with a
Respondents were asked to identify
this safety culture spectrum to high degree of confidence and low
the size of their companies by
demonstrate the effectiveness margin of error.
the number of employees in the
of working toward creating a The total sample size (n=254)
following categories:
safety culture on the use of safety benchmarks at a 95% confidence
■■Less Than 10 (11%)
practices and the benefits accrued interval with a margin of error of 6.1%
■■10 to 49 (32%)
from that use. for dichotomous inquiries.
■■50 to 99 (16%)
Three analytical variables were
■■100 to 499 (20%)
used for the majority of this analysis:
■■500 or More (21%)
■■Position on the Safety Culture
Spectrum These categories are combined

■■Company Type in different ways throughout the
■■Company Size analysis, depending on which
larger category has significant
differences that clarify the different
priorities and approaches of large,
medium and small companies in
regard to safety. n

SmartMarket Report
Resources
Organizations,websites and publications to help you get smarter about
improving the safety performance of the construction industry.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
The authors wish to thank our premier partners, the Center for Construction
Research and Training (CPWR) and United Rentals, for helping us bring this
information to the market. Specifically, we would like to acknowledge Pete Stafford
and Patricia Quinn at CPWR, along with the CPWR staff, and Jim Dorris and Jeremy
Main Website : construction.com
Fountain at United Rentals for their support.
Dodge : construction.com/dodge
Research & Analytics : Additional thanks to the supporting sponsors as well, including Autodesk,
construction.com/dodge/ ClickSafety and Procore. We also thank our contributing partners, the National
dodge-market-research.asp Institute of Building Sciences and PCL Construction, and our association partners,
Sweets : sweets.com the Construction Users Roundtable and the Lean Construction Institute.
SmartMarket Reports :
analyticsstore.construction.com We would also like to thank all of the experts who shared their insights and photos
with in the articles in this report.
United Rentals
www.cpwr.com www.unitedrentals.com
www.elcosh.org
www.cpwrconstructionsolutions.org
http://stopconstructionfalls.com
Supporting Partners U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics : www.bls.gov

Autodesk : www.autodesk.com/bim Other Resources:
ClickSafety : www.clicksafety.com American Subcontractors Association :
Procore : www.procore.com www.asaonline.com/eweb/
Contributing Partners Associated Builders & Contractors : www.abc.org
National Institute of Building Sciences : www.nibs.org BIMForum : bimforum.org
PCL Construction : www.pcl.com The Associated General Contractors
of America : www.agc.org
Association
Produced Partners
with support from
The Association of Union Contractors : www.tauc.org
Construction Users Roundtable : www.curt.org Construction Industry Institute :
Lean Construction Institute : www.construction-institute.org
www.leanconstruction.org/lci-safety Construction Managers Association of
Federal Government Agencies and Programs America : http://cmaanet.org
National Institute of Occupational Safety Construction Safety Council : www.buildsafe.org
and Health : www.cdc.gov/niosh International Code Council : www.iccsafe.org
National Institute of Standards and Mechanical Contractors Association
Technology : www.nist.gov of America : www.mcaa.org
Occupational Safety and Health National Electrical Contractors
Administration : www.osha.gov Association : www.necanet.org
OSHA Data Initiative : www.osha.gov/pls/ Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning Contractors’
odi/establishment_search.html National Association : www.smacna.org
This publication was supported by CPWR through NIOSH cooperative agreement OH009762. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily
represent the official views of CPWR or NIOSH. CPWR does not endorse any of the other funding partners associated with this project.
■ Design and Construction Intelligence
SmartMarket Report
www.construction.com
Dodge Data & Analytics SmartMarket Reports™
Get smart about the latest industry trends.

For more information on these reports and others, visit
analyticsstore.construction.com

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SmartMarket Report

Supporting Research Partners

Dodge Data & Analytics Building a Safety Culture:

McGraw Hill Construction is now We have a new email address.

need to permeate all levels of a it previously, which caused it to shift from

Dodge Data & Analytics 1 www.construction.com SmartMarket Report

8 Safety Culture Indicators

20 Types of Safety Practices

Top Five Most Effective Safety Practices

29 Impact of Safety Practices and Programs on Business

Top 10 Factors That Drove Adoption of Current Safety Management Practices

SmartMarket Report Dodge Data & Analytics 2 www.construction.com

Below: Skanska is creating a library

42 Training Practices and Communication

Dodge Data & Analytics 3 www.construction.com SmartMarket Report

A safety culture helps to ensure wider adoption of safety practices and

allows companies to better reap the benefits of their safety investments.

Indicators of a Safety Culture Degree of Use of Safety Culture Indicators

USE OF SAFETY CULTURE INDICATORS

SmartMarket Report Dodge Data & Analytics 4 www.construction.com

BENEFITS FROM 2012 High Use of Safety Culture Indicators

Dodge Data & Analytics 5 www.construction.com SmartMarket Report

strong safety culture and one of its indicators. Ranked First

essential aspect of a world-class safety program, a leap Provide Functional PPE

SmartMarket Report Dodge Data & Analytics 6 www.construction.com

research on safety in 2012 and published

Dodge Data & Analytics 7 www.construction.com SmartMarket Report

construction company is as critical as the commitment of Commitment to Safety and Health

for a company and can profoundly influence the

SmartMarket Report Dodge Data & Analytics 8 www.construction.com

Dodge Data & Analytics 9 www.construction.com SmartMarket Report

Safety and Health Are Fundamental Company Values

There is still a lingering perception that safety and

Variation by Size of Company 1_02_Safety_Management_Batch1

SmartMarket Report Dodge Data & Analytics 10 www.construction.com

Accountability on Projects for Safety and Health

fosters widespread accountability for safety and health

Near-Misses Use External Safety and Health Audits

External Safety and Health Audits

Dodge Data & Analytics 11 www.construction.com SmartMarket Report

Worker Involvement in Jobsite Safety and Health

engaged in and take full responsibility for safety. In

Midsize companies, those with between 10 and 49 Planning and Analyses

Dodge Data & Analytics 13 www.construction.com SmartMarket Report

Supervisory Leadership on Safety and Health

Leadership by jobsite supervisors is a fundamental Use of Practices That Demonstrate Supervisory

this fundamental element of a safety culture is in place,

SmartMarket Report Dodge Data & Analytics 14 www.construction.com

Company Communication About Safety and Health

deal directly with the communication of safety and

that safety and health policy communications are

Dodge Data & Analytics 15 www.construction.com SmartMarket Report

Owner Involvement in Project Safety and Health

culture included in the study. This suggests that more

SmartMarket Report Dodge Data & Analytics 16 www.construction.com

Safety Culture Spectrum

a safety culture described on pages 8 to 17. High (20 or More Indicators)

As the chart at right shows, they fall roughly evenly

All General Specialty Fewer 100 to 499 500 or

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