For decades, the U.S. construction industry has measured safety performance largely by looking in the rear-view mirror.
Companies tracked injuries, lost-time incidents and workers removed from the job after incidents had already occurred.
However, what has been less clear is whether proactive safety measures – the steps contractors take every day to prevent incidents – actually translate into better outcomes on jobsites.
A new report from the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) provides evidence they do.
The organization’s 2026 Health and Safety Performance Report found companies participating in its STEP Health and Safety Management System achieved incident rates 686 per cent safer than the U.S. construction industry average and reduced total recordable incident rates (TRIR) by 85 per cent.
The findings are based on more than 1.3 billion hours of work performed by construction, civil engineering, heavy construction and specialty trade contractors in 2025.
The report is important because relatively few studies have examined the relationship between leading indicators, which are the measures companies implement to prevent injuries, and trailing indicators, the statistics that record incidents after they occur.
ABC says the charts and summaries in the report present the clearest picture to date of the impact that leading indicator use has on a company’s safety performance and note that firms embracing proactive safety practices are statistically much safer than their peers.
“If we choose to lead, if we choose to commit and if we choose to transform, together we will create the conditions for all to do their work without incident and go home safe, healthy and fulfilled every day,” Michael Bellaman, president and CEO of the organization, said in a statement.
The STEP program, established in 1989, is a comprehensive safety management system used by contractors and suppliers across the U.S.
Rather than functioning as a simple compliance checklist, STEP provides a framework for measuring, strengthening and building safety programs throughout an organization. Participants complete a detailed self-assessment that evaluates the maturity of their safety policies, procedures and leadership practices.
The assessment scores companies on a weighted scale ranging from zero to 12 points across a number of key safety components. Based on their performance, participants receive recognition levels ranging from participant and bronze to silver, gold, platinum and diamond. The goal is not merely recognition; it is to help companies identify weaknesses, benchmark performance against industry peers and make continuous improvements that reduce incident rates.
The data underpinning the report came from companies that deployed STEP during 2025. ABC collected each participant’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration injury and illness statistics alongside the company’s self-assessment results. The data points were then analyzed.
RSM, an independent third party and U.S. provider of audit, tax and consulting services, verified the calculations and methodologies used in the report.
Among the report’s most notable findings, companies that conducted daily toolbox talks experienced a 59-per-cent reduction in TRIR rates and a 61-per-cent reduction in DART rates – an industry metric that measures days away from work, restricted duties or transfers resulting from injuries.
According to the report, the conversations foster accountability and help workers identify hazards before they become incidents.
Substance abuse prevention programs also showed a strong correlation with improved safety outcomes. Companies with comprehensive prevention policies and alcohol and drug testing provisions recorded a 55-per-cent reduction in TRIR rates and a 57-per-cent reduction in DART rates.
Contractors that followed best practices for health and safety meetings also reduced TRIR rates by 52 per cent and DART rates by 54 per cent. Consistent communication, the report noted, builds trust, reinforces safety culture and empowers workers to make better decisions.
Equally important, companies that actively involve workers in safety discussions and seek input from frontline employees reduced TRIR rates by 55 per cent and DART rates by 57 per cent, suggesting that successful safety cultures are built not only through rules and procedures but through strong relationships between management and workers.
Beyond these practices, STEP identified six core leading indicators that form the backbone of high-performing safety programs: planning for project health and safety, top leadership engagement, leading indicator tracking, incident investigation, trailing indicator analysis and behaviour-based safety observations.
The systems identify hazards early and eliminate risks before injuries occur.
The broader message of the report is that safety excellence is not achieved through luck or low injury counts alone. Rather, it is the result of disciplined leadership, employee involvement and systematic efforts to identify and correct hazards before someone gets hurt.
Joe Xavier, ABC senior director of health and safety, says the report details how an industry-leading safety roadmap involves leadership, culture, process and results.
“Transformational leadership means challenging the status quo and fostering a culture where every incident is seen as preventable. When leaders refuse to compromise on safety, they set the standard for the entire industry.
“By implementing proven health and safety systems, companies not only protect their workers but also achieve measurable improvements in performance and reputation in the marketplace.”
