Construction industry leaders are pressing federal policymakers to place greater emphasis on prevention-driven safety strategies as contractors continue working to reduce incidents, strengthen workforce retention and improve jobsite performance.
During a recent hearing before the U.S. House Committee on Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, representatives from Associated Builders and Contractors said proactive safety management systems are helping construction firms significantly lower injury rates while improving workforce engagement and accountability.
Patrick Sughrue, senior corporate director of health, safety and environmental at Cianbro Corp., testified on behalf of ABC during the hearing focused on private-sector strategies for emerging workplace safety issues.
Sughrue highlighted findings from ABC’s 2026 Health and Safety Performance Report, which examined the impact of leading-indicator safety systems and prevention-based management practices across participating contractors.
According to ABC, top-performing member companies participating in its STEP Health and Safety Management System reported incident rates substantially below national construction industry averages tracked by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The organization also said participating firms achieved major reductions in total recordable incident rates through continuous safety monitoring and workforce involvement programs.
Construction employers are increasingly shifting away from relying solely on lagging indicators such as injury counts and OSHA citations when evaluating jobsite performance.
Instead, contractors are expanding the use of predictive safety systems that track worker engagement, hazard identification, training participation and operational risk factors before incidents occur.
ABC told lawmakers that leading indicators provide contractors with earlier visibility into potential safety issues and help management teams intervene before injuries happen.
The organization also argued that safety performance now carries broader business implications beyond regulatory compliance. Contractors facing safety incidents may also encounter higher insurance costs, workforce retention challenges, project disruptions and reputational damage that affect future project opportunities.
As labor shortages continue across the construction sector, many firms are treating strong safety performance as a workforce recruitment and retention strategy as well as a risk management priority.
Construction companies nationwide continue facing pressure to recruit and retain skilled labor while maintaining productivity on increasingly complex projects.
Industry organizations have increasingly linked strong safety cultures with improved employee morale, workforce stability and operational performance.
ABC said its STEP program, which has operated for more than three decades, provides contractors and suppliers with benchmarking tools and structured safety performance assessments designed to encourage continuous improvement.
The organization also called for expanded safety education, compliance assistance and collaborative partnerships between regulators and industry groups to help contractors implement best practices more effectively.
For owners and developers, the continued industry focus on proactive safety management could influence contractor selection, insurance costs and overall project risk management strategies.
Contractors with stronger safety performance records may gain a competitive advantage as owners increasingly prioritize workforce stability, operational reliability and reduced incident exposure on major projects.
The hearing also signals that federal workplace safety discussions may continue shifting toward prevention-based strategies that encourage measurable safety systems and early risk identification rather than enforcement-driven approaches alone.
Originally reported by ABC East Florida.
