Small construction firms continue to shoulder a disproportionate share of workplace injuries and deaths, according to new research from CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training.
The "Small Establishments in Construction: Employment, Injuries, and Training" report found that establishments with up to 19 employees accounted for 50% of construction fatalities in 2022, despite only employing about 36% of the industry's payroll workforce.
Nonfatal injury rates were also higher among small firms. The report found that establishments with one to 10 workers experienced nonfatal injury rates twice as high as firms with 1,000 or more employees. Researchers cautioned that the numbers likely understate the true scope of the problem because injuries at smaller establishments are often underreported.
The research points to several reasons smaller firms lag larger competitors on safety:
- Fewer financial resources
- Limited access to dedicated safety staff
- Less formal training programs
- Reduced access to proper equipment
- Time pressures and staffing shortages
Only 59% of firms with one to 19 employees offered training to those responsible for providing or leading safety training, according to the report. That compares to 62% of firms with 20 to 99 workers and 87% of firms with more than 100 employees.
Signs of improvement
A separate study, "Safety Management in the Construction Industry 2026," produced by Dodge Construction Network in partnership with CPWR and funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, found that small contractors are increasingly investing in safety management practices.
According to the report, contractors with fewer than 20 employees reported increased use of online safety training, employee assistance programs and heat illness prevention measures. Researchers said small contractors showed faster growth in several safety areas than midsize and large firms.
That said, smaller firms are lagging on safety tech usage. Consider the following tech uptake statistics:
| Small firms (1-19 staff) | Midsize firms (20-99 staff) | Large firms (100 or more staff) | |
| Building information modeling | 8% | 27% | 55% |
| Laser scanning | 5% | 22% | 35% |
| Drones | 5% | 17% | 21% |
| Predictive analytics | 2% | 4% | 18% |
What smaller firms can do
- Develop a written safety program tailored to company operations and jobsite hazards.
- Conduct regular toolbox talks and safety meetings to reinforce safe work practices.
- Provide consistent safety training for workers and supervisors, including refresher training throughout the year.
- Make sure employees responsible for leading safety training are properly trained.
- Involve foremen and crew leaders in pre-job hazard planning before work begins.
- Create site-specific safety plans for larger or higher-risk projects.
- Establish reporting procedures for near misses, hazards and injuries without fear of retaliation.
- Assign a supervisor or manager to oversee safety, even if the company cannot afford a full-time safety director.
- Encourage workers to stop work if they encounter unsafe conditions and report them immediately.
- Track injuries, near misses and recurring hazards to identify patterns and problem areas.
- Require subcontractors and independent contractors to follow the company's safety expectations.
- Incorporate safety discussions into project planning and scheduling rather than treating safety as a separate function.
- Consider employee assistance programs or mental health support resources to address fatigue, stress and substance-abuse risks.
- Take advantage of safety stand-downs and industry campaigns focused on falls, heat illness and other leading hazards.
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