Safety management continues to gain traction across the U.S. construction industry, with small contractors leading recent gains in engagement, according to a newly released report.

Now in its seventh edition, the “Safety Management in the Construction Industry 2026 SmartMarket Report” from Dodge Construction Network, produced in partnership with CPWR–The Center for Construction Research and Training with funding from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), reveals key areas where greater focus is still required despite ongoing improvements across the industry.

“Every construction worker should go home safely every day, but more than 1,000 died on the job in 2024,” said Chris Trahan Cain, CPWR’s executive director. “This report shows where managers and owners are improving safety and health for workers and where they need to do more.”

A notable finding is the accelerating commitment to safety among small construction firms. Compared with 2023, more contractors with fewer than 20 employees report using online safety training, offering employee assistance programs (EAPs). and implementing methods to assess and mitigate heat exposure.

Small contractors also reported faster growth in these areas than midsize and large firms.

“While small contractors still lag larger firms in the overall use of formal safety management practices,” says Donna Laquidara-Carr, PhD, LEED AP, industry insights research director at Dodge Construction Network, “the data clearly shows they are increasing their commitment to protecting workers and improving health and well-being at a faster rate than in previous studies.”

Though pre-construction safety planning is nearly universal, with 95% of contractors creating a health and safety plan before construction begins, only 43% involve a health and safety director in the process, despite clear benefits.

For example, 80% of firms with a safety director see reduced recordable injury rates vs. 63% of those without director involvement.

In addition, 72% of firms engaging a safety director report improved worker understanding and engagement vs. 46%.

Finally, 35% that involve a safety director report gains in productivity, cost predictability, less rework and better schedule adherence vs. 20%.

The report found that more than 80% of contractors report using core heat mitigation strategies, including water, rest, shade, training, emergency response plans and environmental monitoring while the use weather forecasts, mobile heat safety apps and PPE to assess heat risk has also increased, particularly among small firms.

Despite this, there is still room for improvement.

For instance, while more than 80% of midsize and large firms report having a plan, only 62% of small companies reported having one.

In addition, 72% of contractors working in a state with heat standards say having to comply with a state standard has improved heat illness protection on their jobsites, with most seeing improvements on all projects, not just those in the state with the regulations.

But only 41% of contractors surveyed currently work in states with these standards, suggesting broader adoption of state standards could significantly improve worker safety during heat waves.

Technology use remains limited, according the researchers.

The top tech deployed by contractors to improve safety are predictive analytics, wearable sensors and virtual reality training, but they are used by fewer than half of contractors.

More widely used technologies – BIM, laser scanning and drones – are primarily implemented to improve productivity, but they have safety applications as well.

“This suggests significant untapped potential for contractors to leverage technology more strategically to improve safety on the jobsite,” says Laquidara-Carr.

The study also found that gaps remain in mental health support.

More companies now provide Employee Assistance Plans than in previous studies, but even so, only 46% of contractors offer them. While small companies lag larger firms, they have increased the most, from 16% to 25%.

The biennial study also found that 52% of contractors report their workers often face daily commutes exceeding 100 miles or overnight stays. These conditions can increase stress and fatigue, key factors that can negatively affect worker well-being.