Construction Companies Are Nearly 7 Times Safer With These Best Practices
Today, Associated Builders and Contractors released its 2026 Health and Safety Performance Report, an annual guide to health and safety best practices on construction jobsites. The 2026 report shows the positive effects of participating in ABC’s STEP® Health and Safety Management System, which enables top-performing ABC members to achieve incident rates 686% safer than the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics construction industry average, reducing total recordable incident rates by 85%.
Established in 1989, STEP is a proven system that provides contractors and suppliers with a robust, no-cost framework for measuring health and safety data and benchmarking with peers in the industry. This self-assessment tool helps participants identify real opportunities for scalable growth in their health and safety programs to lower their total recordable incident rates and become an employer of choice in a competitive labor market.
As a sponsor of Construction Safety Week, ABC published the report during this important observance to highlight and celebrate the intentional work of people in the construction industry who make health and safety the foundation of everything they do.
“ABC’s annual health and safety report details how an industry-leading safety roadmap involves leadership, culture, process and results,” said Joe Xavier, ABC senior director of health and safety. “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. These results are the tangible benefits that arise from the consistent application of proven best practices in jobsite safety and total human health.”
ABC’s research on more than 1.3 billion hours of work completed by participants in the construction, heavy construction, civil engineering and specialty trades in 2025 identified the following foundations of industry-leading safety and health that reduce total recordable incident rates, or TRIR, and days away, restricted or transferred—DART rates:
- Frequency of toolbox talks: Companies that conduct daily toolbox talks reduce TRIR rates by 59% and DART rates by 61% compared to companies that hold them monthly.
- Substance abuse prevention programs: Robust substance abuse prevention programs and policies with provisions for drug and alcohol testing where permitted lead to a 55% reduction in TRIR and a 57% reduction in DART rates.
- Health and safety meetings: Clear, concise and consistent communication builds trust, culture and an understanding that every worker is empowered to keep jobsites safe. Companies that follow best practices for health and safety meetings lower TRIR by 52% and DART rates by 54%.
- Employee participation: Leaders must build strong relationships, listen actively and seek input from front-line workers on how to improve safety year after year. Companies that follow best practices on engaging the workforce reduce TRIR by 55% and DART rates by 57%.
The report also identifies six core leading indicators—systems or processes used to identify hazards and eliminate or minimize them to prevent injury:
- Planning for project health and safety
- Top leadership engagement
- Leading indicators
- Incident investigation
- Trailing indicators
- Behavior-based safety observations
“STEP can help any construction contractor reinforce its commitment to the well-being of its workforce,” said Xavier. “The 2026 Health and Safety Performance Report is a blueprint for industry leaders and workers to deliver projects safely and protect what is most important to us—our people.”
For nine years, ABC’s Health and Safety Performance Report has captured the results of ABC STEP member contractors performing real work on real projects to identify what comprises an industry-leading health and safety program. ABC member firms participating in STEP measure their safety processes and policies on key components and the criteria for best practices through a detailed questionnaire, with the goal of implementing or enhancing safety programs that reduce jobsite incident rates.
ABC’s 2026 Health and Safety Performance Report is proudly presented by DEWALT. With over 100 years of innovation, DEWALT delivers jobsite solutions that help professionals create safer, more productive workplaces. Through its Perform & Protect initiative, DEWALT engineers products that enhance safety, performance and productivity, advancing jobsite standards. As a trusted industry leader, DEWALT shares ABC’s commitment to protecting workers and promoting best practices.Any construction contractor can be a STEP participant. Visit abc.org/step to learn more.
