In the last 16 years, more fatalities have occurred in construction than in any other industry. Not only are workers on construction sites vulnerable to incidents with heavy machinery or working at height, but their exposure to dangerous materials can pose health risks if proper care is not taken. In a recent study of individuals who worked in the construction industry until retirement age, more than 50% of respondents reported hearing impairment.
Of non-fatal on-the-job injuries, nearly 40% cause the injured worker to take time off of work to recover. In 2022, sick or injured construction workers missed a total of 24.2 million hours of work. Absent workers lead to decreased productivity and increased strain on the rest of the crew to accommodate project needs with fewer hands. Not to mention the cost of unsafe practices at construction sites from failed safety inspections: The average OSHA penalty fee per inspection was $2,697 between 2011 and 2020.
Jobsite dangers create intense pressures on frontline supervisors, who are the flag bearers for safety on projects. It is their job to ensure everything gets done safely while also ensuring quality and pushing to achieve aggressive timelines—a set of pressures that are so often in conflict with one another. Those conflicting demands create pressure for frontline supervisors to be almost superhuman. The result? Many of these critical team members feel isolated and burdened with high levels of stress.
These feelings are intensified due to what can be an unforgiving work environment, where there are harsh consequences when mistakes happen. This type of environment often creates a pervasive fear of repercussions that discourages these supervisors from identifying areas for improvement, being truly candid, admitting mistakes and offering solutions. It’s a natural reaction to a culture that doesn’t reward transparency, humility and the desire to make improvements. Instead, mistakes can be swept under the rug, undermining safety, quality and project success in the process.
It is time for the construction industry to look more closely at a culture that places such unrealistic expectations on frontline supervisors—and it’s also time destigmatize acknowledging mistakes, because that is exactly what is needed to improve safety, increase quality and so much more.
The Frontliners program, recently launched by Compass Datacenters, provides a blueprint for how the industry can change those dynamics and create a culture where frontline supervisors are set up to succeed, and where humility provides the foundation for a much stronger focus on increasing safety. The program is built around some simple but groundbreaking questions:
What could I have done differently last week?
What can I do to make the jobsite and our processes safer?
What can I do differently to eliminate error?
What can I do differently to manage the stress I am feeling in my role?
What can I do differently to better support my crew’s mental health?
For anyone who has spent time on jobsites, these questions will feel seismic. They ask industry leaders, including critical jobsite leaders like frontline supervisors, to embrace humility rather than continue trying—unsuccessfully—to be superhuman. Rachel Neal, who oversees global safety for Compass and who designed the Frontliners program, captures it perfectly: “Can you imagine a climate in the construction industry where frontline supervision is celebrated for talking openly about their vulnerabilities and things they could do differently to create a safer worksite? We encourage participants to ask questions which may appear simple, but are groundbreaking for the construction industry. People and organizations both grow when they acknowledge failures and learn.”
When frontliners are encouraged by upper management to reflect on these issues and speak openly, they are empowered to be stronger advocates not only for safety, but also for quality, innovation and productivity. This approach to jobsite leadership eliminates the tension that has always existed between safety and business goals, opening dialogues that lead to increases in productivity, better quality, more efficient jobsites and ultimately, more profitability.
The Frontliners program provides a blueprint not only for improving safety, but also for addressing the construction industry’s mental-health crisis. A 2022 CDC study reported that the suicide rate among construction workers is more than four times greater than the national average—the second highest of all industries. This statistic is a loud warning bell for the industry.
The CDC cited the stress of construction workplaces as a major contributor to these statistics. Working on jobsites is physically demanding and dangerous, with high-risk tasks that must be completed on stringent deadlines. Working on a construction site also often requires long commutes and lengthy absences from family and friends. Shift-work systems, job uncertainty and the cyclical dips in the construction industry all contribute to the intense stress placed on workers.
Contractors need to be intentional about reducing worksite stressors, and create and nurture environments where people are not repressing stress. Compass’ Frontliners Program is designed to accomplish both of those goals by encouraging the hard conversations. These open dialogues are a huge step forward for safety and mental health in our industry, while also serving as catalysts for innovation, quality and speed.
