Report: Job Site Safety Lagging Among Smaller Homebuilders

A recent academic study reveals that small residential construction companies contribute disproportionately to the annual fatalities in the construction sector. However, there are opportunities to enhance jobsite safety through more intentional communication, particularly with subcontractors, and by incorporating safety buffers into project timelines.

Researchers from the University of Hawaii and Oregon State University conducted interviews with owners, managers, and workers at residential construction firms, followed by site visits to assess the adherence to safety policies and identify any discrepancies between policy, practice, and enforcement.

The research seeks to clarify why smaller construction firms, defined as those with fewer than 20 employees, are responsible for approximately 50% of all construction fatalities while employing around one-third of the U.S. residential construction workforce, and why these statistics have remained stagnant over the years despite a collective emphasis on safety within the industry.

Initially, researchers needed to identify the differences in operations between smaller jobsites and larger, development-scale jobsites.

“A critical component to reducing injuries and fatalities in residential construction is understanding the realities of how homes are built,” said JSI Executive Director Rob Matuga. “This research shines a light on the unique challenges facing residential builders, remodelers, subcontractors and small construction businesses.”

Homebuilders, Time & More

Schedule pressure influences every decision made on a home construction site, including those related to safety. For smaller companies, schedule pressure is not merely an operational challenge; it is described as “the arithmetic of survival” in the study.

A specialty framing contractor shared with researchers that his company adheres to the belief that “every day on one job is a day not on the next.” During a visit to an active job site with this firm, the pressure was evident in the rapid pace of the workers, who continued framing even in the rain due to scheduling demands.

Overall, eight out of the nine firms that participated in site visits for the study identified schedule pressure as the most significant operational stressor impacting safety. While production builders experience similar schedule pressures as smaller builders, they benefit from additional resources, such as increased manpower, to expedite their projects.

The research indicated that safety within small enterprises is more personal than programmatic. Although the implementation of written safety programs and the commitment of owners to safety are prevalent, the primary issue lies in the disparity between the values of company owners and the actual experiences of workers on-site.

A portion of the problem is structural in nature. Typically, the company owner assumes multiple roles, including estimator, project manager, crew leader, and safety officer. Often, there is no dedicated safety personnel, no human resources department, and no training division as is common among larger production builders.

Research on safety culture supports the notion that commitment from owners or leadership is essential for fostering a positive safety culture; however, this commitment alone is insufficient. A culture of safety must be reinforced through structural means, including systems, expectations, and on-site accountability that remain effective even in the absence of the company owner.

The management of subcontractors represents the weakest link in the safety chain, and the organizational structure of small construction firms complicates efforts to address this issue. While contractual safety provisions are included in agreements, their enforcement is infrequent. Smaller home builders, who rely heavily on subcontracted labor, find it particularly challenging to enforce safety standards among these subcontractors due to job site staffing limitations and difficulties in sourcing replacement subcontractors.

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