Safety in the construction industry has traditionally been measured by hard hats, harnesses, and OSHA compliance checklists. But as the industry evolves and faces unprecedented workforce challenges, leaders are recognizing that true safety extends beyond written regulations. It means protecting not just the physical body but the whole person, including their mental health.

The construction industry continues to face serious challenges when it comes to worker well-being, with high workplace fatalities and industry-wide suicide rates. These concerns are connected. The pressures of long hours, changing job conditions, and cultural expectations to “tough it out” can take a toll on workers — contributing to stress, anxiety, and substance abuse.

Mental health has been the sleeping giant of construction safety for too long. That's changing as forward-thinking companies recognize that protecting workers' mental well-being is just as critical as a fall protection system. Despite progress, the industry’s fatal injury rate remains high, motivating safety leaders to redefine success and move beyond traditional metrics that fail to capture what truly prevents harm.

Traditional safety programs often focus heavily on visible issues such as housekeeping violations or missing personal protection equipment (PPE). While these items matter, they are not usually the cause of life‑altering injuries or fatalities. Leading companies are shifting their approach to focus on high-energy hazards, recognizing that the strategies for preventing injuries differ from those needed to prevent fatalities.

The Stuff That Can Kill You (STCKY) approach focuses on the hazards most likely to cause fatal or life-altering events. It gives field teams clear direction on what matters most by streamlining safety inspections. Rather than overwhelming superintendents with lengthy checklists, effective programs highlight key inspection categories that address the high-energy hazards common on most job sites. This targeted approach makes the process more manageable and simplifies key observation items to ensure attention goes where it’s needed most.

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Since introducing the STCKY inspection process, our organization has seen a 31 percent increase in total inspections, a 46 percent increase in safety observations — both positive and at-risk — and a 27 percent increase in near-miss reporting. These trends signal stronger engagement across teams and a growing commitment to learning from every observation. By focusing on high-energy hazards and refining inspection tools, we now have more meaningful data to guide our prevention efforts.

The key is to make inspections both comprehensive and practical. When crews understand that the focus is on hazards that could genuinely change their lives — including high falls, electrical hazards, and struck‑by incidents — they take the process more seriously and engage more fully with safety protocols.

The most successful safety cultures balance what industry experts call "hearts and minds" — the science of safety processes with the art of human connection. The "minds" aspect includes systematic approaches to proper training, streamlined inspections, and data-driven decision making. But the "hearts" component, which focuses on genuine care and human connection, is equally vital.

Real leadership engagement is more than a one-off inspection and reviewing safety metrics in meetings. It requires executives, project managers, and construction managers to regularly visit job sites for meaningful conversations and touchpoints with workers. The goal isn't to catch violations but to demonstrate genuine concern for each person's well-being. When leaders go beyond correcting ladder technique to ask why it matters, framing the stakes in terms of family and life outside the job, the conversation builds trust and keeps safety personal.

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This approach also avoids the safety cop mentality that is often incompatible with building trust and relationships. Workers respond best to leaders who solicit feedback on solving safety issues and show they genuinely care about sending everyone home safely, both physically and mentally. This creates an environment where employees feel comfortable discussing physical hazards as well as stress, fatigue, and other mental health challenges that impact job site safety.

Building a safety culture that protects minds and bodies doesn't require a complete overhaul of existing programs. Here are five immediate steps construction leaders can implement:

• Start safety conversations differently — Replace generic "be safe out there" reminders with specific check-ins. Ask workers about workload, stress levels, and whether they have the support they need to complete tasks safely. These conversations often reveal both physical and mental health concerns before they become incidents.
• Engage early with new employees — How leaders welcome and integrate new team members sets the tone for safety culture as companies grow. Taking time to understand each person’s experience level, matching them with the right mentors, and reinforcing expectations around safety and well-being builds trust from day one. When new hires feel supported rather than rushed, they’re more likely to speak up, work safely, and stay long-term.
• Schedule regular leadership presence on job sites — Commit to weekly job site visits focused on relationship-building, not just inspections. When executives and project managers spend time talking with crews about their work and their well-being, it signals that safety is a company priority, not just a department's responsibility.
• Integrate mental health into existing safety protocols — Add mental health awareness to toolbox talks, include stress management in safety orientations, and ensure employee assistance program information is readily available and regularly promoted. Workers need to know that seeking help for mental health is as acceptable as reporting a physical injury.
• Simplify and focus safety inspections — Audit current inspection processes to identify the high-energy hazards that pose the greatest risk on specific projects, then streamline checklists to focus on these critical areas.

These steps don't require major budget increases or system overhauls, but they do require commitment from leadership at every level. Companies that implement these practices see measurable improvements in safety outcomes and workforce retention. More importantly, they create environments where workers know their well-being matters as much as project deadlines and profit margins. When safety becomes a shared responsibility rather than a department mandate, the entire culture shifts toward protecting minds and bodies.

Traditional approaches to safety, focused primarily on compliance and physical hazards, are no longer sufficient for the challenges ahead. The evolution isn't just about being a better employer, though that matters. It's about building sustainable competitive advantage in an industry facing severe workforce shortages and increasing project complexity. Companies that create cultures where workers feel valued, supported, and genuinely cared for will attract and retain the talent needed to thrive. People don't want to work for an unsafe company. Word travels.

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The path forward requires balancing the art and science of safety to maintain rigorous processes and standards while fostering human connections. That means focusing resources on the hazards that matter most while creating environments where workers feel safe discussing mental health challenges. Most importantly, it means recognizing that true construction safety is about ensuring every worker goes home healthy, whole, and well in body and mind.

Jared Anderson serves as National Safety Director for Adolfson & Peterson Construction, where he oversees enterprise-level safety strategy and drives the company's Incident and Injury Free culture across all regions and projects nationwide.