New Study Highlights Top Safety Challenges in Construction Industry

The J. J. Keller Center for Market Insights in collaboration with the American Society of Safety Professionals has released their 2025 Construction Industry Safety Challenges study.

This benchmark report gives construction professionals a clearer picture of today’s most pressing safety and compliance issues and how these issues are affecting jobsite practices and overall performance.

Key industry insights

• Labor shortages (38%), rising material costs (35%) and jobsite safety (32%) were the top three challenges cited by respondents
• 54% reported that inconsistent wear by workers was the greatest challenge to PPE practices
• 51% take employee mental health only “somewhat seriously” or “not at all seriously”
• 48% were “somewhat confident” to “not confident at all” with how current training prepares employees to perform the job safely and in compliance with regulations
• 38% lack a proactive approach to safety and regulatory compliance.

The full study is available for free to the public at the ASSP website.

“Improving safety in construction requires current data to help us better understand the obstacles that safety professionals face every day,” said Ray Chishti, senior EHS editor at J. J. Keller & Associates. “Real-world insights are essential for building safer, healthier jobsites; this study provides a critical picture of where the industry stands and where it needs to go to strengthen safety cultures.”

The study covers areas ranging from the greatest safety and compliance challenges to top unmet needs, approaches to safety performance, PPE usage, training program initiatives, advanced technology adoption and employee mental health and wellness.

“In an industry where safety risks are prominent, understanding the unique challenges faced by construction professionals is critical for creating a safer future,” added Gabriel Atencio, CSP, CHST, STSC, administrator of the Construction Practice Specialty member community at ASSP. “This study uncovers the current conditions in order to spark essential conversations and drive meaningful change toward a safer working environment for everyone involved.”