By: Courtney Lynch

According to the Q3 Commercial Construction Index, a survey generated by the USG Corporation and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, safety is at the forefront of concerns of contractors working in the commercial construction industry. Contributing to safety concerns are an aging workforce, complexity of projects, shorter construction schedules, and a lack of workers with sufficient skills.

Although the future of the industry is looking bright, with many contractors reporting a large backlog of work in the pipeline, more work equates to a need for more workers, and the availability of skilled workers is a concern. More than half of all contractors plan to increase their workforce over the next six months, a finding true across firms of all sizes and across all four regions of the U.S.

At the same time, more than half of all contractors report difficulty in filling their growing workforce needs with skilled workers, a number that holds true for general contractors and increases for those in trades. Ultimately, increasing workforce needs and a lack of skilled workers have left contractors in the commercial construction industry concerned about how these factors will impact safety on the jobsite, with four out of five contractors (a high 80%) moderately concerned or high/very highly concerned about the safety risks created by workforce shortages.

Discover more statistics concerning commercial construction in the Q3 Commercial Construction Index.

Learn how the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) recently awarded grants are assisting in the education of both workers and employers in safety and health training in OSHA's October 1, 2018 National News Release.