Correlation Between Culture, Safety, Profitability, and Growth

There is a high correlation between contractors that have consistently GREAT safety records and consistently GREAT profitability, growth, morale, and talent retention.

D. Brown Management Profile Picture
Share

About three construction workers died each day in 2017 and thousands more were injured to varying degrees. This hasn't changed much through 2022. Construction is dangerous and there is no getting around that, however we are a long way from being as safe as we could be.  

Leadership Tools: Safety Compliance will only take you so far. Graph representing correlation between compliance and culture.

We are not specialists in construction safety. We work closely with the management teams of contractors, helping them develop sustainably growing businesses. These are our observations regarding safety:

  • Contractors can only get their safety records so good (EMR +/- 0.9) through compliance activities alone, including complex sets of rules, inspections, and punishments.  
  • Contractors who have consistently GREAT (EMR < 0.7) records focus much more on training, planning, and building a culture where team members care so much about each other that they will not let each other do anything that might cause an injury.  
  • This rigorous level of high-involvement planning combined with disciplined daily execution nearly always impacts every other aspect of the business leading to GREAT performance.
  • The leaders at these companies define the culture by not tolerating bad behaviors around safety and planning which are linked as well as being larger-than-life caricatures modeling the behaviors they want. Remember the spotlight of leadership

 

Learn More:

 

Normalization of Deviance - The Biggest Safety Risk (Video Playlist)

 

 




Talent Development Quote - Jack Welch
From 1981 through 2001 under CEO Jack Welch, GE’s market cap (value) grew 18% compounded annually from $14B to $410B. A large part of this profitable growth was due to the rigor placed on their talent development processes directly from the CEO.
Different Stages of Market Growth and the Types of People Required
Every contractor will experience different stages of growth as a company and within the markets they are competing in. Understanding the different types of people required at each stage will help the contractor navigate them smoother.
Attracting and Retaining Talent: The Five Most Important Questions
To attract and retain the best talent, everyone on your team must be able to clearly answer these five questions. Your answers must be competitive with the other choices a potential new team member has.