Safety trend review: read patterns without jumping to conclusions on construction sites

The practical starting point

For your subcontractor crews, use this guidance with the current work phase, trade responsibilities and approved procedures in view. Keep your safety manager involved in record reviews and follow-up. This guidance supports record keeping and coordination, not technical authorization to carry out the work.

A safety trend review compares recorded concerns and action progress across sites, then asks what the pattern means. Report counts are an input to discussion, not a complete measure of safety performance.

Choose a fair comparison

Sites can differ in activity, workforce, work phase and reporting participation. An increase in recorded concerns might reflect more hazards, better reporting or both. State the context and questions rather than presenting a count as proof of a conclusion.

Prepare the review

• Choose the period and sites.
• Review recurring concern topics.
• Check action progress and overdue work.
• Note changes in activity or reporting practices.

Example: a site with more reports

One site records more slip concerns than another. Before concluding that it performs worse, ask about site conditions, reporting participation and the work phase. Look at the records and follow-up together, then speak with the site team about what needs attention.

Turn discussion into owned follow-up

Use this checklist with the people responsible for the work. Adapt the review to your site procedures rather than treating a generic list as authorization to proceed.

• Document what is observed and what is still uncertain.
• Identify the records supporting the discussion.
• Assign a person to investigate unanswered questions.
• Review whether the agreed follow-up was completed.