Central Insurance Blog

Technical skill and experience are essential in construction, yet reputation may be the most valuable asset in a contractor’s toolbox. One lapse in judgment on a jobsite can ripple, shaping how general contractors, clients, regulators, and prospective employees view your company. Often, the lasting damage has little to do with the severity of the mistake; it comes from what risky behavior suggests about your culture, accountability, and professionalism.

Here, Josh Buckley, loss control construction consultant at Central Insurance, dives into why risky behaviors on the jobsite can influence far more than a single safety metric.

When Small Decisions Become Big Liabilities

Construction moves quickly. Deadlines are tight, tasks shift throughout the day, and workers may not always recognize the broader consequences of what feels like a minor shortcut.

For example, a supervisor might encourage someone to climb without fall protection because the task seems quick, a crew member might toss loose tools into a truck for a short drive across the site, or a laborer might help operate equipment without proper training. These choices may seem harmless in the moment, but they expose the company to genuine safety risks and severe public scrutiny. 

The Bottom Line: Risky behavior reflects on an entire organization, not just the individual behind it.

“We live in a time where reputation carries as much weight as results,” Buckley says. “Clients evaluate not only what you do but how you do it. One act of carelessness can undermine the trust it took years to earn.”

More Than Just an Abstract Risk

While some risk safety managers may consider their employees unsusceptible to such mistakes, a recent national news story highlights just how often this kind of behavior occurs on jobsites, with or without leadership’s knowledge.

Recently, undercover investigators captured Boston-area construction workers drinking at bars during their lunch breaks before returning to active jobsites. Suspensions followed, along with heightened concern about the company’s oversight and professionalism. 

In this case, what began as poor choices by a few employees became a public liability for the contractor, potentially impacting future opportunities and client relationships.

Social Media: An Amplifier of Risky Behavior

Reputational damage is not limited to the field. Social media increases the speed and scale of exposure. For example, a California medical clinic recently faced intense public backlash and was forced to terminate multiple employees after a viral TikTok showed staff mocking patients. 

This example illustrates how quickly trust can erode once bad behavior goes public.

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The Hidden Costs of Risky Behavior

Not every lapse in judgment results in an injury, but even a near-miss can have consequences. Work pauses while you address hazards. Crews become distracted. Delays put pressure on timelines and relationships. 

Insurance costs often mirror a similar pattern. When safety culture weakens, the data reflects it. Insurance carriers may raise premiums or narrow eligibility when preventable incidents increase, training records appear incomplete, or supervision is inconsistent. Even minor behavioral issues can signal much larger operational concerns.

Risk-taking patterns often reflect deeper challenges, such as rushed onboarding, unclear expectations, or leadership that fails to reinforce safe choices. If you don’t address these issues, employees hesitate to speak up, experienced talent leaves, and the likelihood of a serious accident increases.

“Repeat risky behavior is not only a safety matter, but it’s also a financial concern,” Buckley explains. “From a risk management standpoint, those choices can increase claim severity, drive up a company’s MOD, and impact their coverage options.”

Why Risky Behavior Impacts More Than Just Safety Scores

Reputation isn’t just a matter of perception; it plays a direct role in determining a business’s insurability. Underwriters evaluate how an organization responds to incidents. If preventable injuries or behavioral red flags are identified in claims, inspection reports, or documentation reviews, carriers take note. Even a single incident can introduce additional obstacles at renewal, leading businesses to possibly encounter higher deductibles, narrower terms, or coverage challenges.

Contractors in high-hazard trades feel this pressure more than most. When chasing competitive commercial work, credibility becomes a differentiator. A strong safety reputation can open doors. A questionable one can close them quickly.

The opposite is also true. Underwriters gain confidence in leadership and the existing controls when a company demonstrates accountability, takes timely corrective action, and proactively enhances safety. The result is more competitive pricing and a wider range of overage options. 

Building A Better Workplace Safety Culture

Reducing behavior-based risk is an ongoing and active effort. Contractors who achieve the best results have built cultures where three things are true:

1. Expectations are clear
2. Accountability is shared
3. Feedback is an integral part of everyday work 

In these cases, achieving risk mitigation is not a goal; it’s a daily practice. 

“Culture and accountability must be part of your safety program,” Buckley says. “It is not only about equipment or checklists.”

To accomplish this, he emphasizes that leaders must transform issues and accidents on the job into teachable moments. Here, he outlines four steps toward implementing this approach: 

Step 1: After a near miss or shortcut, hold a quick debrief that clarifies what happened and why it matters. When a story is shared, the entire crew learns from a single situation.

Step 2: Look beyond the behavior itself and ask why it occurred. A missed step might not reflect defiance. It might reflect unclear training or pressure to meet a deadline. Understanding the motive helps guide the proper correction.

Step 3: Model professional conduct at the supervisor level. Employees tend to emulate what they see, so a leader who prioritizes safety has a greater influence on behavior than a written policy.

Step 4: Make positive habits visible. When workers speak up, help each other, or take the safer option even when it is slower, leaders acknowledge it. Production gets praise in most companies. Safety deserves that same visibility.

When Coverage and Conduct Intersect

Insurance can help protect your business when the unexpected happens, but it can’t undo reputational damage. Still, your policies play a critical role in managing the financial impact of behavioral risk.

Here are four essential policies all contractors should consider investing in, and how employee behavior comes into play:

1. Workers’ Compensation: Workers’ Compensation pays for medical care and lost wages when an employee is injured on the job. If a new hire ignores a ladder protocol and falls, for instance, your carrier may cover the claim, and the employee would receive support. However, your MOD score and premium could increase because of that preventable loss. Also, if the employee was impaired or violating your substance use policy, the claim may be denied depending on your documentation and state laws.

2. General Liability: General liability protects the business when a third party is harmed. If debris is tossed from a roof and injures a passerby, the policy can respond to the claim. If the act was intentional, such as a physical altercation, the carrier may deny coverage. 

3. Professional Liability: Professional liability supports the business when an oversight or failure to follow procedure causes financial harm. If you don’t document a change order and the delay results in a client dispute, for instance, coverage may respond. If the situation involved deliberate misrepresentation, it may not qualify as a covered loss.

4. Employment Practices Liability (EPL): EPL supports the business when a harassment or discrimination claim arises. If a supervisor makes inappropriate remarks and a former employee files a complaint, EPL can help with legal defense and settlement. If you ignore multiple complaints or leaders fail to address known issues, an insurer may reduce coverage or decline to renew it.

Insurance can help a company recover its tangible assets. Rebuilding trust is far more difficult. Training, active supervision, and swift course correction protect people first. They also protect the business’s reputation and long-term viability.

The Central Difference

Risky behavior rarely comes from bad intentions. More often, it appears when expectations are unclear, pressure is high, or leaders lack the tools to guide safer choices. Central’s loss control consultants work directly with contractors to strengthen communication, reinforce accountability, and support decision-making that keeps jobs moving safely.

We go beyond basic compliance checks. We look for the behavioral patterns and cultural pressures that may create exposure. We then collaborate with your team to introduce practical training resources, coaching strategies, and consistent follow-through that help workers make more informed choices every day.

A safer culture protects your people and the reputation you depend on to win the next job. If you want a partner who helps reduce risk where it begins, talk with your independent agent about how Central can support your continued success.