Handouts, Planning Tools & Training Programs

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Resources for Small Contractors

 

Pie chart showing construction payroll establishments and employees Almost 6 million U.S. construction workers work at small establishments: 2.7 million at firms with fewer than 20 employees and another 2.9 million at nonemployer establishments (independent contractors). Put another way:  the overwhelming majority (91%) of construction establishments with payroll employ fewer than 20 people.[1]

Small construction establishments often lack the formal safety and health programs found in larger ones, and workers at these firms have been found to be at greater risk for fatal work injuries than the construction workforce overall. CPWR’s April 2026 Data Bulletin reported that half of industry fatalities in 2022 occurred at establishments with fewer than 20 employees, even though small firms employ only 36.5% of payroll employees. Similarly, the nonfatal injury rate was two times higher at establishments with 1 to 10 employees than those with 1,000 or more employees.

CPWR’s work to improve the safety and health of construction workers includes a particular interest in those most at-risk. Many of our resources, all of which are free, are specifically designed to support small employers, such as recognizing the time and cost restraints they face.

CPWR materials that have been helpful to smaller contractors include:

  • Contractor Tip Sheet for Safe Manual Materials Handling ‒ Best Built Plans is a program that provides contractors with practical tools and information to plan for safe materials handling – especially to prevent musculoskeletal disorders — while staying productive and profitable. This tip sheet covers the basics from the full Best Built Plans program and can be used by contractors to guide their planning and training activities.
  • Foundations for Safety Leadership for Residential Construction (FSL4Res)‒ This training program provides construction foremen and other lead workers with the skills to become effective safety leaders. It was designed to meet the unique safety issues found in the residential construction sector, particularly fall hazards.
  • Hazard Alert Cards – Hazard Alerts are short, image-driven materials that deliver simple, direct messages for protection against safety and health hazards faced by construction workers.
  • Heat Illness Prevention Planning ‒ The overall Heat Illness Prevention Program Checklist helps contractors and crew leaders develop a heat illness prevention program; a daily pre-task/pre-shift checklist helps implementation of various elements of the overall program depending on each day and job site. The main webpage includes additional resources and information that correspond directly to these checklists.
  • Planning Program to Prevent Struck-by Incidents ‒ A planning tool to help contractors think through specific struck-by hazards that may be present on their job sites before work begins and make a pre-job plan. It also includes a series of nudges that can be used to influence employees’ pre-shift or pre-task planning decisions.
  • Pre-Task Planning (PTP) Guidelines and Resources ‒ Pre-task planning (PTP) is a process performed before each task starts to discuss the steps of work, potential hazards, and available controls. To help contractors design, implement, assess, and continuously improve their PTP process, CPWR has developed a comprehensive PTP package, including checklists, templates, and practical examples.
  • Safety Climate Assessment Tool for Small Contractors (S-CATsc) ‒ Contractors can use the S-CATsc to conduct a simple needs assessment of their company’s safety climate, select and implement appropriate tools to strengthen it, and engage in continuous safety climate improvement (available in English and Spanish).
  • Stop Construction Falls: Small Contractor Resources ‒ Resources for small contractors to plan their fall prevention and protection program (also available in Spanish).
  • Toolbox Talks – CPWR maintains a collection of 80 free toolbox talks for use during training or pre-shift meetings. New topics are added on an ongoing basis.
  • Work Safely with Silica ‒ A one-stop source of information on how to prevent a silica hazard and protect workers. Includes an easy-to-use planning tool to help contractors comply with the requirement for a written exposure control plan under OSHA’s Silica Standards.
  • Data on Small Contractors – CPWR’s Data Center has examined the role of small contractors several times. The Interactive Construction Chart Book offers Data Dashboards on Payroll Establishments and Nonemployer Establishments. Recent issues of the CPWR Data Bulletin offer important information about conditions at small firms: Fatal and Nonfatal Falls in the U.S Construction Industry, 2011-2022 (March 2024) and Small Establishments in Construction: Employment, Injuries, and Training (April 2026).

 

CPWR’s Roundtable on Reaching Small Contractors and Workers at Disproportionate Risk was established to help address the safety and health needs of small contractors and at-risk workers. It engages researchers and industry professionals through ongoing discussions and projects to identify and overcome barriers to getting critical safety and health information, tools, and resources into the hands of small employers and their workers. Currently CPWR is working on a project that examines the use of grassroots outreach methods in a local area to better reach smaller contractors, especially in residential construction.

[1] Trueblood, A.B., Harris, W., Dufoe, D., Yohannes, T., & Brooks, R.D. (2025). The Construction Chart Book 7th edition. CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training. www.cpwr.com/research/data-center/the-construction-chart-book/