Where Safety Is Headed in 2026: Insights from the Safety Community

Earlier this year, we asked our students, members, and social media audience where they believe safety should be headed in 2026. The feedback was consistent. The future of safety is focused on people, participation, and prevention.

Improving safety culture and employee engagement emerged as the top priority, selected by approximately 80% of respondents. Increasing leadership accountability and enhancing training programs also ranked highly. Together, these results point to a continued shift toward strengthening behaviors and systems that prevent incidents before they occur.

Building a culture that shows up every day

Safety culture is not defined by written policies alone. It is reflected in what happens on the job each day.

Respondents emphasized the importance of engagement at the front line. Organizations are looking to create environments where employees are actively involved in safety through conversations, observations, and shared responsibility. The goal is to make safety visible, practical, and part of everyday work.

Participation is becoming a key measure of success

This shift is also reflected in how organizations plan to measure performance.

About 74% of respondents identified employee safety participation as a key performance indicator for 2026. This places participation ahead of traditional lagging metrics and reinforces the idea that engagement is a leading driver of safety outcomes.

A growing focus on leading indicators

Respondents also highlighted the leading indicators they plan to focus on in 2026. The top selections included:

• Safety observations, selected by about 60% of respondents
• Near-miss reporting, selected by about 50%
• Job hazard analysis, also identified by a significant portion of respondents

These indicators help identify risks before incidents occur. They give organizations the opportunity to act earlier, strengthen controls, and share lessons learned across teams.

Priority risk areas for 2026

The survey also pointed to where organizations are focusing their risk reduction efforts.

Slips, trips, and falls ranked as the top concern, identified by most respondents. Contractor safety management and ergonomic injuries followed as key areas of focus.

These risks are common across many industries and continue to present opportunities for improvement through better planning, clearer expectations, and consistent execution.

The role of leadership

Strong safety performance depends on visible leadership.

Respondents emphasized the need for leaders to be more engaged through regular walk-throughs, clear accountability, and consistent follow-through. At the same time, there is recognition that expectations must be supported with the right resources, tools, and time to be effective.

How success will be measured

When asked how success would be measured in 2026, responses reflected a balanced approach.

Employee perception of safety culture ranked highest, followed closely by improvements in leading indicators and completion of safety initiatives. This reinforces a broader view of performance that values both outcomes and the actions that drive them.

Looking ahead

Based on this feedback, several trends are emerging for 2026:

• Greater emphasis on employee participation and engagement
• Increased use of leading indicators to guide decisions
• Targeted efforts to address slips, trips, and falls, contractor safety, and ergonomics
• Continued focus on strengthening leadership involvement and accountability

Thank you to everyone who shared their perspective. These insights provide a clear view of where the safety profession is headed and what organizations are prioritizing in the year ahead.