7 Hidden Threats Keeping Safety Leaders Up at Night And How to Get Ahead of Them
Dragan Savic
June 11, 2025
In high-risk industries like manufacturing, construction, and steel, the role of a safety leader has never been more demanding. While regulations continue to evolve and job sites become more complex, one underlying challenge keeps surfacing:
The gap between safety responsibilities and the resources available to manage them.
This widening gap is giving rise to new threats, some obvious, others hiding in plain sight. Here are the 7 biggest issues keeping safety leaders up at night and how your organization can stay ahead of them.
1. Hidden Costs of “Good Enough” Safety
Even when incidents are avoided, poor safety practices can drain productivity, delay projects and raise insurance premiums. Worse, they can put people and your company at risk.
Recently, I met with a group of manufacturing professionals to share insights on the true costs of citations and injuries. According to OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and NSC (National Safety Council), indirect costs of an injury can be 2–10x more than the direct costs. Additionally, the impact of OSHA citations can grow exponentially given hidden and indirect costs such as work stoppage and delays, insurance premiums, legal fees, brand damage and more. Sharing this information with manufacturing and safety leaders was an eye-opening experience and led to a productive discussion about leveraging industry best practices.
Get ahead: Quantify safety’s impact on project timelines, budgets and quality. Make it part of your competitive advantage in bids and client conversations.
2. Knowledge Gaps Present New Risks
As experienced workers retire, a new generation enters the workforce, often with less industry-specific safety knowledge. The skills gap increases the potential for missteps, especially in environments with heavy machinery, high temperatures or fall hazards.
Get ahead: Pair younger workers with seasoned mentors and invest in site-specific onboarding that goes beyond check-the-box training.
3. Safety Data without Context is Just Noise
Safety leaders today have access to more data than ever, from incident reports, inspection results and near-miss logs to potential hazards, behavior observations, worker participation and risk assessments. But without the right context or tools to interpret it, that data becomes overwhelming and underutilized. Information alone doesn’t drive safety; it’s how you apply it that does.
Get ahead: Focus on turning raw data into actionable insights. Look for patterns, trends and leading indicators that tell a story about risk. Use dashboards that help connect the dots so your team isn’t just documenting safety, but actively improving it.
4. Lagging Behind in Safety Tech
Many companies still rely on paper logs or outdated software that can’t keep pace with today’s needs. Without real-time data, near-miss reporting, or digital tracking, safety managers are forced to operate reactively.
Get ahead: Explore affordable safety technology platforms that offer mobile reporting, digital inspections and compliance dashboards.
5. Overwhelmed with Compliance, Understaffed for Strategy
Daily tasks like paperwork, inspections and incident reports are eating into time that should be spent on strategic prevention and training. Many safety departments are operating with skeleton crews—especially in skilled trades—making it difficult to implement lasting improvements.
Get ahead: Outsource non-core safety functions or bring in temporary, third-party safety professionals during high-demand periods to relieve pressure on internal teams so you can maintain the highest standards and remain compliant.
6. Reactive Culture vs. Proactive Prevention
When safety culture is based on reacting to incidents instead of preventing them, companies get stuck in a loop of damage control. It’s not just inefficient—it’s dangerous.
Get ahead: Shift your focus to leading indicators, like near-misses, safety observations and behavioral audits. Track and reward proactive behaviors.
7. Safety Staffing Companies Can Help Alleviate Burnout
The people responsible for protecting your workforce are often overworked and under-recognized. With increased responsibility and limited support, burnout is a growing concern—and it can lead to critical oversights.
Get ahead: Check in regularly with your safety team, encourage professional development and rotate responsibilities to reduce fatigue. Additionally, consider augmenting your safety team with third-party safety professionals, such as those from trusted safety staffing companies. These professionals can not only provide welcome relief to your team members, but they can also fill critical gaps and provide a level of expertise and objectivity that otherwise would not be possible.
Protect your people and stay competitive
The best safety leaders don’t just respond to risks—they anticipate them. As demands grow and resources tighten, identifying and addressing these hidden threats is essential to protecting your workforce and staying competitive in the marketplace.
Want to learn how third-party safety professionals can help fill the gap?
