Workplace safety incidents are rising—and how safety leadership training can help

Struggling with rising workplace incidents in your operation? You’re not alone—and we’re breaking down what’s behind the trend and how smart safety training can help you turn things around.

Over the past few months, the numbers have been hard to ignore: workplace safety incidents are climbing again in the United States. According to recent OSHA and industry data, sectors like construction, manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare have all reported an uptick in injuries and near-misses in early 20251.

What’s driving this trend? It's not just one factor—but a combination of familiar challenges and new complications that are stretching safety systems thin.  

The strain beneath the surface

Across industries, we're seeing:

  • Labor shortages that force companies to onboard less-experienced workers quickly
  • Increased automation and new technologies that aren’t always accompanied by proper training
  • Tight deadlines on infrastructure projects that can push safety to the backburner
  • A slow slide back into “check-the-box” safety culture instead of true ownership

In logistics and warehousing, workers are navigating tight spaces alongside robotic equipment—and incidents involving forklifts or lifting injuries are rising. In healthcare, physical and even emotional strain is contributing to higher injury rates among frontline staff.

All of this points to one truth: our systems are stressed, and leadership needs to step in differently than before.

Man driving forklift

Moving from compliance to commitment

One of the clearest ways to reverse this trend is to strengthen safety culture at its core—not just through policies, but through people. That’s where training like DNV’s Creating Safety Leadership course becomes a game-changer.

This course doesn’t just teach safety policies—it helps leaders:

  • Lead by example
  • Influence frontline behavior
  • Create environments where safety conversations are normal—not awkward
  • Take ownership instead of relying on a single “safety person”

When paired with DNV’s Incident Investigation Training and ISO 45001 Foundation & Internal Auditor Course, your team is equipped to:

  • Prevent incidents—not just react to them
  • Understand what’s really causing injuries (and stop repeating mistakes)
  • Build a management system that supports safety continuously—not just during audits

Safety as a strategic investment

It’s easy to see safety as a cost center. But done right, it delivers measurable returns:

  • Fewer incidents = lower insurance and compensation costs
  • Higher morale and employee retention
  • Improved reputation and readiness to win contracts with ISO 45001 certification

In a year when incident rates are rising, the cost of not training your team could far outweigh the investment.

If you’re ready to rebuild your safety foundation with real leadership, investigation skills, and international best practices, check out these training options and enroll today:

Creating Safety Leadership Course
Incident Investigation Training
ISO 45001 Foundation & Internal Auditor Training

 

  1Sources include preliminary trends from OSHA Enforcement Activity Reports (2025), Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Q4 2024 release on workplace injuries, and industry updates from the National Safety Council (NSC), American Nurses Association (ANA), and the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). These early indicators highlight rising incident rates across key sectors including construction, logistics, and healthcare in the first quarter of 2025.  

5/26/2025 3:07:00 PM