The Real Cost of Safety: A Key Takeaway from the 2026 CBIZ New England Construction Summit

October 2026

At Construx Co., safety is more than a requirement on a job site. It’s a responsibility to every person who steps onto a project, and to the families, coworkers and communities counting on them to return home safely each day.

On Sept. 29, Construx Co. President Larry Mason attended the 2026 CBIZ New England Construction Summit at the Omni New Haven at Yale alongside Sarah Wadle of First Position Media. The annual event brought together construction leaders from across the region for a day of practical insights, peer discussion and meaningful connections focused on the issues shaping the future of the industry.

This year’s program covered a wide range of topics facing contractors today, including economic uncertainty, workforce challenges, technology and AI, succession planning, ownership transitions and enterprise value. But for Larry and Sarah, one session stood out: “The Real Cost of Safety,” presented by Richard McElhaney, CSP, CRIS, MS.

Drawing on more than 35 years in the health and safety field, McElhaney explored the impact a workplace injury can have far beyond the individual involved. His presentation included a powerful and emotional account of an injury that occurred on one of his projects after established safety protocols were not followed. The story was a sobering reminder that the consequences of a job-site accident extend well beyond an incident report. An injury can affect an employee’s life, their family, their coworkers and an entire company.

McElhaney also returned to one of the construction industry’s longstanding safety tools: the Job Safety Analysis (JSA). Used before work begins, a JSA helps teams identify the hazards associated with a task and determine the steps needed to perform that work safely. While JSAs have been used for decades, McElhaney emphasized that familiarity can sometimes lead to complacency.

That message resonated with us. In construction, experience is invaluable, but it can never replace preparation. A task that has been completed hundreds of times still deserves the same attention to safety as the first. Taking a few extra minutes to identify potential hazards, communicate expectations and make sure everyone understands the plan can have an impact that lasts far beyond the project itself.

Safety also depends on culture. Procedures and checklists matter, but they are most effective when every member of a team feels responsible for following them, speaking up and looking out for the people working beside them. For Construx, that responsibility is fundamental to how we approach our work. Every successful project depends on the people who make it possible, from our own team and subcontractors to our clients and project partners. Protecting those people must always come first.

Events like the CBIZ New England Construction Summit give us an opportunity to step outside the day-to-day demands of our projects, learn from the experiences of others and bring those lessons back to our own teams and job sites. This year, one lesson was especially clear: the true value of safety isn’t measured only in statistics or compliance — it’s measured in people.