Construction safety programs face a fundamental challenge: they are typically designed for predictable, routine operations, yet many serious incidents occur when work deviates from normal patterns. Industry experts warn that non-routine work—including emergency repairs, schedule recovery efforts, night or weekend shifts, weather-related delays, and equipment breakdowns—has become one of the most dangerous and overlooked risk factors on modern construction jobsites.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration's hazard identification guidance specifically notes that emergency and non-routine or infrequent tasks pose distinct hazards that must be identified and managed through planning and procedures. "Non-routine work isn't rare; it's inevitable," said Cory Sherman, CEO of Safety Systems Management. "These situations disrupt assumptions, compress timelines, and force crews to adapt quickly, often under significant pressure."
One primary reason safety breaks down during non-routine work is the mismatch between static safety planning and the constantly changing nature of construction sites. Safety plans and pre-task assessments are typically created based on expected conditions. When real-world conditions deviate, sometimes rapidly, the gap between plan and practice can widen dangerously. "During non-routine scenarios, crews may rush to recover lost time, supervisors may be stretched thin, and communication channels can fragment," noted Sherman. "Under these conditions, even experienced workers may fail to recognize how risk profiles have shifted."
Added pressure from tight deadlines, cost overruns, or unexpected disruptions can further influence decision-making. Steps normally considered non-negotiable may be skipped "just this once," and informal communication may replace structured briefings, often with serious consequences. When conditions change quickly, communication often struggles to keep pace. On large or multi-employer jobsites, not everyone receives the same information simultaneously. Subcontractors may continue working under outdated assumptions, unaware that adjacent work has changed or new hazards have been introduced.
Ironically, experienced workers can be especially vulnerable during non-routine tasks—not because they lack skill, but because familiarity can breed overconfidence. Non-routine work often appears familiar on the surface while concealing critical differences, such as altered schedules, new crews, different equipment, or changed site conditions. Without deliberate reassessment, these differences may go unnoticed until an incident occurs.
As construction projects grow more complex—with larger sites, tighter schedules, fragmented workforces, extreme weather events, supply chain disruptions, and ongoing labor shortages—non-routine work is becoming more common, not less. Consequently, safety systems designed primarily for predictable conditions are being tested more frequently. Addressing non-routine safety risks does not require reinventing safety programs but expanding them. Leading contractors are placing increased emphasis on pause points when work conditions change, re-briefings when schedules or crews shift, clear escalation protocols during unexpected events, and faster, site-wide communication loops across all trades.
"The goal is not to eliminate non-routine work—an impossibility in construction—but to recognize it as a high-risk phase that demands heightened attention," Sherman stated. "Construction safety rarely fails because people stop caring. It fails when systems built for predictability collide with reality." For more information about safety systems, visit the SSM website.
