A commercial roofing company had a serious problem:
Too many injuries.
Too many insurance claims.
Too many near misses.
And not enough accountability.
Leadership was frustrated. Crews were burned out.
But instead of rolling out more rules or cracking down harder, they tried something different.
They brought in a behavioral science team—not to scare people straight, but to truly understand what was happening on the ground.
Here’s what they did:
- Observed workers in the field.
No surveys. No assumptions. Just real behavior, in real time. - Used a simple checklist to score safety behaviors.
Each crew received a weekly percent safe score. - Left handwritten feedback in the foreman’s truck.
Not critiques—positive notes highlighting specific improvements.
At first, the foreman hated it.
He assumed the scores were just another way to punish his team.
He didn’t want to be the guy caught in the crosshairs.
But something changed.
Once he realized:
- The goal was improvement, not punishment
- The data wasn’t being used to blame or single anyone out
- Progress—no matter how small—was being celebrated.
…he got on board.
Not just passively—actively.
He started sharing scores with his team every day.
He brought Gatorade and fruit when they hit their goals.
He cheered their progress.
And here’s what happened:
- Injuries went down.
- Claims decreased.
- And morale and accountability went up.
The takeaway?
Feedback works—when it’s safe, specific, and tied to progress.
Most teams want to do a good job.
They just need:
- Clear expectations
- A way to track improvement
- And support that feels like encouragement—not surveillance
You don’t have to choose between accountability and culture.
When you do it right, they grow together.
