The construction industry has seen a 1.6% decrease in global whistleblowing reports, according to Safecall’s Benchmark Report 2025, equivalent to an average of 1 report for every 330 employees.
When looking at the latest reports we can see:
- Over half of whistleblowing reports have been submitted via the web (52%), and 45% are made over the phone
- Phone reports are significantly higher than the average (29%), which could be due to construction being a more traditional industry with workers having inconsistent access to an online platform, especially if they’re in a field-based role
- 56% of reports are HR issues (includes bullying, discrimination, modern slavery and unfair treatment)
- 19% of whistleblowing reports are about dishonest behaviour (includes bribery, corruption, fraud, and theft)
- 15% are about health and safety (includes general safety, product contamination and substance abuse)
- 10% are general (includes data protection, regulatory compliance, failure to act on a previous report, policy, and corporate governance)
- 60% of whistleblowers have a preference to remain anonymous, with 27% choosing to be named
Joanna Lewis, Managing Director at Safecall, comments: “Even more so than many other sectors, wrongdoing within the construction industry can have disastrous - and even deadly - consequences. Beyond financial implications, not blowing the whistle on unsafe work behaviour can jeopardise the health and safety of employees, workers and beyond.
“This is why clear and visible whistleblowing processes are imperative - they allow employers to flag things which may be too complicated, too tricky, or simply absent in existing legislation. Only once workers feel they can report incidents with confidence can the construction industry operate safely, prioritising the health of organisations, workers and others within the supply chain.”
