October 2025 Safety Roundup

This blog series serves as a monthly highlight of recent news/updates in the safety industry, including airport, construction, events, and general safety news.

To keep you informed about recent and current safety highlights, we’ve compiled some of the most pertinent updates and national stories here to keep you updated on all things safety.

This month, we’ll highlight how data centers are front and center in the construction world (and what contractors have to keep an eye out for), how global air travel is forecasted to reach a large milestone in the coming years, 2026’s top construction conferences on the docket, and the impact social media can have on helping with crowd safety. 

In OTW news, we’ll remind you about our Annual Photo and Video Contest (it’s not too late to enter!) and our new Crowd Control Weights (coming very soon).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Table of Contents

1 – For data center contracts, it’s all about the fine print

2 – Global air travel forecasted to reach 9.8 billion passengers in 2025, nearing the historic 10 billion milestone

3 – The impact social media has in assisting with crowd safety at events

4 – 2026’s top construction conferences

5 – Construction Inclusion Week was October 13-17, 2025

6 – OTW News and Featured Products

For data center contracts, it’s all about the fine print

While data center contracts are exploding in popularity in the construction world, accepting these contracts actually comes with a surprising amount of fine print to read. Billions of dollars are being invested in these projects, and each center has highly specific rules, sophisticated power and infrastructure needs, and unique equipment requirements in order to function properly. So while cashing a big check from a data center contract might seem like a simple enough endeavor, landing the right contract can be a much more difficult process.  

Global air travel forecasted to reach 9.8 billion passengers in 2025, nearing the historic 10 billion milestone

Millions of passengers take flight every single day, and it’s obvious that the upward trend in numbers will continue. This year, air travel is forecasted to reach a whopping 9.8 billion passengers served. Airports Council International (ACI) World’s newly released World Airport Traffic Report (WATR) draws from over 2,800 airports globally, drawing a fairly accurate picture of overall forecasted numbers. 2025’s projected numbers are a 3.7% growth from those of 2024, with Asia-Pacific, Europe, and North America clocking the largest numbers of passengers. 

The impact social media has in assisting with crowd safety at events

Now more than ever, event attendees are checking social media before they visit a venue to check the vibes, find out what’s on the menu, and find the best seats and views. People also post in real-time, giving play-by-plays of the events unfolding and keeping those who couldn’t attend updated. This can also be a valuable resource for event organizers, as current and highly relevant information about a specific venue can greatly assist with crowd management. When organizers can see what is being posted in real time (both in video and picture format and in worded updates), they can better leverage this information in order to minimize any risk. 

2026’s top construction conferences

Construction Dive has compiled a list of industry conferences and expos that are on the docket for 2026. These events can help contractors and industry professionals navigate an ever-changing landscape in the construction space – AI in construction, sustainability initiatives, and other technologies, to name a few. The conferences and expos span the nation, but here are a few notable ones to keep an eye on. 

•  The Associated General Contractors of America Convention – March 24-26, Orlando, Florida
• Building Innovation Conference – May 18-20, Tysons Corner, Virginia
• National Association of Women in Construction Annual Conference – Aug. 10-15, Reno, Nevada
• Construction Institute & Construction Research Congress Joint Conference –March 18-21, San Antonio, Texas

As always, check conference websites regularly for the most up-to-date information regarding your specific conference or expo choice. 

Construction Inclusion Week was October 13-17, 2025

It’s essential in every industry that employees feel welcome, appreciated, valued, and supported. Construction Inclusion Week focuses on doing just that for the construction industry. This year, their theme was “Opening Doors: Building a Workplace for Everyone”. An on-demand webinar was presented and offered practical insights into creating lasting and practical change in the construction industry, and “toolbox talks” were also offered to highlight different pillars that are essential to ensuring that construction workers feel valued and supported in their industry.

Resources are still available if you want to participate even now, or you can plan ahead for next year!  

OTW NEWS

Crowd Control Weights coming soon

We’re excited to announce that our original OTW Billboard Barricades are gaining a partner in crime! Coming this fall, the Crowd Control Weight will be the ultimate accessory to your pedestrian barricades – perfectly weighted and designed to support your Billboard Barricades with added heft to keep them perfectly stable, even in the most inclement of weather. 

Keep an eye on our socials for details! 

The official OTW Safety FAQ Page is here! 

Have you ever had specific questions about OTW products, policies… or anything else? Visit our new FAQ page to have the most commonly asked questions about OTW answered. 

Annual OTW Photo and Video Contest -Win a $1,000 dollar prize 

It’s not too late to enter our Annual OTW Photo and Video Contest! You could win a $1,000 prize! Entries are unlimited, so send us your best photos and videos of OTW airport, construction, and crowd control barricades now through the end of October. The more entries, the merrier! Don’t forget to share the contest with your friends, family, and colleagues, too – and if you attend a university or work on staff at a school, please share it with students and faculty alike. There’s a chance for anyone to win!  

If you’re feeling happy with your OTW barricades, we’d love to see a Google review* from you, too (*not a condition of the contest, just helpful for us to see what we’re doing well and how we can continue to innovate and improve)! 

Our winners will be announced in November, so submit your entries today!