Leaders play a crucial role in shaping employees’ safety behaviors (SBs). However, research on broader leadership styles has yielded inconsistent findings, emphasizing the need for a more tailored leadership approach, especially in high-risk industries, such as construction. Applying the social exchange theory and the positive organizational behavior framework, this study examined the impact of safety-specific transformational leadership (SSTL) on SB. This study uses a quantitative research design to collect data from employees of Turkish construction firms in Ankara and Istanbul. A cross-sectional research design was employed, with purposive sampling of data collected from 706 construction workers in Türkiye. The findings indicate that SSTL positively influences both SB and knowledge sharing, whereas knowledge sharing enhances SB. Knowledge sharing mediates the relationship between SSTL and SB. This study’s findings suggest that implementing safety-specific transformational leadership (SSTL) can significantly improve safety behavior among construction workers by promoting knowledge sharing and psychological safety.