A Look into the Future of Workplace Safety using Artificial Intelligence

By Peter Kuchinsky II, CSP, CSM1, Safety

Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is increasingly becoming a readily available tool to enhance workplace safety and risk management. While AI applications will never replace experienced safety professionals, they can serve as essential support and data-collection tools for inspectors and technicians. People will always be needed to provide critical judgment, context, and oversight in workplace safety.

Already, routine inspections are being conducted using drones, cameras, sensors, and predictive analytics to improve hazard detection, verify compliance, and alert workers to take proactive safety measures. AI-powered systems, given their constant presence in the workplace and their deployment across various locations, are likely to grow in use—helping to identify hazards more quickly, reduce human error, and streamline inspection and recordkeeping processes.  Some AI applications that can be used for safety inspections include:

• AI-powered cameras and drones can review real-time video footage in offices, warehouses, and construction sites to detect hazards that supervisors or inspectors might miss, including
• Identifying unsafe behaviors, such as improper handling of hazardous materials or equipment issues.
• Checking if workers are wearing the required Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) or operating equipment correctly.
• Detecting issues such as blocked exits, improper storage, unsafe tool use, or workers entering unauthorized areas.

AI using predictive analytics and algorithms could compare present conditions and historical data, such as accident reports, near-misses, and environmental factors, to predict potential risks. This advance notification could allow supervisors and safety professionals to take proactive measures to prevent accidents. AI predictive capabilities may help identify risk patterns and intervene before an injury or accident occurs, rather than reacting to incidents afterward.

Drones equipped with AI and high-resolution cameras can conduct more frequent inspections of remote, high-risk, or hard-to-reach areas, such as large yards, rooftops, tanks, and storage areas. This would improve documentation, reduce the time to perform, and lower the risk of injury for inspectors. In some cases, it may reduce inspection durations from days to hours or even minutes.

AI sensors and wearables: PPE-integrated AI smart devices, like garments, boots, and helmets, can monitor a worker’s location, movement, environment, and health in real time. They can detect hazards like falls, body stresses, and toxic environments to provide warnings and trigger immediate alarms.

AI programs and software can automatically create, organize, and store inspection records in real-time. This reduces manual data entry, cuts down on errors, improves recordkeeping, and maintains compliance documentation.

AI can assist in guiding supervisors and safety inspectors through inspection checklists, ensuring that all steps are completed and data is captured accurately. AI can help overcome fatigue, distraction, or subjective judgment, allowing for more consistent and uniform inspections than individual manual methods.

Using AI to automate frequent and repetitive tasks could free up supervisors and inspectors to focus on more complex and critical activities. Some organizations have reduced inspection time from hours to minutes. The use of AI for consistent monitoring and automated reporting could help workplaces to stay compliant with safety regulations, reducing the risk of fines and legal issues.

Some potential challenges and considerations regarding the use of AI for safety inspections and compliance may include:

• Liability and legal issues of using AI systems raise questions regarding actions and decisions taken on AI-generated data and recommendations.
• AI systems collect large amounts of data, including facility conditions, management actions, and worker behavior, raising concerns about privacy. Steps will need to be taken to protect sensitive company and individual privacy.
• Constant worker monitoring by AI can impact worker morale, and trust, and potentially violate labor agreements. Policies must be developed to clearly communicate the purpose, scope, and retention of information collected during worker monitoring.
• AI models may inherit biases from the software or the data they are trained on. Regular human oversight and auditing will be essential to ensure the systems are fair and equitable.
• The initial investment in the technology will be costly, and integration will likely slow down due to adapting existing safety protocols to work with new technology, requiring a great deal of time, work, and training.

The upside of AI will be shifting safety from reactive practices to proactive prevention. In the future, using AI tools such as real-time monitoring, predictive analytics, and wearable devices, workers can be made safer than ever before. The potential for reducing injuries and saving lives makes AI a valuable tool to be considered in creating safer workplaces of the future.

(Author’s Note: AI tools were used for research, idea generation, and editing of the article, and the author takes full responsibility for the final content and any potential AI-generated inaccuracies.)

Peter Kuchinsky II is a retired safety professional and risk advisor with over 25 years of service to public water and wastewater agencies, serves as a Board member on the CWEA Southern Safety Committee, and continues to provide safety training and consulting services.