Workplace Safety in the Digital Age
Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more prevalent in all aspects of life, including in the workspace, and the adoption of AI systems is only expected to grow1. Specifically in the field of safety management, AI has been in use for the past 3-4 years, becoming more visible with the launch of ChatGPT2 in late 2022. As the use of AI in the workplace continues to grow, the impact it can have – both positive and negative – becomes more evident.
The Landscape Today
According to an article released in May of this year, in America, “a workplace injury occurs every six seconds and every 1.8 hours, a life is tragically lost due to workplace statistics3.” In 2022, medical professionals were consulted for 4.53 million work-related injuries4. And according to the National Safety Council (NSC), that same year work injury costs totaled $167 billion, with an average of $1,040 per worker. Statistics like these make it important for employers to do all they can to improve conditions for their employees – and that includes the use of AI.
Currently, the industries with the highest adoption rate of AI for improved worker health and safety are manufacturing and warehousing. Some of the more obvious applications of AI that are currently being used include5:
- Use of AI to actively monitor environments, identify potential hazards, and provide real-time alerts
- Wearable devices that provide data the employer can analyze to find patterns and help identify protocol advancements
- AI-powered risk assessments that provide proactive identification of potential risks by analyzing historical safety data and work environment structures
- Use of autonomous robots to execute hazardous tasks involving toxic substances or extreme conditions
- Use of conversational AI to address employees’ safety inquiries instantly and promote a culture of safety
- Use of drones to provide site inspections
These applications offer major advantages, however, the application of AI poised to make the largest impact on worker safety is the efficiency and speed at which AI can incorporate and analyze data. Many companies have implemented AI to help keep track of regulatory changes and ensure compliance with company protocols and training programs. Additionally, with AI managing the intake and organization of data, safety professionals are not required to spend as much time at their desks doing tedious analytical work and can instead engage with the workforce and spend time on-site.
Additionally, using AI applications allows companies to switch from reactive strategies to proactive strategies, better promoting a culture of safety within the work environment.
Potential Barriers
However numerous the advantages of AI in the workplace may be, there is still pushback – namely from employees – to its implementation. The biggest concerns include the fear of AI replacing the employee, as well as the fear of “big brother”, or the worry that employers are using AI to monitor and watch the activities of employees.
Other potential barriers to widespread employee adoption of AI as a tool to improve workplace safety include6:
- Excessive reliance on AI leading to potential loss of specific job-related skills
- A potential for increased social isolation among employees as interactions switch from person-to-person to person-to-machine
- An increased inability of employees to draw clear boundaries between social and private life
In addition to barriers within the workforce to overcome, there are also barriers from employers that may keep them from implementing AI. Those include concerns around7:
- The potential cost of resources needed to program, customize, and implement AI solutions
- The learning curve and training period that would accompany new AI systems within the workplace
- Lack of high-quality data on the return on investment of AI products designed to improve workplace safety
- Cybersecurity and privacy
- Pushback from employees and the possible creation of a hostile work environment
Overcoming Resistance
For those employers who do choose to implement AI solutions to improve workplace safety, one of the strongest tactics to encourage quick adoption among the workforce is to ensure the AI is accessible and available to all employees, is easy to use, and – arguably most important – is clearly not a policing tool of management.
There are also recommended best practices issued by the Department of Labor (DOL) that provide guidance for using AI systems in the workplace8. According to the DOL, “Workers and their representatives, especially from underserved communities, should be informed of and have genuine input in the design, development, testing, training, use, and oversight of AI systems in the workplace.” The idea being, that if employees provide input, and therefore have a stake in the AI systems, they will be more likely to adopt these systems.
Other best practices from the DOL include:
- Ensuring AI systems are designed, developed, and trained in a way that protects employees
- Establishing clear governance systems, procedures, human oversight, and evaluation processes for AI systems
- Ensuring transparency in the reason for AI use to both current employees and potential employees
- Ensuring AI systems don’t violate or undermine employees’ right to organize, health and safety rights, wage and hour rights, and antidiscrimination and antiretaliation protections
- Using AI to complement and enable employees, as well as improve job quality
- Providing support to any employees whose position may be impacted by AI
- Ensuring responsible use of any data that is collected or created by the AI system
How Does AI Impact Occupational Health Care?
Even with the advancements in workplace safety that AI allows, the necessity for human intuition, empathy, and conscientious decision-making remains. This is where Concentra’s occupational health professionals come in. As employers implement new AI systems geared towards improving the health and safety of workers, health care professionals should be consulted to provide the expertise and second opinions to support decisions made by AI systems.
Additionally, AI is not being used to diagnose or treat when workplace injuries or illnesses occur – rather it is being used to help prevent these instances from occurring in the first place. When diagnosis or treatment is needed for a workplace illness or injury, health care professionals should be consulted.
For more information on the workplace injury management services Concentra can provide to your employees, please visit our site to learn more.
Resources
- “Artificial Intelligence Market Size & Trends” Grand View Research. 2024.
- “Revolutionizing Safety: How AI is Transforming the Workplace” OH&S Safety Pod. Occupational Health & Safety. June 10, 2024.
- “Harnessing AI to Revolutionize Workplace Safety” EHS Daily Advisor. May 22, 2024.
- “The Role AI Plays in Workplace Safety and Compliance” Security Technology. ASIS International. April 1, 2024
- “Acquiring Workplace Safety in the Data Age Via AI Innovations” Occupational Health & Safety. February 16, 2024.
- “Regulatory and Ethical Considerations on Artificial Intelligence for Occupational Medicine” La Medicina del Lavoro Work, Environment, and Health. April 24, 2024.
- “AI’s role in workplace safety” Safety+Health Magazine. May 26, 2024.
- “DOL issues set of principles and best practices for using AI in the workplace” Safety+Health Magazine. May 28, 2024
