AI use in workplace safety is growing, but investment, data quality and organizational challenges remain barriers.

Most safety professionals surveyed by the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) work at organizations that are testing or expanding the use of artificial intelligence in environmental, health and safety (EHS) programs, according to a survey report released Oct. 14.

Of the nearly 1,000 professionals surveyed July 6 to Aug. 2, 86% placed their organizations in an exploratory or transformative phase. ASSP defines the first as discovering and piloting AI and the second as scaling and integrating it. Two-thirds of that group started their AI work in the last two years. ASSP said organizations that have not yet started using AI risk falling behind their industry peers.

Respondents reported using AI to develop reports, tailor education and training, analyze incidents and spot patterns, optimize and manage resources, and run predictive analytics. Other uses included automating compliance tasks and monitoring conditions with real-time alerts.

The survey found barriers at every stage of adoption. Respondents cited:

• Limited or early-stage investment (74%)
• Data quality (62%)
• No clear owner, champion or organizational priority (59%)
• Mistrust or discomfort with the tools (55%)
• Concerns about data privacy, security or bias (55%)

The report found that workplace culture and views on AI's importance to EHS, fewer ethical concerns and data quality strongly predict adoption. Data quality remained a problem at every stage. Training was linked to greater knowledge of and confidence in AI for EHS work.

ASSP President Monique Parker, CSP, said human oversight remains essential as safety professionals apply AI. She said the technology does not alter their basic responsibility for people, property and environmental protection.

ASSP offers an Applied AI for EHS Certificate with the University of Alabama at Birmingham and an AI in EHS: A Practical Framework for Responsible Adoption course.

The findings will inform ASSP's free Standards-Based User Group on AI in Safety, which is identifying further barriers and testing solutions. The ASSP Foundation funded the survey. ASSP is based in Park Ridge, Illinois.

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