PEOPLE-FIRST SAFETY DELIVERS
At the 2025 Future of Construction event in Brisbane in May 2025, one insight landed like a steel-toe boot to the shin: there's a whopping $62 billion productivity gap in Australian construction, mostly due to lost work time. That's not a typo. Billion. With a "B".
And when you consider that up to 50% of construction costs are tied to people, not just concrete, scaffolds or cranes, it’s clear that construction, like other high-risk industries, isn’t just about hard hats and high-vis. It’s about humans. And it’s high time we start treating them that way, especially when it comes to safety and communication.
Because here’s the thing: as slick as generative AI tools have become (and trust us, we love a shiny new thing), tech alone isn’t going to close that $62B gap. Not if the people using it are disconnected, disengaged, or—let’s be honest—downright confused by what they’re supposed to be doing.
This sentiment echoed loud and clear at the EHS Leaders Summit in Phoenix, Arizona, where US safety leaders gathered to wrestle with the risks and rewards of generative AI in workplace safety. While there was plenty of excitement about automation, predictive analytics and the like, the big, unmissable takeaway was this: people are still the key. And we ignore them at our peril.
THE human opportunity
In safety, communication is everything. Yet too often, we roll out induction programs, toolbox talks or e-learning that tick boxes but don’t connect. They’re long. They're jargon-heavy. And they’re often delivered in ways that assume every worker learns the same way, speaks the same language, or stays alert after five PowerPoint slides.
If we continue to take the construction industry as an example, human error still accounts for the vast majority of accidents, anywhere from 70 to 90%, depending on the study. So, we have to ask: why aren’t we doing more to connect with real people in real ways?
DESIGN FOR CONNECTION
Clearly, we need both humans and technology working in harmony to create safe workplaces. But is one more important than the other? It’s not a rhetorical question — the answer is yes: humans. In an emergency, a computer doesn’t have the ability to make judgement calls and act on instinct. That’s why the future of safety isn’t just smart tech. It’s smart communication—designed with actual humans in mind.
That means creating training programs that are shorter, sharper, and more engaging. It means ditching the dull policy read-throughs in favour of storytelling, real-world examples, and visual content that sticks. It means embracing new skills and technology, but not in favour of the human basics.
It also means using language that’s clear, culturally aware, and maybe even a little bit funny (gasp!). Because if your comms can make people smile and help them stay safe? That’s a win-win.
Take safety inductions, for example. Research shows that well-designed inductions—those that engage workers, rather than just inform them—can reduce incidents by up to 30%. That’s not magic. That’s just good design.
GEN AI IS THE TOOL, NOT THE TOOLBOX
There’s no doubt that generative AI is shaking things up, and the impact on industries like construction is very real. From automating documentation to generating schedules, forecasting delays and even flagging safety risks before they happen, AI is already showing serious potential. It's like having a hyper-organised site manager who never sleeps.
But here’s the catch: AI can only go so far without good data and grounded, human insight. A bot could probably draft a SWMS, but it can’t walk a site, sense the mood, or notice that someone’s cutting corners because they’re new, rushed, or just didn’t get the message in the first place.
Famously, in 2023 a New York law firm used ChatGPT to help write a legal brief for a personal injury case. ChatGPT cited six legal precedents that supported their argument — only thing was, they didn’t exist. The AI had fabricated them, and the lawyers didn’t check. Another example happened a little over a week ago, where two prominent newspapers in the US published a summer reading list that included several AI-generated, non-existent book titles falsely attributed to real authors.
That’s why, even as AI steps in to support things like risk analysis, design reviews and predictive maintenance, it needs to be working alongside people, not replacing them. The smartest businesses of the future will use AI to handle the heavy lifting, so humans can focus on what they do best: problem-solving, decision-making and keeping each other safe.
PEOPLE-FIRST IS TIMELESS
We’ve seen enough trends come and go in high-risk industries. In construction, it’s been modular everything, digital twins, drones galore, wearable tech. Some stick, some don’t.
But you know what will never go out of style? Respecting your people. Designing comms that speak their language. Fostering a culture where safety is valued over speed. And understanding that safety isn’t just about a poster on the wall—it’s about connection.
So yes, let's embrace AI. Let’s innovate. But let’s not forget that every productivity gain, every safety improvement, and every bottom-line boost starts with, and relies on, people. And if we want them to do their best work, we have to give them our best thinking.
Thankfully connecting with the human experience is the specialty of the Everyday Massive team. If you want to talk through your current connection challenge, book a discovery call with us today.
