Workplace Safety Hearing Highlights Promise of Modern Technology

Emerging technologies such as AI, predictive analytics, and automated safety systems could significantly reduce workplace injuries and deaths in the coming years. But during a recent House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections hearing, lawmakers and workplace safety experts repeatedly warned that innovation alone will not improve workplace safety without enough regulatory staff and updated enforcement systems to support it.

At the May 13 hearing, titled “Building a Safer Future: Private-Sector Strategies for Emerging Safety Issues,” members of Congress and industry leaders examined how employers are adapting to new risks created by technological change, remote work, and evolving industries. 

Staying Ahead of the Curve 

Opening the hearing, Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa., emphasized that “businesses must navigate an increasingly complex safety landscape shaped by rapidly changing technology, new worker arrangements such as remote work, and evolving operational demands.” He argued that workplace safety policies must evolve alongside those changes, particularly as employers integrate new technologies into day-to-day operations.

Much of the hearing focused on how companies can move away from reactive safety practices and instead identify hazards before injuries occur.

“A strong safety program should focus on reducing risk by identifying hazards and implementing controls before an injury or death occurs,” said Lorraine Martin, president and CEO of the National Safety Council. Employers, she said, should rely more heavily on “leading indicators” that can identify risk before incidents happen. She offered examples of leading indicators, including risk assessments, remediation, and employee engagement. 

Toolkit: Developing Effective Safety Management Programs

AI and Modernization Offer New Safety Tools

AI emerged as another major theme throughout the hearing. Witnesses broadly agreed that AI and related technologies could improve workplace safety by identifying hazards faster, monitoring dangerous conditions in real time, and streamlining compliance processes.

“AI has a significant amount of promise” but also warrants caution, requiring human judgment to be involved, Martin said.

She additionally argued that many Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards were developed for workplaces that look very different from modern job sites and industrial systems. The agency’s policies therefore need to be modernized to accommodate emerging technologies. 

Melissa K. Peters, a shareholder at labor and employment law firm Ogletree Deakins, echoed those concerns about outdated regulatory systems. “Our regulatory framework is struggling to keep pace with technological innovation,” she said. 

As an example, Peters pointed to safety systems that many employers still rely on decades after their creation. Specifically, she described employers using technology that was developed in the 1980s, like manual Lockout/Tagout controls.

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OSHA Staffing Concerns Complicate Reform

Although lawmakers and witnesses largely agreed that workplace safety systems need modernization, several speakers questioned whether OSHA currently has the resources necessary to implement those changes effectively.

Douglas Parker, senior research fellow at Harvard Law School’s Center for Labor and a Just Economy and former assistant secretary of labor for OSHA, argued that understaffing has significantly weakened the agency’s ability to proactively address workplace hazards.

Parker expressed concern about staffing cuts at OSHA, noting that the agency currently has fewer than 700 compliance officers. According to Parker, those shortages increasingly force OSHA into a reactive role rather than allowing inspectors to prevent hazards before incidents occur. “If OSHA cannot respond to as many worker complaints as it used to,” he said, “those hazards workers are complaining about go unaddressed.”

Parker also argued that limited staffing makes it harder for OSHA to modernize its own regulations and enforcement systems. At present, he explained, there isn’t the necessary staff to modernize technology like Lockout/Tagout.  

Balancing Innovation with Enforcement

Taken together, the hearing highlighted a growing consensus among lawmakers, regulators, and industry representatives that technology could substantially improve workplace safety in the years ahead. Tools powered by AI, predictive analytics, and real-time monitoring systems may help companies identify hazards earlier and prevent injuries before they happen.

At the same time, witnesses repeatedly emphasized that technological innovation alone cannot solve workplace safety challenges. Without updated regulations, sufficient staffing, and agencies capable of enforcing modern standards, many of those advances may remain difficult to implement at scale.