Health and safety and AI
The H&S Dept
Artificial intelligence (AI) is developing quickly, and many businesses are already using it in day-to-day work. In health and safety, AI can support tasks such as monitoring, document generation, training and incident analysis, but it can also introduce new risks if it is used without proper oversight. This article looks at recent developments and explains what employers should consider before relying on AI in the workplace.
The law
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 sets the overarching duty for employers to protect employees and others who may be affected by their work, so far as is reasonably practicable. There is not currently a single piece of UK health and safety legislation that deals specifically with AI in the workplace; instead, AI use should be considered within existing health and safety duties.
As with any workplace activity that involves risk, employers should assess the risks associated with AI use and put appropriate controls in place. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers to make suitable and sufficient assessments of risks to employees and others who may be affected by their undertaking. This applies where AI affects workplace activities, equipment, systems, processes or decision-making.
Depending on how AI is used, other legal duties may also be relevant.
Recent AI developments in the health and safety sector
This summer, The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) launched its first joint industry guidance for collaborative robotics in the workplace. The project has been co-designed with industry to give clarity on regulatory obligations and support the use of robotics in business.
Ultimately this partnership will support the use of cobots (collaborative robots) working safely alongside humans. It will provide practical guidance combining industry good practice with HSE regulatory know-how.
Can AI help with health and safety in your workplace?
Whilst AI continues to evolve and transform, it absolutely has the potential to bring benefits to health and safety in the workplace. It can however create or increase health and safety risk too, and so should be approached with caution and pragmatism.
The HSE has identified four key areas where AI is used in the sectors it regulates that can impact health and safety. These are:
Control of equipment and process plant: where AI is used to control autonomous vehicles, machinery, robotics, industrial processes and process data analytics.
Maintenance systems: AI used for advanced inspections, decision support and failure monitoring.
Occupational monitoring: AI used for safety, workplace and employee monitoring.
Health and safety management: AI used in safety management systems including risk assessment, incident analysis and training material generation.
AI health and safety management
It seems pertinent to focus here on this element of HSE’s findings. The HSE identified that AI is being used by industries to:
Create operational documents: AI programmes are being used to draft safety policies and procedures, and also provide answers to health and safety queries.
Create risk assessments: AI programmes are being used to create risk assessments and identify controls based on safety documentation and analysis.
Training: AI is being used to generate health and safety training videos etc.
Accident reports: AI is being used to analyse historical data to identify hazard trends and risk factors.
What are the risks in relying on AI for workplace health and safety?
Reliance on AI within workplace health and safety can create a number of risks. Workers may place too much trust in AI-generated outputs, which can weaken safety culture and reduce challenge or reporting. Over time, teams may also lose practical competence if key tasks such as hazard identification, inspections or incident analysis are increasingly delegated to AI without regular competent human involvement.
Should businesses use AI to generate their health and safety management, the HSE has identified there is a likelihood of inaccurate safety assessments being generated and therefore hazards or control measures being missed. Using AI systems without human input could well cause dangerous situations.
Security breaches within AI systems could compromise worker safety. There is the risk of systems failing in previously unencountered situations. Flawed data could result in missed hazards and control measures. Where humans and machines interact, there could be unsafe ways of working which could lead to physical harm.
How can we help you with AI health and safety?
Here at The Health and Safety Dept, we champion the human touch when it comes to health and safety. We recognise that many industries will be using AI in their workplaces, but we want to ensure everyone is kept safe.
Whether you are dabbling in using AI technology in your business and want to check that your workplace and staff are being kept safe, or if you are currently relying on AI systems to generate policies, procedures, training or risk assessments, we would urge you to reach out to us today.
We can use our expert knowledge to check if your systems are designed to keep your business and employees safe from harm and identify possible health and safety breaches, that could leave your business exposed to danger. Contact us now to get started.
