What is the Future of Health and Safety?

Lately, I’ve been thinking about the future of health and safety not just the systems and processes, but the people and profession itself.
Where are we heading? What will the role of the health and safety practitioner look like in the years ahead?

Right now, we’re witnessing massive shifts driven by technology, especially artificial intelligence (AI). Tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and a growing range of AI platforms are making their way into the profession. Some organizations are using them well, others are experimenting, and many are still figuring it out.

If you haven’t yet explored how AI can support your health and safety work, I’d argue you’re already a little behind the curve.

AI Is Already Here and It’s Changing the Game

We’re seeing software providers in the health and safety space embedding AI into their systems to improve speed, accuracy, and efficiency.
In some cases, these tools are solving problems faster and sometimes to a higher quality than traditional human-led processes.

For example, I’ve seen cases where entire safety and health management systems were generated using AI. That’s remarkable progress. Of course, there’s still a need for human oversight. Someone has to contextualize and localize that AI-generated system for the specific organization.

But this raises an important question:
👉 Does that person need to be a health and safety professional?
Or do they simply need to understand the work well enough to give the AI the right feedback?

If AI can create, audit, or manage health and safety frameworks, what then is the role of the practitioner?

When Humans Leave the Frontline

Let’s take this thinking a step further.
In industries like mining, we’re already seeing the rise of autonomous haul trucks. Once, these vehicles were operated by people. Now, in some areas, they operate without anyone behind the wheel.

If this trend continues and humans are no longer physically present on the frontline, it forces us to ask a deeper question:
What exactly are we protecting or keeping safe?

If there’s no person at risk of physical harm, does the traditional concept of health and safety still apply?
Or does our focus shift toward productivity, continuous improvement, asset protection, and equipment reliability?

And if that becomes the new landscape, do we still need health and safety professionals in the same way? Or will those roles evolve perhaps blending into operations, data science, or systems engineering?

The Future Skill Set of the Health and Safety Professional

That brings us to what might be the most critical question of all:
What skills will future health and safety professionals need?

Will it be:

• Knowing how to use AI tools effectively?
• Understanding data, analytics, and automation?
• Or simply becoming great problem solvers, able to apply emerging technologies to new challenges?

Maybe it will be all of these.
Or maybe, in some areas, the process will become so automated that you just push a button and the AI handles everything from risk assessments to reporting.

It’s hard to say exactly where this will land. But one thing feels certain: the profession is changing faster than our training systems can keep up.

When I look at what’s being taught in universities and professional courses today, I can’t help but wonder, will that knowledge still be relevant in one, two, or five years’ time?

Looking Ahead

I don’t have all the answers and I don’t think anyone does right now.
But I’m confident of this:
The world of health and safety will look radically different from what we see today.

Those who thrive will likely be the ones who can:

• Spot emerging trends early,
• Adapt quickly, and
• Stay flexible in how they think and work.

Those who resist or struggle to evolve may find it increasingly difficult to stay relevant.

These are interesting and exciting times for our profession.
I’m genuinely curious to hear what others think about this. How do you see the role of health and safety professionals changing as technology continues to advance?

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