Safety first! How AI can improve some critical conversations

Construction safety has been improving with better regulations and technology. Over the last several years, vendors have developed surveillance-adjacent tools: AI dashcams to flag erratic driving; computer vision to look for missing safety gear; wearables to track posture, fatigue, and heat exposure; drones inspecting scaffolding. These are proving their value and it is a booming business. But they also put management in the awkward position of motivating workers to be less unsafe.

In 2018, FactorLab stumbled onto a complementary approach, now called SmartTagIt, focused on including workers by asking them what better safety meetings might look like. The results improved workplace safety while also building culture, engagement, and trust. FactorLab CEO Barry Nelson says:

We're helping people learn. That's really what we were getting at: organizational learning.

The accident that changed everything

Nelson launched his first safety technology company, DBO2, in Pittsburgh in October 2001, pioneering mobile devices ...