EHS Technology: Use of Artificial Intelligence in Occupational Health and Safety

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become more prevalent in our daily lives through a variety of applications. Chances are, you own an AI-enabled device right now, either on your computer, smartphone, or connected home device. But did you know that this rapidly advancing technology is becoming a widely used business tool in an array of industries to help workers complete tasks more efficiently and with a higher degree of accuracy? In fact, the first ever AI-driven application made especially for EHS safety managers was recently created. pSIF AI Advisor™, integrated by Benchmark Gensuite® and powered by Bowers Management Analytics, helps inform identification of potentially Serious Injuries & Fatalities (pSIFs) more quickly and accurately than manual processes. Before we dive into this innovative product’s features and functionality, let’s review how artificial intelligence in occupational health and safety works and the ways you may already be using it in your day-to-day life.

What is Artificial Intelligence and How Does it Work?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has a fascinating history – from its philosophical beginnings in the classical era to its modern inception in the 1950s to its ubiquitous presence in software today, the technology has come a long way in its implementation. But how does it work? Well, it’s complicated, but put simply: AI combines large amounts of data with fast processing and intelligent algorithms. This allows the software to “learn” automatically using the patterns and features of the data to build analytical models, which is referred to as machine learning. This means the software can dynamically adapt and respond based on the patterns it discovers in the data set it’s provided.

Popular Uses of Artificial Intelligence Today

Without even realizing it, you most likely own a device that uses AI. Do you have a smartphone, a computer or a connected home device? Maybe you shop online with big-box stores or Amazon? Do you stream multimedia via Netflix or Spotify? If you answered yes, you already use AI! On smartphones, voice assistants like Siri and Alexa have become popular staples to help complete simple tasks such as online searches, building shopping lists or making calls to contacts by voice command. Big-box retail e-commerce sites such as Amazon, Kohl’s and Macy’s use AI to automate customer service and offer purchase suggestions to customers based on their past transactions. Streaming services like Spotify and Netflix use AI in similar ways to offer content suggestions based on viewing history and similar viewer persona demographics. Google is another AI-based resource you probably use daily.

How Does Artificial Intelligence in Occupational Health and Safety Work?

Industrially, AI has become an increasingly popular way to optimize jobs across a wide variety of sectors. When combined with the expertise and specialization of skilled workers, AI can be highly beneficial to mine and analyze data and provide deep insights that would be difficult for humans to discover on their own. Like the conversational AI voice assistants you may be used to using, such as Siri and Alexa, Benchmark Gensuite® has developed an AI-driven solution made specifically for safety managers, called Genny_® Virtual Assistant. The mobile assistant is ready to help with a wide variety of ESG & EHS tasks from your smartphone or tablet, built into eight different Benchmark Gensuite® solutions. Simply say, “Hey, Genny, show me recent incidents reported at my site,” or more than 80 other safety-specific commands, and Genny will quickly display the data so you can make informed decisions efficiently – even on remote work sites. Also created specifically for ESG & EHS managers, pSIF AI Advisor is a first-of-its kind AI software solution integrated by Benchmark Gensuite® (in partnership with Bowers Management Analytics), and it has the potential to revolutionize occupational safety and risk & compliance management. pSIF AI Advisor improves on time-consuming manual data analysis to identify potentially Serious Injuries & Fatalities (pSIFs). Injury, event, concern, and observational data that previously took hours, days, or weeks to compile in spreadsheets and assess manually can be quickly tracked and accurately processed with pSIF AI Advisor to assist safety leaders to investigate and take action. This solution enables you to identify real-time incident trends that could lead to SIFs and expedites data analysis to better inform worker protection strategies. Learn how you can empower your safety operations team to identify SIF precursors more quickly and accurately in high-risk situations.

Implement Artificial Intelligence in Occupational Health and Safety For Your Organization

Interested in trying out this exciting new technology? Benchmark Gensuite® is offering the opportunity to try pSIF AI Advisor first-hand as a one-time data analysis to identify gaps in pSIF identification, and for subscribers, the pSIF AI Advisor solution fully integrates with the brand’s Risk+Compliance platform. Want to apply this and future revolutionary AI solutions within your organization? Contact us today and one of our solution experts will help you try out and implement this software in your organization.