Safety has always been one of the construction industry’s most urgent and important priorities—but in today’s environment, the conversation is evolving faster than ever. From advances in jobsite technology and AI-powered risk management to shifting workforce dynamics and mental health awareness, companies across the built world are rethinking how they protect workers, improve training, and build stronger safety cultures across every phase of a project.
Every year, Construction Safety Week offers an opportunity to bring conversations about industry safety to the forefront. It's a chance to recognize progress already being made by individual organizations and to share ideas, lessons learned, and innovations that can help move the entire sector forward. While Safety Week may only come around once a year, industry leaders, startups, contractors, and technology providers have the opportunity to continue these conversations year round across BuiltWorlds programming, providing valuable insights on the future of construction safet from wearable tech and predictive analytics to workforce engagement and operational best practices.
As part of Construction Safety Week 2026, we've compiled 20 pieces of exclusive BuiltWorlds content spanning panel recordings, articles, research reports, and Demo Drops—all related to safety in construction—in one convenient location.
Panel Recordings
AI/ML Conference 2025
Industry leaders discussed advancements in robotics solutions that are revolutionizing construction work and the future implications of this evolving technology. Panelists also touched on how the Internet of Things, or IoT, combined with AI is being used to monitor construction sites in real time, improving safety and optimizing workflow efficiency.
Speakers: Stuart Maggs (FieldAI), Brian Ringley (Boston Dynamics), Henning Roedel (Hardhat Robotics), Antonia Elisa Soler Blasco (Hilti), and Jorge Tubella (Haskell)
Buildings Conference 2025 | Member-only Content
The journey to net-zero is reshaping the built environment, driving innovation in materials, technology, and strategy. This panel explore the challenges and opportunities of the energy transition, including whole-life building performance modeling, advancements in HVAC and energy systems, and how these innovations support the industry’s ever-evolving energy goals, emphasizing the critical role of safety in energy-efficient buildings.
Speakers: Matthew Duffy (Integrated Environmental Solutions Limited), Armelle Langlois (VINCI), Paul Trombitas (FMI Corp), and Jon M. Williams (Viridi)
Future Workforce Conference 2025
Industry experts gathered to analyze the security and risks impacted by the use of safety technology on jobsites, unpacking a practical approach to safety in the field. Offering insights into construction risk trends, as well as real-world experience, these leaders provided a practical approach to developing a zero-incident mindset and accident prevention protocol across individuals, teams and organizations to maximize safety, security and wellness for construction workers.
Speakers: Bret Bush (Insight Risk Technologies), Abel Esquivel Luna (Zachry Construction Corporation), Ty Findley (Ironspring Ventures), and Gabe Gueta (SALUS)
Construction Tech Conference 2024 | Member-only Content
During this session, a group of expert panelists dove into the complex challenges of ensuring safety on construction sites and discussed innovative strategies and technologies that are transforming safety practices. The discussion covered a range of topics, from wearable devices and IoT sensors to virtual reality simulations and predictive analytics, using real-world examples and exert analysis to offer actional approaches to enhance safety culture, mitigate hazards, and promote the well-being of workers in the construction sector.
Speakers: Roger Yarrow (Truelook), Eric Cylwik (Sundt Construction), John Overend (Kiewit), and Paul Cardis (On3)
Construction tech coNFERENCE 2025 | Member-only Content
As artificial intelligence and automation continue to reshape the construction landscape, the industry faces a pivotal shift in how equipment is operated, managed, and integrated into jobsite workflows. This panel brought together industry leaders from OEMs and technology companies to explore the latest advancements in AI-powered equipment, autonomous machinery, and data-driven decision-making. Panelists discussed the impact of automation on productivity, safety, and workforce dynamics, as well as the challenges of implementation and adoption, through insights into real-world applications, emerging trends, and what the future holds for AI-driven jobsite operations.
Speakers: Ryan Luke Johns (Gravis Robotics), Yannick Montagano (Kubota), and Dick Zhang (Bluelight Machines)
Tokyo Global Summit 2025
Leadership from Obayashi Corporation and its partners gathered on this panel to discuss how to advance efficiency and labor-saving measures in the construction industry through robotics. Panelists explored the crucial mindset shift and processed changes among users who effectively utilize such technologies, as well as other topics including efforts to prioritize safety for unmanned operations and establishing pricing models that emphasize business viability.
Speakers: Shinya Sugiura (Obayashi), Ryo Hiratsuka (Silver Eyez), Henri Lee (Xpanner), and Shigeo Ohba (EARTHBRAIN)
fUTURE woRKFORCE cONFERENCE 2025 | Member-only Content
Three thought leaders gathered at the 2025 Future Workforce Conference for this panel, discussing incorporating field and mobile technology that puts workers first. Leveraging lessons learned form the field, along with teaching theory, these experts offered insights on how worker-focused training programs, including practical training scenarios and workshops, in-person and video-based learning, and partnerships with local unions and other institutions, can improve productivity, overall safety, and trade-specific tasks.
Speakers: Paul Cardis (On3), Ivan Damnjanovic (Texas A&M), and Zack Parnell (Interplay Learning)
Offsite Construction Conference 2025
This session discussed how automation, robotics, and advanced preconstruction tools can augment and compliment the workforce by improving safety, precision, and productivity. Panelists shared insights into how these innovations create new career pathways, elevate skills, and address labor shortages while driving efficiency in modular and offsite delivery.
Speakers: Scott Bridger (ProSet Modular), Trent Ewing (Haskell), Steven Rose (Los Angeles Electrical Training Institute), and Randall Thompson (NibbiPrefab)
US Summit 2021 | Member-only Content
In this session, speakers shared how to establish a culture of safety that is powered by technology—from developing policies and procedures to launching initiatives that engage an entire company. When safety is engrained at a foundational level—with a top-down, bottom-up approach and driven by a grassroots buy-it-and-try-it mentality—the result is continuous innovation and improvement, allowing for quick action during times of high risk and crisis. New technology rollouts enterprise-wide can require a major investment.
Speakers: Les Hiscoe (Shawmut Design and Construction) and Shaun Carvalho (Shawmut Design and Construction)
Articles & Research
Member-only Content
BuiltWorlds defines site safety solutions as tools and technologies designed to ensure safety on construction jobsites. These solutions include digital safety checklists, real-time hazard reporting systems, wearable devices, and safety management software. By integrating these tools, construction companies can identify and mitigate risks, conduct audits, and ensure compliance with regulations. Advanced solutions also provide features such as incident tracking, emergency planning, and training modules, which contribute to enhancing the overall safety culture.
The most effective safety programs are established during preconstruction and carried through onto the jobsite, sharing accountability across every stakeholder. Purpose-built digital solutions are increasingly reinforcing that foundation, helping teams identify risk earlier, standardize safety processes, and improve visibility across the work zone. While many technologies contribute to safer outcomes in indirect ways, we've compiled a list of 10 AEC tech solutions designed with safety at their core that are actively enabling teams to turn good intentions into consistent, on-the-ground safety practices.
The construction industry is once again gearing up for its annual Construction Safety Week. While the industry has made significant progress in lowering the frequency of recordable incidents on job sites, overall, its actual fatality rate over the past decade is largely where it was a decade ago. Experts suggest that designing for safety—a process that requires Broader involvement from more stakeholders—can reduce the hazards present on jobsites, thereby lowering the burden on workers to develop and adhere to procedures for their safety.
The construction industry is facing a workforce crisis. A model from Associated Builders and Contractors comparing construction spending to employment in the U.S. estimates that the industry will need to attract 439,000 new workers in 2025 to satisfy demand. With companies facing an urgent need to proactively strategize and invest in the workforce, we've compiled a list of real-world examples of startups looking to improve working conditions across the industry.
Much of safety management’s approach over the past decades has been built on the twin ideas that reducing all injuries will lead to reduced fatalities and that the principal way to reduce injuries is through increased training, personal protection, inspection, and compliance. Construction technologists have largely fallen in line with this thinking. However, data suggests that it may be time to turn to new solutions such as robotics and advanced construction machinery to address the industry's stubborn fatality rate.
For an industry characterized by labor shortages, an aging work force, challenges competing for a new generation workforce, and a persistently high worker fatality rate, a new era of more advanced equipment offers a potentially powerful set of solutions. It is still early in the evolution of this next generation of advanced equipment and robotics, and there is still much to do to ensure their further development, but ten companies are pushing the boundaries of possible for an industry hungry for better solutions.
Demo Drops
Tokyo Global Summit 2025
Leveraging automation technologies, Skyline Cockpit is an advanced, ground-based teleoperation system for tower cranes that allows operators to control cranes remotely using AI, AR, and panoramic cameras rather than sitting in a high-altitude cabin. It enhances safety, increases productivity by roughly 8%, and improves comfort by removing the need to climb.
Speaker: Zachi Flatto, Co-Founder & CEO, Skyline Cockpit
Paris Summit 2024 | Member-only Content
GScan is developing fully automated scanners and tomography systems for security, customs, and industrial applications using natural cosmic radiation (called muon tomography). The technology is 100% safe for both the surrounding people and the environment, with no artificial ionizing radiation and the scanner reaches record high efficiency in classifying materials (e.g., explosives, narcotics, humans, constructional errors, etc) based on material density and atomic data.
Speaker: Jüri Saarma, COO, GScan
Future WorkForce Conference 2025 | Member-only Content
MindForge, a leading workforce communication and safety platform, streamlines jobsite communication between leadership and field crews, ensuring critical information reaches workers in real time. By delivering safety updates, training resources, and company news directly to mobile devices via a user-friendly app, companies are empowered to improve safety compliance, reduce incidents, and foster a stronger safety culture.
Speaker: Stokes McIntyre, President & CEO, MindForge
Paris Summit 2024
As construction sites continue to grow in complexity, the role of technology in ensuring safety and efficiency becomes increasingly critical. WakeCap’s innovative wearable technology represent a significant leap forward in this domain, offering solutions that not only protect workers but also streamline project management.
Speaker: Hassan Albalawi, Founder & CEO, WakeCap
Toronto Summit 2024
Did you know that master key sets to most heavy machinery can be purchased on Amazon and used to break into and start equipment left unattended overnight at jobsites all over the world. It's a significant problem that Veristart, a cloud-based solution requiring workers to sign in and verify before being able to start jobsite machinery, is looking to solve.
Speaker: Craig Hannam, Co-Founder & CEO, Veristart
Discussion
Be the first to leave a comment.
You must be a member of the BuiltWorlds community to join the discussion.