AI-Powered Construction Safety Risk Platform Launched

Highwire, a platform that supports managing contractor construction and operation risk, has launched a safety risk management tool that offers advanced AI analysis.

The new functionality aims to provide deep insights into contractor risk through advanced AI analysis of safety documentation.

The tool automates document review, analyzes safety management programs, proactively identifies risks and classifies safety protocols. These are tasks that can traditionally take thousands of human hours, according to Highwire.

The platform uses AI analytics to provide more accurate contractor assessment, enabling managers to implement mitigation strategies before work begins. For example, programs can be categorized as general, detailed or comprehensive, moving beyond mere pass/fail analysis to support managers to make more informed decisions.

The company said that this marks a considerable advancement in contractor safety risk management,

"Safety analytics are about more than assessing risk. It's about contractor success—fostering collaboration that drives continuous improvement in construction safety," said Highwire chair and CEO Don Fornes.

"By offering insightful feedback on safety programs and management systems, we enable companies to improve safety standards, build stronger partnerships and ultimately increase the pool of qualified contractors."

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This is important in a market with a limited supply of skilled labor, the company said. For example, the platform is designed to help owners and general contractors not to exclude contractors based solely on a simple review of past performance but instead collaborate with contractors to help them become safer.

A study published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine found that an increase in safety management systems was associated with a 34% decrease in the odds of a recordable incident and a 28% decrease in the odds of a “days away, restricted or transferred” (DART) incident.

The technology was developed at Harvard and is aimed at large companies with established safety programs as well as smaller contractors with less developed safety documentation.