While new technologies present new potential sources of risk to human safety and wellbeing, they can also provide unique solutions.

There are already some well-known technology solutions to existing problems – from high-altitude inspection drones to real-time safety-monitoring applications and intelligent personal protective equipment – but these need to be deployed globally to address long-standing safety challenges in many sectors.

Industrialists and safety professionals need to “see and touch” these solutions to support their implementation on the ground. Therefore, demonstration and awareness efforts need to be prioritised.

In addition, the industrial community needs to collaborate with innovators to proactively develop new approaches and solutions using emerging technologies.

This needs to be accompanied by global efforts to deploy technology solutions along supply chains and to develop the necessary safety skills for the future.