Augmented Collective Intelligence: A New approach for workplace health and safety

By Matthew Winterburn, Global Senior Vice-President Health, Safety and Environment and Business Improvement and Growth Support at Sodexo

Every year, 2.93 million workers around the world lose their lives due to work-related factors and an additional 374 million suffer non-fatal injuries. These are staggering figures – and a powerful reminder that we need to rethink and strengthen how we protect people at work.

In response to this challenge, the combination of human expertise and artificial intelligence (AI), offers game-changing opportunities to better prevent risk and protect people at work. These innovations are reshaping our approach to workplace safety and, perhaps unexpectedly, placing people firmly back at the centre of it all.

A Paradigm Shift in Risk Prevention

Digital solutions and AI mark a true shift in mindset. For the first time, we have systems capable of predicting risks before they happen.

Thanks to predictive analytics, algorithms can now detect dangerous situations, risky behaviours, and subtle warning signs that would typically go unnoticed by humans. This reinforces and accelerates the ongoing transition from a reactive to a truly preventive approach to safety.

Practical Applications Enhancing Prevention

This shift is materialising through practical and innovative applications that significantly impact safety at work.

Early risk detection is now possible through smart sensors. At Sodexo, some of these devices are used to assess the impact of job tasks on joints and muscles, scoring their injury risk and triggering alerts before an incident occurs. This insight prompted us to rethink some of our processes. For instance, data showed traditional shower cleaning posed a high risk. We responded by adopting a new tool that limits bending and scrubbing, resulting in a 74.6 per cent reduction in the risk score for this task.

Immersive training through augmented and virtual reality is also changing the game, transforming how safety procedures are learned. By simulating high-risk situations, these technologies enable employees to effectively safely practice the right responses.

Intelligent systems also help drive meaningful behavioural change by promoting accountability and enabling faster, more informed decision-making on the ground. For example, vehicle monitoring systems can alert drivers in real time when fatigue is detected. By analysing behaviours like speeding or harsh braking, they also support targeted coaching to correct risky practices.

Technology Needs Ethics

As promising as these advances are, they raise important ethical and legal considerations. Collecting data on employees – even in the name of their own safety – requires a clear framework built on four key principles: collecting only necessary data, being full transparent about what data is collected and why, getting informed employee consent where authorized, and ensuring strong safeguards to protect personal data.

When these principles are respected, technology is embraced as a genuine ally in building a safer workplace.

Keeping People at the Heart of Innovation

The real strength of technology lies in its ability to boost our human capabilities, not to replace them. This technological augmentation transforms our perceptions, analyses, and interventions.​

Data and algorithms now reveal what the human eye cannot perceive. However, it is the adoption of these tools by teams and their managers that transforms insights into concrete actions. That’s why training managers to understand and interpret AI-generated data has become crucial for effective prevention.​

Far from opposing humans and technology, the real challenge today is to create the conditions for a successful alliance where technology and human expertise mutually reinforce each other. This symbiosis requires tools that fit into how teams work, rather than forcing them to adapt. It also necessitates daily and continuous awareness, reminding everyone that safety remains a shared responsibility. Only under these conditions can we maintain team engagement and avoid the trap of over-reliance on digital tools that could weaken our vigilance on the ground.​

At Sodexo, ‘Zero Harm’ is more than a slogan – it’s a core commitment. And the results show it works: our Lost Time Injury Rate (LTIR) decreased by 14 per cent in 2023 and a further 12 per cent in 2024. This progress reinforces what we believe to be true – that when people and technology work hand in hand, safer outcomes follow.  Let’s seize this opportunity together to build a future where every worker operates in an ever-safer environment.