The federal government's COVID-19 emergency declaration will end on May 11 and with that, many employer obligations instituted to keep workers safe and healthy will go away. Since the beginning of the pandemic, COVID-related concerns have kept employers and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) busy. With COVID receding, it is an opportune moment for both employers and OSHA to reimagine worker safety for existing and new threats to occupational safety and health (OSH). Artificial Intelligence (AI), if used responsibly, can be a win-win for both employers and OSHA.

Only high-visibility industrial accidents draw media attention and spur public concern, but accidents continue unabated away from the spotlight. In 2021, there were 5,190 fatal work injuries recorded in the U.S., a 9 percent increase from the year before. That amounts to a workplace fatality every 101 minutes! In addition, there were 2.6 million non-fatal work accidents recorded in the United States that year. As the country reshapes its national strategy for manufacturing post-COVID, robust industrial safety at plant sites and along the supply chain assumes greater importance and urgency.

It is not just reindustrialization that is driving the need for change. Since the enactment of the landmark Occupational Safety and Health Act in 1970, there have been profound changes in the nature of the economy, forcing us to change the way we work. It is no secret that the nature of employment arrangements has changed over the last few decades, many of which have been amplified in the last few years: a large number of temporary employees brought onto the payroll, a rise in the service economy, the widespread use of free agents and gig workers, a continued reliance on overseas outsourcing and global supply chains.