Artificial Intelligence Insights Transform Worker Safety

Rewriting the Industrial Ergonomics Playbook

Historically, worker safety programs have relied on manual observation and slow ergonomic interventions. Or worse, companies have simply ignored ergonomics and human factors, considering them cost-prohibitive.

But injuries don’t just harm employees. The damage goes beyond a visit from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Injuries increase downtime, drive up workers’ compensation premiums and weaken productivity.

Now, artificial intelligence (AI) is rewriting the industrial safety playbook. AI analyzes everyday security video. It finds hidden risks and gives useful insights for occupational safety and health.

This helps companies cut injuries by more than half. It also reduces workers’ comp costs by up to 40%.

Achieving these results is as easy as connecting with the Tompkins Ventures network. Our proven safety innovators deliver AI-powered insights at scale.

Cutting Risk Where Warehouses Hurt Most

Few sectors face as many risks as warehousing and logistics. Forklifts, conveyors and manual lifting create constant opportunities for strain, collision or fall. Traditional safety audits may catch issues during inspections, but unsafe behaviors often return once observers leave.

AI-powered video analysis changes that. Systems can flag repetitive unsafe lifting techniques, forklift near misses and noncompliance with safety protocols in real time.

One global logistics operator discovered over 1,500 risk occurrences across its facilities. By addressing them with AI-generated recommendations, the company lowered injuries, saving hundreds of thousands in workers’ compensation costs.

In warehouses where margins are thin, these gains matter. Improvements in ergonomics reduce musculoskeletal strain, lowering lost-time incidents by more than 60%.

Companies known for work-related injuries and illness have trouble competing for workers. Reducing risk factors and improving workplace safety helps companies retain workers longer.

So, for logistics leaders under constant pressure, protecting employees has become both a moral and financial advantage.

Through the Tompkins Ventures’ ecosystem, logistics leaders can access AI platforms that transform audits into continuous safety improvement.

Eliminate Hazards Before They Cost Manufacturers Millions

Manufacturing environments add another layer of complexity. Workers often interact with heavy machinery, sharp tools and repetitive assembly tasks that create ergonomic hazards. AI solutions detect shortcuts that may not appear in official reports. Think of employees jumping over conveyors or bypassing safety guards.

One manufacturer eliminated almost 10,000 unsafe acts weekly, cutting incidents by 74%.

These results are not isolated. Tompkins Ventures’ partners have uncovered such hazards across manufacturers of all types.

Beyond preventing immediate accidents, smarter industrial safety systems continuously improve ergonomics. A small change, such as adjusting workstation heights or adding inexpensive equipment, can nearly eliminate repetitive strain injuries.

By integrating AI risk detection with process changes, manufacturers build safety and health programs that work. This results in safer plants, reduced insurance premiums and fewer workers’ compensation claims.

AI Delivers Safer Workplaces Everywhere

Industrial safety goes beyond warehousing and manufacturing, as other industries are benefiting too. And the Tompkins Ventures’ ecosystem enables tailored safety solutions for each of these environments:

• Construction: AI safety platforms monitor jobsites for falls, improper personal protective equipment (PPE) use and equipment hazards. In these areas, incidents can be fatal.
• Retail: From stocking shelves to handling backroom freight, ergonomics matter. AI can identify and help reduce the repetitive bending and lifting that drive injury claims.
• Restaurants and auto services: Slips, trips and strains are constant risks. AI detects hazards like spilled liquids left unattended or unsafe lifting of tires and equipment.

Worker Safety Pays for Itself

Leading companies are adopting AI-powered safety platforms because they deliver rapid implementation, automated analysis, compliance auditing and real-time alerts. The technology integrates with existing video systems and provides dashboards that executives and safety professionals can easily understand.

With a proven track record across logistics, manufacturing, retail and more, this approach delivers measurable impact fast. Traditional programs take months to achieve results and often don’t create a safety culture.

Work shouldn’t hurt. Whether in warehouses, plants, jobsites or retail stores, preventing injuries means more than protecting people. A safe work environment reduces costs, insurance premiums and operational disruption. And the Tompkins Ventures network can help deliver safer workplaces.

If your goal is safer workplaces, stronger ergonomics and reduced losses from injuries, connect with Tompkins Ventures today.

Related Reading

• The Future of Industrial Safety and Ergonomics
• Office and Warehouse Security Is Not Optional
• Can an App Save Lives? AI Industrial Safety Goes Mobile