Key Facts:
- Transport industry is familiar with safety systems but relies heavily on manual processes, with 57% saying incident reporting could be easier and 43% finding safety audits too time-consuming
- Transport sector shows lowest AI adoption (24%) among high-risk industries, with managers uncertain about implementation despite interest
- While 57% of managers report strong safety training delivery, 54% struggle with contractor compliance to site safety protocols
- 19% of transport organisations lack a centralised view of workplace safety, indicating fragmentation is a key challenge
- Success in safety outcomes correlates more with reducing friction and automating enforcement rather than implementing multiple tools
Australia's transport sector stands apart because of its familiarity with safety systems, yet new research shows that manual processes continue to absorb time, effort, and attention that could otherwise be spent improving outcomes.
The Australian Workplace Safety Market Research Report, commissioned by Rapid Global and conducted by Research Without Barriers, surveyed more than 1,000 Australian safety managers, workers and contractors across high-risk industries, including transportation.
Transport is an industry where safety systems are familiar and broadly trusted, but day-to-day safety work remains heavily manual. Although managers understand the processes, they struggle with efficiency, with 57% stating the incident reporting process could be easier for staff and 43 per cent saying safety audits take too much time to complete.
Unlike other high-risk sectors, transport is cautious rather than enthusiastic about AI. Only 24 per cent of managers say their safety systems include AI, the lowest of any industry sector, and just 12 per cent of workers believe AI will replace senior management roles. Almost a quarter of managers would like to use AI but are unsure of how to best implement it.
Training confidence is relatively high, but gaps remain. While 57 per cent of managers say their sites deliver strong safety training to all workers, 54 per cent admit their biggest challenge is getting contractors to follow site safety protocols. 19 per cent want a single, central view of workplace safety but currently lack one, reinforcing that fragmentation, not intent, is the core issue.
Professor Dr Andrew Sharman, a global authority on safety culture and CEO of the International Institute of Leadership & Safety Culture, says the findings reflect a familiar pattern seen repeatedly across global workplaces. "Safety is often well documented, but inconsistently felt by people on the ground," he says. "Bridging the gap between policy and practice is less about systems alone and much more about leadership. Trust is the critical differentiator."
The findings, according to Ezequiel Gonzalez, Head of Revenue at Rapid Global, demonstrate that complexity, rather than intent, increasingly shapes safety risk. "Australia has made significant progress in workplace safety, yet complacency remains," he asserts. "Complex, high-risk environments require more than simply checking boxes. "Technology should not replace human judgement but make it sharper." When systems are easier to use and data is easier to act on, safer outcomes follow."
According to the research, the organisations most likely to improve safety outcomes are not those modernising with the most tools but those reducing friction, automating enforcement, and making safe behaviour the easiest option for day-to-day reality on site.
The findings suggest transport leaders are less interested in transformation for its own sake and more focused on reliability. The next step is to leverage modern safety software to simplify reporting, enforce compliance, and reduce the heavy manual load for teams.
To access the report, please visit: https://rapidglobal.com/lp/au-market-research/
About us:
About Rapid Global
Rapid Global is an Australian AI-powered platform transforming workplace safety and compliance, with more than 7m users worldwide. Trusted by leading global companies, Rapid brings together more than 20 years of industry experience to deliver a smarter, more proactive approach to managing safety. From contractor pre-qualification and online inductions to visitor management, site access control, audits, AI-enabled camera monitoring, and incident reporting, Rapid gives organisations one connected platform to keep people safe and workplaces compliant. https://rapidglobal.com/
