Key Facts:
- Only 39% of Australian utility workers say safety is consistently taken seriously, with many reporting corner-cutting despite operating in high-risk environments
- 41% of workers still rely on manual/paper methods for safety tasks, while 27% report paper-based audit processes, creating compliance challenges
- 27% of utility workers prefer digital safety communications (text/app), showing openness to modernisation
- Trust and leadership are identified as critical factors in bridging the gap between safety policy and actual practice
- Success in safety improvements correlates more with reducing friction and automating enforcement than implementing numerous new tools
Utilities operate in some of Australia's most highly regulated and high-risk environments, and while safety is broadly valued, new research reveals persistent gaps between policy and practice on the ground.
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 utilities.
Utility workers operate in dangerous, highly regulated situations where safety is critical but not always followed. Just over a third, or 39 per cent, of workers say safety is mainly taken seriously, but some people still cut corners, revealing a gap between expectations and what actually happens on-site in critical infrastructure settings. Thirty-nine per cent of workers say safety training is okay but could be more relevant to their job.
Manual processes continue to undermine safety performance. Forty-one per cent of workers say they rely on paper or manual methods to complete safety tasks, and 27 per cent report audit processes that are still manual or paper-based. These workflows increase friction and make compliance harder in environments where clarity and speed matter most.
Unlike other sectors, utilities workers show a growing openness to smarter digital tools. Twenty-seven per cent prefer receiving safety communications via text message or mobile app, and only 32 per cent believe AI should be used for data analysis rather than decision-making. This suggests an opportunity to modernise workflows in ways that support workers without removing human judgement.
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, yet not consistently 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 path forward for utilities lies in digitising workflows and reducing the 'paperwork tax' while harnessing growing worker openness to smarter, AI-supported systems that make safe behaviour the easiest option.
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/
