Over half of environmental, health, and safety (EHS) leaders report injury frequency (53%) and severity (51%) have either remained stagnant or worsened over the past year, according to Benchmark Gensuite’s 2025 EHS Benchmarking report. Based on a survey of over 100 EHS professionals across multiple industries, the report highlights persistent challenges—such as workforce turnover, insufficient training, and underreporting—and explores the potential role of artificial intelligence (AI) in addressing these issues.
“The 2025 EHS Benchmarking Report underscores the urgent need for organizations to rethink their approach to workplace safety,” said R. Mukund, founder and CEO of Benchmark Gensuite. “Safety can no longer be treated as a checkbox for compliance—it’s a critical driver of operational resilience, employee well-being, and financial performance.”
Key findings from the report include:
- Persistent safety challenges hinder success. Workforce issues, including high turnover, hiring challenges, and onboarding new employees, are stalling progress and contributing to workplace injuries for 55% of organizations. Insufficient training (34%) and time and manpower shortages (31%) also top the list.
- Feedback and reporting issues are a significant roadblock. An alarming 79% of respondents believe accidents, hazards, concerns, and near misses are underreported.
- The responsibilities of the EHS leaders have grown. Forty-five percent of EHS leaders said ESG and sustainability goals have intensified the complexity of their EHS roles, limiting their ability to focus on core safety functions. Another 35% said managing compliance with new and evolving regulations is another burden.
- AI technology is becoming an essential tool for modernizing workplace safety management. Fifty-nine percent of organizations are confident that generative AI can help predict and prevent injuries. Another 39% of companies are increasing their AI investments for EHS in the next 12 months.
Is It Time to Embrace AI?
The report reveals a growing optimism around AI’s potential to transform safety management. Over half (51%) of organizations are investing in AI-driven solutions in 2025 for EHS applications such as data analysis capabilities (60%), AI-powered video analysis (50%), AI-powered prompts (50%), and automated classification, trend monitoring, and alerting (48%).
AI is also emerging as a tool to help EHS leaders overcome underreporting issues. Sixty-one percent of respondents feel that employees would accurately report hazards, concerns, near misses, or accidents with access to mobile apps for real-time feedback sent right from the employee’s smartphone (61%) and GenAI-generated prompts to improve the quality and expediency of user inputs (36%).
Mukund claimed, “Through AI-driven solutions, companies can identify risks early, simplify reporting, and make meaningful improvements that positively impact both people and the bottom line. Strong executive support and investment in advanced technology are key to driving substantial change, securing long-term business success, and most importantly, keeping the most valuable asset—employees—safe.”
Download the full report here.
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