A global survey commissioned by Calgary-based connected safety technology provider Blackline Safety has found that 95% of health and safety professionals plan to maintain or increase their budgets over the next two years, even as workplace incidents remain persistently high — a finding that carries significant weight for EHS decision-makers worldwide.

Envirotech Online reported that the study was carried out by independent research firm NewtonX and surveyed 200 senior safety and operations professionals at companies with at least 500 employees.

The survey found that 97% of safety professionals believe workplace safety is fundamental to reliable productivity, yet 64% identified a gap between safety protocol and real-world behaviour.

Training was the top investment priority, cited by 46% of respondents, followed by workforce engagement at 41% and infrastructure improvements at 34%.

The report also found that 76% of safety professionals said zero-incident goals persist and are considered unrealistic, while only 36% of workers were reported to have a great deal of trust in their companies' tools and procedures.

Some 65% of respondents said they expect AI risk prediction tools to become increasingly important, though only 33.5% currently use predictive analytics to forecast risk, compared with 73% who review incident reports and near-miss records.

Christine Gillies, chief product and marketing officer at Blackline Safety, said: "It's clear from the survey that a majority of experts support a change in safety culture across industries. As a result, we'll see safety increasingly becoming a holistic, enterprise-wide operating system instead of a compliance function, and companies that treat it this way will close the protocol-behaviour gap, creating safer and more productive workplaces."

Gillies identified three pillars of a strong safety culture: training and communication, tools and technology, and data and reporting.

Access the full findings from Blackline Safety's inaugural global workplace safety report.