Does UK construction’s AI ambitions face a reality gap?

Managers and workers divided on AI readiness

Rapid Global has published new findings showing a major disconnect between managers and frontline workers in the UK Building and Construction sector over the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for workplace safety.

According to the company, 51% of managers believe their business is fully ready to adopt AI to improve workplace safety, compared with only 20% of frontline workers.

The research shows that 77% of managers think a unified safety system would make compliance easier, while 22% of workers believe old habits are holding back new technology.

Paper-based processes remain in use, with 18% of frontline workers and 14% of managers reporting that key safety tasks such as inductions, sign-in and incident reporting are still completed manually.

Differences in training and visibility across sites

The study highlights discrepancies in how safety visibility and training are perceived.

While 86% of workers believe managers have good visibility of safety trends and incidents, only 56% of managers agree.

On training, 50% of managers say their sites provide comprehensive onboarding, but just 24% of workers share that view.

Rapid Global said this points to inconsistency in how safety information is communicated and applied across construction sites.

Paul Rapuano, Global Strategic Partnerships Manager at Rapid Global, commented: “Construction leaders are ready to digitise, consolidate systems, and explore AI, but too often workers remain unconvinced or stuck with outdated processes.

“To reap the full rewards of new technologies like AI, the way forward for the sector has to be visible proof that technology makes safety easier, training more consistent, and worksites safer.

“That will be the ideal on-ramp for companies in the sector to see digital transformation deliver on its promise.”

Broader trends in safety technology adoption

The Rapid Global Workplace Safety 2025 Report also found that 75% of managers believe adopting new technology would reduce risk and improve safety, compared with 44% of workers.

When it comes to AI implementation, 28% of managers said the process has been slower than expected, while 25% of workers agreed.

The study found that 73% of managers think staff understand incident response protocols, compared with 59% of workers.

Rapid Global reported that 30% of managers admit to fast-tracking safety training to speed up site entry, while 14% of workers said the same.

Nearly one in five workers said safety processes cause them anxiety, and 60% do not believe their business supports positive mental health care.

Rapuano added: “UK Building & Construction firms that move to modernise safety systems, replacing paper with digital-first tools to show how AI can support, not replace, frontline expertise, will strengthen compliance, cut risks, and build the resilient worksites the sector needs.”

Relevance for fire and safety professionals

For health and safety managers, compliance officers and risk assessors in the construction sector, the findings indicate persistent operational gaps in digital safety practices.

The data shows that many construction sites still rely on paper-based processes for critical safety tasks, which may limit transparency and accuracy in incident reporting.

Differences between managerial perception and frontline experience also highlight the challenge of maintaining consistent safety communication across multiple sites.

For those responsible for implementing workplace safety systems, the research provides insight into how digital tools, including AI, could be used to standardise training and improve oversight.

The results may also inform fire-safety planning in complex construction environments where multiple contractors and reporting systems are in use.