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From autonomous robots patrolling sites to AI powered cameras monitoring worker behaviour, the technology is rapidly moving from science fiction to the reality of UK construction sites. But what does this mean for health and safety? Is AI genuinely transforming how we protect workers, or is it creating new risks that we do not yet fully understand?

Summers are getting hotter. Heatwaves are lasting longer. And working conditions on UK construction sites are becoming increasingly difficult to manage. In summer 2022, the UK recorded 40°C heat for the first time. Then 2025 became the hottest year on record. The Met Office has confirmed that the UK is now more than twice as likely to experience a hotter-than-average summer, with 2025 continuing the trend of intensifying heat from 2015 onwards.

It has now been over four years since the Building Safety Act 2022 received Royal Assent. What began as a regulatory response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy which claimed 72 lives in 2017 has evolved into a live and complex regulatory framework that is reshaping how construction projects are procured, managed, and delivered across the United Kingdom.

The Health and Safety Executive published its second Post-Implementation Review (PIR) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 which is commonly known as CDM 2015. The review assesses whether the regulations remain fit for purpose and was a statutory requirement under Regulation 39 of CDM 2015, mandating a review every five years from the date the regulations came into force.

Those working in UK construction industry know that the job demands more than just physical stamina. Long hours, tight deadlines, relentless pressure to deliver, and the constant uncertainty of project based work are all part of the territory.