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The Message Hasn’t Changed, But How We Deliver It Must

By Dwight Abshire

Originally published in Construction News and Review.

As technology continues to reshape nearly every part of our lives – from how we work to how we communicate and learn – its impact is felt across every corner of our industry.

On our mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) jobsites, in offices and across teams, smartphones, tablets, QR codes, videos and even AI have become everyday tools. These advances make it easier than ever to reach employees quickly, effectively and creatively.

But while the tools evolve, the message itself hasn’t changed. Safety still saves lives. What must evolve is how that message is delivered and how we connect it to the way people learn today.

The Message Is Timeless, The Method Isn’t

The fundamentals of safety remain constant. Personal protective equipment, if used properly, still protects. Situational awareness and hazard recognition still help prevent accidents. Effective communication still saves lives. Yet the way people absorb and respond to information has shifted dramatically.

In my more than 30 years in the field of safety, I’ve learned to be extremely particular about our communications and how they are perceived. I’ve come to understand that not only what you communicate, but how you communicate gives credibility to your programs. As one example with visuals, it’s why I’m meticulous about details like where posters are placed, at what height, their condition and how long they remain in one location.

How Today’s Workforce Learns Differently

Today’s workforce learns differently – visually, interactively and in shorter bursts. In my opinion, the rise of media platforms that emphasize short-form videos has contributed to shorter attention spans among younger generations and – to a larger degree than we might believe – the older generations. Research supports this observation. In her book Attention Span: The New Science of Finding Focus and Fighting Distraction in the Digital Age, Gloria Mark notes that the average person’s focus is increasingly fragmented due to the constant flow of digital content and the frequent switching between tasks. These patterns, fueled by social media and short-form video platforms, mean younger workers are often consuming information in very brief bursts, which can affect how they learn and engage with content. If we keep repeating the same reminders the same way, they fade into background noise. “Wear your hand protection” or “Focus on the risks in your work area” are vital messages, but they lose impact when they sound scripted.

By reimagining how those reminders are delivered – through shorter videos, a QR code linking to a quick refresher or an AI-powered quiz that adapts to the learner – safety becomes more than compliance. It becomes part of the rhythm of daily work.

Meeting Employees Where They Learn

Technology allows safety communication to meet employees where they are, not the other way around.

QR codes can instantly connect workers to short, task-specific training videos. We use these to support our weekly toolbox talks with our learning management system and for employee observations. In addition, we have created a short series of videos for our six Lifesaving Rules. To further this, we use these to make reporting easier and more convenient for the employee.
AI tools can tailor lessons to individual learning styles, experience levels or job roles. We have utilized this in partnership with Safety Anywhere to develop our safety orientation that has a conversational-style teaching approach that helps with attention span. We also have a partnership with Hard Hat VR; it provides our virtual training on our life-critical tasks such as working at heights, energy isolation and Arc Flash training. Here, we use technology without the real-world consequences as our employees learn and have fun doing so.
Mobile devices can deliver real-time updates and micro-training directly to our technicians, many of whom may not visit an office for weeks, eliminating the need to wait for a classroom session. In every communication, initiative or training effort, we must ensure that content is easily accessible on all devices.

The goal isn’t to use technology for the sake of being modern; it’s to make safety education accessible, engaging and relevant. When the message is easy to access, brief and clearly connected to the task at hand, it’s more likely to stick.

Making Safety Conversations Feel Real Again

After years of hearing the same messages, even the most important topics can start to feel routine. To keep safety communication meaningful, it needs to feel real, rooted in the people and stories behind it. To do this, we develop a marketing plan for our annual health, safety and environment (HSE) strategy and set the standard high. That might mean:

Turning formal briefings into short, story-based videos featuring real employees.
Using quick text messages or video clips instead of long PowerPoint decks.
Using AI to recreate events that are more visible and drive meaningful action to prevent recurrence. The team we have used is Peak Safety Productions out of South Carolina. It takes an investigation and uses the details to recreate an AI visual for easy learning.
Highlighting real-world success stories where safe choices prevented incidents.

When safety is presented as a shared value, not just a policy or procedure, it connects on a human level. Employees begin to see it not as compliance, but as commitment to their teammates, their families and themselves.

The Future of Safety Communication

A strong safety culture isn’t built on information alone; it’s built on engagement. Technology helps us share the message, but people make it meaningful. Leaders who use these tools to start real conversations, not just to check boxes, show that safety is more than a requirement; it’s a reflection of care, compassion and, most importantly, humility.

The message will always be the same: We want everyone to go home safe. What’s changing is how we deliver it, in ways that are current, thoughtful and human. By blending timeless safety principles with modern learning tools, we ensure that the message doesn’t just reach people – it resonates with them. This is, in large part, our HSE strategy for 2026, and we are excited to have a team helping develop and drive this.

Dwight Abshire, CSM, is vice president – health, safety, environmental and quality at Crete United.

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