May 23, 2025 Protection Not Politics: Utilizing AI to Save DEI

Safety programs that ignore DEI put workers at risk. AI helps to protect every employee and boost company wide safety and success.

By Heather Chapman, Head of Safety & Risk Strategy, Soter

DEI is under fire at the federal level, and many companies are following suite at breakneck speed. For leaders tasked with safety and compliance, this shift may seem distant, even irrelevant to the day-to-day demands of keeping workers safe. However, the retreat of major conglomerates such as Amazon, Walmart, and Target, have had rippling effects on environments where safety is critical for getting the job done: manufacturing floors, warehouses, transportation hubs, and more. As our workforces grow more diverse each year, retreating from DEI now doesn’t just harm company culture, it puts lives and reputation at risk.

Data from the National Safety Council shows that minority workers face a higher rate of serious injury and fatality than their peers, with Latino workers facing the greatest risk of dying on the job, with a rate 24% higher than the national average. Language barriers, cultural misunderstandings, and unequal access to training materials all contribute to preventable accidents. Within Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) programs, DEI and workplace safety are not two separate efforts; they are deeply interconnected. Diverse teams bring diverse perspectives, helping organizations identify risks from every angle. When DEI is treated as optional, safety isn’t far behind.

Gaps That Place Workers in the Danger Zone

Sidestepping DEI directly undermines workplace safety outcomes and mutes critical voices that otherwise spot blind spots in safety protocols and compliance efforts. Diverse workers may already face obstacles in understanding or accessing safety information, but when they are shown they are not prioritized, there’s a domino effect impacting companywide success, reputation and employee satisfaction.

To date, many safety programs default to a “one-size-fits-all” general approach that do not consider all employees. For example:

• Manufacturing: Training materials only available in English which can lead to misunderstanding of critical machine safety protocols for frontline workers that do not use English as their native language
• Aviation: Cabin and maintenance crews with diverse backgrounds may misinterpret emergency procedures if cultural context is ignored, such as directing planes on runways or evacuation directions
• Logistics and Warehousing: Ergonomic programs built on the average worker profile can fail to accommodate a range of body types, abilities and experience levels, increasing injury risk

Compliance gaps follow close behind. OSHA violations often stem not from malicious neglect, but from training failures, documentation issues, or lack of inclusive communication strategies. Safety that isn’t built for everyone, at the end of the day, protects no one.

Halting DEI initiatives can also discourage workers from reporting hazards. Without DEI’s reinforcement of empowerment and trust, many employees may fear being neglected, misunderstood, or simply being ignored. As a result, dangerous conditions go unreported, accidents go up, and morale, along with retention, drops. Don’t let this be you and your company.

Supporting Programs with the Help of AI

As DEI programs disappear or weaken, EHS leaders are looking for new ways to preserve, promote and maintain safe working cultures. Enter Artificial intelligence (AI), serving as a supplementation to ongoing safety efforts.

The biggest value proposition of AI is access to the most comprehensive data possible – this includes critical data on all bodies. Traditionally, everything around health and safety in the workplace was based on white men. This is not a “one size fits all model” – women, people of color, and more have completely different bodies, risks, conditions, etc. For example, in study from the Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health surveying over 500 frontline workers, females were more likely to report musculoskeletal risks like repetitive movements, working at high speed, and awkward or tiring postures. Even if federal safeguards disappear, having access to AI can help ensure safety (and therefore productivity) for the entire workforce regardless of race, gender, age and more.

By delivering tailored, role-specific safety insights, AI works to improve communication, reduce preventable injuries, and increase adherence across industries, all while making informed decisions geared towards what is best for the frontline worker at hand regardless of race, gender etc. By building a more visible, accessible and data-driven culture of safety, AI ensures that every worker’s experience is reflected in protocols and practices rather than prioritizing the executive majority.

Leaders: We Still Need You

AI is already reshaping EHS by enhancing and expanding predictive capabilities, automating inspections, and streamlining regulatory checklists, but technology is only part of the solution. Leaders must be focused: AI cannot and should not replace DEI. Inclusive safety is about more than coverage or checking off a box; it’s about culture and real people. AI can help fill gaps temporarily, but it cannot replicate the trust, empowerment, and open communication fostered by human-first leadership. It demands cultures that recognize, empower, and protect every employee.

As political debates around DEI press on, leaders must make a crucial decision: Will they treat DEI as a fleeting “plus on” initiative, easily abandoned or forgotten? Or, as an essential pillar of safety and productivity, showing their respect for frontline staff? Organizations that embrace both DEI and AI will be best positioned to navigate change, avoid costly incidents, and build innovative, future-proof workplaces. Those that chose not to, may very well be left behind.

Now is the time for companies to reassess:

• Leaders: Are your safety tools, trainings, and protocols serving every employee?
• EHS Professionals: Are your compliance programs inclusive by design, or is this an assumption? Do you need to reassess?
• Investors/Decision Makers: Are you investing in technologies that bridge gaps or widen them?

The political climate may shift, but the need to protect people never does. When DEI exits the conversation, safety follows closely behind. DEI isn’t about taking a political stand. It’s about taking care of the people who power your business day in day out. Utilizing AI in tandem with human leadership, helps to ensure a safer environment for both front line workers, and the long terms success for companies of the future.

About the Author:
Heather Chapman is Head of Safety & Risk Strategy at Soter, an AI platform using cutting-edge tech to optimize worker safety while meeting the rigorous compliance standards. Heather uses Soter’s AI platform to help organizations optimize their safety processes, uncover hidden hazards, and effectively manage risk mitigation strategies.

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