The recent AGC webinar, Beyond Paper: Leveraging Digital Inspections and Data for Safer Construction Sites, featured two veteran safety professionals who offered an insightful look into how digital transformation is reshaping construction safety.
Jim Goss, Senior Safety Consultant at HCSS, opened the session with a candid story from his early days as a corporal in Fort Hood, Texas. His safety journey began after hearing that 38 soldiers had died in training accidents. “All I can think of was that was 38 people too late,” he said. Now, with 40 years in safety, over 75 fatality investigations, and a long-standing leadership role with AGC of America, Goss made it clear that safety must be proactive, not reactive.
Barry Morris, Director of EHS and Training at Tri-State Drilling, followed with a similar trajectory. After a tragic fire took the life of his teammate, he transitioned from a hands-on construction role into full-time safety leadership. His experience in the Air Force and private sector gave him a broad view of the need for constant improvement, especially through innovation.
The Case for Going Digital
In the webinar, Goss and Morris painted a clear picture of the status quo: many companies are still entrenched in paper-based safety processes. Polling results from the webinar audience showed that while many organizations have adopted digital tools, a significant portion still operate with either mostly paper-based systems or a 50/50 hybrid.
This is significant because paper-based inspections aren’t just slow and incomplete, they’re difficult to access when needed most. “One of the things I would ask everybody is, do they have access to all the information they’ve collected, whether it’s digital or paper?” asked Goss. “Can they retrieve this information quickly at a moment’s notice, or can they analyze this information?” In most cases, the answer is no.
Manual processes like carbon copies, physical signatures, and other paper trails delay critical action that improves safety. As Morris pointed out, before digital adoption at Tri-State, reports could take days to move from the jobsite to headquarters. Now, using the HCSS platform, the same reports can be shared and acted on immediately, leveraging real-time data to the fullest.
This kind of responsiveness also builds customer confidence. For example, when a customer asks, “Did you complete your inspection?” team members can confidently pull up digital records on the spot, complete with details and documentation.
“It’s not just the safety professional completing it,” Morris emphasizes. “It’s the superintendents, field crews, and senior leadership that will help you get that engagement you want from everybody out in the field. Empowering those crews, it’s the right tool—the consistent tool—so we all stay aligned. It’s important.”
Integrating Digital Tools
Jim Goss shared how his own evolution from “safety cop” to people-first leader taught him the power of proactive, data-driven safety. Instead of waiting for something to go wrong, digital tools help teams detect patterns early (whether it’s inspections, near misses, or recurring hazards).
For example, QR codes in HCSS Safety are a simple but powerful feature. Crews can walk up to equipment or an employee’s hard hat, scan a code, and be taken directly to the relevant checklist or the worker’s skills and certifications. No searching. No excuses.
Another real-world example came from Tri-State when Morris explained putting analytics in action for predictive safety. Their data revealed most incidents weren’t happening Monday or Friday as expected, but on Thursdays. Why? Thursday was their real Friday, due to rotating shifts. Once that was clear, they could adjust their approach to get ahead of those risks.
When asked what helps the field adopt new tech, in-person training ranked highest, followed by onboarding guides and videos. To put this into perspective, it makes complete sense: construction is hands-on, and adoption requires real-world context.
However, change is hard. As Goss joked, there are some “superintendents and foremen that probably still have a flip phone with the rotary dial.” Keeping this in mind, rollouts must be phased, intuitive, and respectful of different comfort levels. Mixing younger, tech-savvy foremen with veterans helps too. The goal is to build trust, show value, and reinforce that the system is there to help, not punish.
Changing the Culture Around Inspections
One of many important segments addressed the stigma of inspections. Goss noted that many workers see inspections as punitive, which discourages honesty. Superintendents and foremen may withhold issues to protect their teams or themselves.
“I go through inspections for a lot of clients,” Goss said. “We’ll look at it, and I’ll never find a problem. The safety people find problems every day, but the superintendent’s informants don’t. Why is that? We have to make sure that people are honest with us. In large projects, unseen problems can arise and they need correction. Inspections should be used as a tool for learning and improving, not a weapon. We can’t be everywhere at once.”
In the second poll, attendees confirmed what Goss predicted: the #1 drawback of paper-based safety programs is lost or incomplete documentation. Morris also shared that even minor issues, like poor handwriting or lost forms, can delay resolution and increase potential risks on the jobsite. Each handoff, from crew to foremen to superintendents to the safety office, multiplies the chances of errors or omissions.
A transparent, shared inspection process that includes leadership at every level encourages buy-in and ownership, which are the cornerstones of a strong safety culture. A united system in the form of safety management software enables that kind of culture shift.
Key Takeaways: Culture Over Compliance
Wrapping up the webinar, four crucial takeaways were succinctly stated:
1. Digital inspections replace paper processes with real-time tracking, reducing delays and manual errors.
2. Real-time safety data improves compliance readiness and helps prevent incidents before they happen.
3. Integrating digital tools boosts overall project efficiency by streamlining inspections and reporting.
4. Change is possible—real-world success stories show that even large teams can overcome digital adoption challenges.
As Jim Goss and Barry Morris made clear, digital inspections are leading the cultural shift that helps protect people, improve productivity, and future-proof safety programs.
Want to learn more? Get in touch today to start leveraging digital inspections and data for safer jobsites. The complete webinar can be viewed here.
