EHS Trends to Watch in 2026
Talent shortages, leveraging AI, and prioritizing mental health are issues that EHS leaders will be focusing on in 2026, according to a recent report, Voice of EHS Report:2026 Trends and Priorities, from Intelex.
Talent -The survey, which includes insights from 865 EHS professionals across North America and Europe, found that the profession will have some large challenges this year. One of the most difficult is the talent shortage, as reported by 75% of those surveyed. Part of the problem is the need for new skills necessary to keep up with emerging technology, which 85% of the respondents mentioned.
Technology -- As far as what types of technologies are being used, 41% report using IoT-based sensors and remote monitoring. These seem to be in a pilot stage, however. Around 40% are using wearables and smart personal protection equipment. And 40% use predictive risk assessment and hazard detection technologies.
Mental Health -- Concerning mental health, most companies are focused on training managers to support employee mental health. The programs include mental health first aid training, help with conversational skills and specialist risk management frameworks. The other approach is to remove the stigma around mental health by encouraging employees to voice concerns without fear of retaliation. Around 33% of North American businesses are taking this approach.
The survey identified three key learnings:
On the whole, senior management is engaged with EHS initiatives. However, the criteria business leaders use to define success are often different from those applied by EHS professionals. The result could mean mismatched expectations and become a source of tension.
Creating effective safety cultures is a key concern for many EHS professionals. However, many organizations are still simply reacting to events as they happen and looking to fix their processes after the fact. Today’s EHS pros need to explore how they can truly embed EHS into the culture of the business so that best practice becomes simply how people work every day.
Technology, and specifically AI, is having a significant impact on how EHS professionals operate. For the most part, this is delivering significant advantages. But implementation issues are slowing progress. EHS leaders need to ensure they and their people can fully harness the benefits.
Future
The research found some core areas where EHS pros will be placing most of their attention in the coming year.
Experimenting with AI tools and capabilities— EHS pros who aren’t already exploring AI will be doing so in the months ahead. Around 38% of respondents said they’ll do much more in this area.
Shifting from reactive to proactive safety approaches. Respondents are focusing more on analyzing incident trends to drive preventive actions. Again, this is something that AI and machine learning are making far more achievable for an increasing number of businesses.
Increasing focus on ESG. EHS professionals are spending more time monitoring and improving ESG and sustainability performance. While sometimes this is a result of changing regulations, most often it’s driven by internal employee expectations.
Gaining greater clarity on what good looks like. Around a third (36%) of respondents said they will focus much more on benchmarking their EHS performance against industry standards.
A promising finding from the survey is the overall importance of the role that EHS will have in their organizations. A majority, 82%, of those in the survey felt that EHS will become more strategic and influential in their business.
Note: The survey, Voice of EHS Report:2026 Trends and Priorities, goes into greater detail.