Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of those topics that seems to pop up everywhere at the moment — including in environment, health and safety conversations. From dashboards and predictive analytics to automated reporting, it’s often presented as the next big thing.
But is AI genuinely helpful for EHS, or is it another buzzword that risks distracting us from the basics?
As the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) continues to evolve its approach to regulation, early indicators suggest that inspections heading into 2026 will place greater emphasis on how health and safety is managed in practice — not just how it is documented.
ISO 14001, the international standard for Environmental Management Systems (EMS), is being updated. The Final Draft International Standard (FDIS) was released on 5 January 2026 and is currently under ballot among ISO member bodies ahead of formal publication expected in early 2026. The new edition (ISO 14001:2026) is set to replace ISO 14001:2015, with a transition period anticipated to last up to three years.
As of 1 January 2026, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has implemented significant changes to the law governing unmanned aircraft (drones) — with new requirements around registration, markings, weight categories, Remote ID and image-capture operations that every business operator should understand. These updates are part of the CAA’s push to improve safety, accountability, and transparency in UK airspace