From the NSCA National Safety Conference, Sydney

Speaker: Cam Stevens, Pocketknife Group

In a recent session at the NSCA National Safety Conference in Sydney, Cam Stevens, founder of Pocketknife Group, challenged health and safety leaders to rethink their approach to workplace insights. His suggestion? Greater use of video. 

While video is often viewed as a tool for marketing or entertainment, Stevens made a compelling case for its untapped potential in work health and safety (WHS). Drawing on his experience leading digital safety transformations in high-risk industries and his work at the Australian Automation and Robotics Precinct, Stevens walked attendees through the practicalities and the deeper implications of using video to surface safety risks, engage workers, and drive real cultural change. 

Why video? 

“Video gives us context, and context is everything,” Stevens said. In the world of WHS, where interpretation of procedures or hazards can vary wildly, traditional text descriptions often fall short. Video allows everyone, whether they’re frontline workers, site supervisors, or executives, to see the same thing in the same way. 

Stevens explained that video provides a shared visual reference that accelerates understanding and cuts through ambiguity.  

“Think ISO 31000 and risk management – the first step is always establishing context. Video is a very powerful way to do that.” 

Whether it’s short-form explainer videos for inductions, bodycam footage from high-risk jobs, or 360° site walk-throughs, video can capture and communicate complexity far more effectively than written reports or static images. 

Use cases from the field 

To illustrate the point, Stevens shared two case studies: one from Fulton Hogan infrastructure services, and another involving a major global fast-food chain. 

In the Fulton Hogan example video was used to analyse high risk interactions between workers and mobile plant operators. The footage, which included some captured from the perspective of the machinery, helped teams visualise the spatial relationships of risk during dynamic field operations. By attaching cameras to the asset itself, it was clear to see when, why, and how often workers were too close. It led to tangible design and operational changes that weren’t obvious through traditional hazard analysis methods.

Watch a video here(Opens in a new tab)

In the second case, video helped reveal the physical toll of repetitive manual tasks on baristas across a network of franchised fast-food restaurants. This insight, gathered through simple overhead and handheld footage, directly informed ergonomic changes and equipment redesigns. 

The benefit wasn’t just in the visuals. It was in what the visuals enabled a richer, more inclusive safety conversation.

“You can’t enable effective learning and improvement if everyone’s imagining a different scenario,” Stevens noted. “Video brings alignment. It removes subjectivity. It shows us what’s really going on.” 

Making it work: Tools, techniques, and trust 

Stevens didn’t just discuss the concept of video in workplace safety, he provided practical advice and recommendations for how to get started.  

From head-mounted GoPros and $250 drones to handheld phones and basic editing apps, he showed how the tech barrier is remarkably low. Even basic smartphone footage, he argued, can be more valuable than a polished, professionally produced video if it captures real work in real time. 

One standout tip was to use video for handovers and site inspections:

“Every week I do a site walkaround and document hazards, activities, and concerns via video. It’s scrappy, but it works. I’ve ditched paperwork entirely.” 

Learn from Cam in action here(Opens in a new tab)

But as Stevens was quick to point out, video is only as effective as the culture in which it’s deployed. “You can have the best footage in the world, but if your response as a leader is to punish rather than learn, the whole effort collapses.” For video insights to lead to improvement, not fear, organisations must build psychological safety and trust. 

This is especially critical in environments where surveillance concerns can derail good intentions. “The technology’s easy,” he said. “The hard part is strategy, trust, and ethics.” 

Scaling with intelligence 

Another emerging frontier in video-based safety is analytics. Using AI-powered tools, organizations can now detect high-risk patterns in video streams – like people entering exclusion zones – without manually reviewing hours of footage. 

But again, Stevens stressed that the tools are only part of the solution.

“This isn’t about tech for tech’s sake. It’s about supporting organizations to leverage creativity and innovation to improve the design, experience and safety of work.” 

The bottom line 

Cam Stevens’ presentation wasn’t just a call to innovate. It was a roadmap for doing it with integrity, practicality, and purpose. He calls this “responsible innovation”. Video, in his hands, isn’t just a visual tool. It’s a catalyst for safer work, smarter decisions, and more connected organizations. 

For safety leaders looking to close the gap between policy and practice, it might just be the most powerful weapon in the toolkit. 

To learn more about how video can make your workplace safer (plus, get Cam’s insights into all aspects of safety tech), follow him on LinkedIn, or visit https://www.pocketknifegroup.com  

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Speaking of video, did you know your workers can upload video, and any file to incident reports with HSI Donesafe? 

To learn more about our comprehensive and easy-to-use EHS software, get in touch and/or organise a platform demo.