Detecting Hidden Safety Risks at Energy Infrastructure Sites for ISA

Energy infrastructure projects are some of the most complex and high-risk operations in industrial environments. On construction sites, multiple contractors work side by side, high-voltage areas may be partially secured, and working at height is routine. In these conditions, unsafe situations can emerge quickly - and too often, they go unnoticed.

In 2024, we at Buddywise began working with ISA Energía Perú at two construction sites to enhance workplace safety. ISA is a leader in high-voltage power transmission, building, operating, and maintaining extensive transmission lines across Peru, ensuring a reliable energy supply for the country.

The Challenge: Limited Visibility of Safety Risks

Before working with Buddywise, ISA faced a critical challenge: less than 45% of unsafe acts and conditions were being reported. HSE teams lacked a full view of site risks, limiting their ability to intervene early and weakening efforts to build a strong safety culture.

For a company delivering electricity to millions of people, improving risk visibility was not optional - it was essential to protect workers, ensure operational continuity, and maintain compliance.

The Solution

The goal was clear: make “unseen” risks seen by continuously monitoring for unsafe acts and conditions at critical points on site to ensure every worker returns home safe. everyday.

Focused on two substations that were under construction, we prioritized two categories for our risk scenario models to monitor:

  • Danger zones – Monitoring access to restricted or high-voltage areas
  • Protective helmets and vests – Flagging inconsistent use of head protection or missing high-visibility vests

Customer quote

"It’s impossible to have someone supervising a site for all 10 to 12 hours. That’s why we find cameras and the Buddywise solution so valuable - they help detect unsafe behaviors or conditions in real time. This allows us to take immediate corrective action while also driving longer-term improvements, such as fostering a stronger overall safety culture."

HSE Manager

The Results

The improvements began quickly as we delivered measurable value:

  • We achieved 95.6% detection accuracy across both categories - a 50.6 percentage point improvement over prior reporting, giving ISA near-complete visibility of those selected risks on site.
  • Standardized PPE – Mixed vest colors were replaced with a single high-visibility standard, improving consistency across contractors.
  • Early detection of unsafe practices – Beyond the monitored categories, the system also identified workers operating at height without harnesses or climbing towers without protective equipment.
  • Improved oversight in high-voltage areas – HSE teams were alerted to unsafe entries before fixed barriers were installed, reducing potential incidents.

These insights allowed ISA to strengthen safety standards, improve contractor oversight, and make data-driven decisions that directly enhanced site safety.

Expanding collaboration - Scaling Across Sites

With just 2 sites and 10 cameras we were able to prove that our AI powered safety intelligence solution reliably surfaces workplace safety risks that had previously gone unnoticed - and fit seamlessly into ISA’s existing processes. This success has led to expanded collaboration where the system is in use monitoring a substation undergoing expansion as well as planned deployment to new substation sites supporting the expansion of Peru’s national grid in the north.

The decision to scale reflects both the proven impact of the solution and the trust built with ISA’s safety teams. Buddywise has become a partner in ISA’s broader mission: delivering energy safely and reliably.

The future of workplace safety is proactive, data-driven, and powered by AI.

We are a trusted partner for industrial firms within manufacturing, pulp & paper, energy and infrastructure closing the gap between reported and actual risks on site.

Ready to explore how we make safety work in tandem with people at your sites?

***

About Buddywise 

Buddywise is a Stockholm and Berlin based computer vision company, transforming workplace safety with computer vision powered AI that provides real-time risk detection and data driven prevention of workplace accidents. With our platform, safety teams of industrial sites collect unique real time data that generates insights and learning resources, alerts and GDPR compliant reports, enabling proactive prevention of accidents and efficient protection of frontline workers. 

Let's talk

See how your site can achieve similar improvements

Book a meeting