The digitalisation of work has created particular safety and health challenges and meanwhile provided a multitude of solutions. In its latest report, Ceemet zooms in on how digitalisation improves safety and health at work.
In the latest chapter of the series ‘Digitalisation and the World of’, Ceemet is directing the focus at the impact of digitalisation on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH).
Striving for a healthier workplace
Digital technology has increasingly complemented human labour in the workplace. With this development, particular OSH challenges have been created such as ergonomics and psychosocial risks. In eight categories, Ceemet lists what should be considered to integrate OSH and mitigate challenges:
- Cobots: New cobots that assist in decision-making require a rethink on how risk assessments can be done best.
- Flexible working: OSH must evolve to provide guidance rather than trying to control all of the known risks.
- New forms of management: Wearables allow to monitor and provide feedback on the employees’ health. This results in adapted decisions.
- Sensors & smart Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): smart PPE signals when there is a problem and protects employees by correcting behaviour.
- Ergonomics & exoskeletons: Good ergonomics keep workers as long as possible at their workplace and exoskeletons widened the variety of recruits.
- Psychosocial risks: A human interface software can go some way to avoiding those risks.
- AI: Data derived from AI can help OSH professionals make better decisions. This is a further move toward evidence-based OSH and better protection.
- Sandboxing: Companies need legal or regulatory frameworks to test new solutions.
Digitalisation: room left for development
The impact of digitalisation on OSH has been a benefit for industry. In a context of skills shortages and an ageing society, if we want to move ahead companies will need a legal framework that allows them to experiment while keeping their employees safe skilled workers were kept at the workplace longer and employers were offered solutions to create a more diverse and inclusive workforce.
“We haven’t reached the limits of what digitalisation can do to create a healthier and safer workplace,”
says Ceemet Director General Delphine Rudelli.
“If we want to move ahead, companies will need a legal framework that allows them to experiment while keeping their employees safe.”