Rapid transformations of work environments due to digitalization and introduction of new forms of work, also prompted by COVID-19 give rise to new occupational safety and health (OSH) challenges. At the same time, traditional risks and high-risk sectors such as mining, forestry and construction should not be overlooked.
The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) launched its flagship report Occupational safety and health in Europe: state and trends 2023 at the 2023 Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Summit in Stockholm. It provides a comprehensive review of the state and contextual developments of OSH in the European Union over the past years and provides insights into emerging trends.
Europäische Arbeitsschutzakteure aus Forschung, Politik und Praxis kamen jetzt zusammen, um den Abschluss der Kampagne der EU-OSHA „Gesunde Arbeitsplätze – Entlasten Dich!“ zu zelebrieren. Die Kampagne zur Prävention arbeitsbedingter Muskel-Skelett-Erkrankungen (MSE) wurde in 30 europäischen Ländern durch die Focal Points (FoPs) umgesetzt. Die Basi unterstützte die Kampagne als Medienpartner, Basi-Geschäftsführer Dr. Christian Felten gehörte zu den Gästen der Abschlussveranstaltung. Der Schwerpunkt der Kampagne 2023/25 lautet „Sicher und gesund Arbeiten in Zeiten der Digitalisierung“ .
In a small village in Ecuador, Vicky during daytime goes fishing and in the evening, she runs a little bar. Vicky belongs to the local trans community and she balances her physically tough work at sea with feminine elegance in her private life. ‘The Beach of Enchaquirados’ (Ecuador, 2021) shows how LGBTI people can be accepted in a remote fishing community. The jury was especially appreciative of “how this film shows that togetherness and solidarity are important dimensions of working life, showing that community spirit contributes to individual resilience.”
It’s not just the physical demands of a job that can cause musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Psychosocial factors such as excessive workloads, low job satisfaction and lack of support may contribute to or even worsen MSDs. Equally, MSDs can contribute to stress and mental overload. The current Healthy Workplaces campaign of EU-Osha aims to enhance understanding of the links between psychosocial risks and MSDs and recommends effective prevention approaches and examples of good practice.
The use of artificial intelligence-based worker management (AIWM) systems can help design healthy and safe jobs and workplaces, but it may also bring about risks to workers such as intensification of work, loss of job control and dehumanisation. A new report outlines the risks and opportunities of AIWM systems for occupational safety and health.
Digitalisation has been clearly identified an emerging occupational safety and health (OSH) issue by the 2019 European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks (ESENER). But despite the increasing use of robots, laptops, smartphones or wearable devices, less than one in four workplaces (24 %) are having discussions about the potential impact of such technologies on the safety and health of workers.
The automation of physical tasks through robots, cobots and artificial intelligence (AI) is impacting workplaces across many sectors. This new collection of agency publications presents different aspects of advanced robotics and automation in relation to occupational safety and health (OSH).
More and more businesses are introducing worker management systems based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) to increase their efficiency and productivity or to identify occupational safety and health risks. This includes systems to monitor workers’ performance and engagement or systems for automatic scheduling and task allocation.
Automation in the workplace is rising. While advances in technologies are opening up new opportunities, they also offer new challenges for the future of occupational safety and health (OSH). As part of its 4-year research programme on digitalisation, EU-OSHA has published an initial report to address types and definitions of artificial Intelligence (AI) and advanced robotics for the automation of tasks at work.