Healthy workplaces in the digital age

This article, written by Mr. William Cockburn Salazar (EU-OSHA Executive Director) was included in the EWJI Yearbook 2023. Consult the publication here.

Organised by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), the 2023-25 Healthy Workplaces Campaign ‘Safe and healthy work in the digital age’ puts the spotlight on the impact of digital technologies on work and workplaces and aims to promote and protect workers’ safety and health, so that risks do not overshadow the benefits.

The European Water Jetting Institute (EWJI) is an official campaign partner of ‘Safe and healthy work in the digital age’, inspiring and encouraging others and communicating about the use of automation and digitalisation in water jetting to ensure safe and effective projects.

The rapid development and expansion of digital technologies have deeply transformed society and impacted many aspects of our lives, including work. Technologies have indeed introduced structural changes not only to the way we work, but also to where and when we do it.

Here are some facts and figures about digitalisation:

• 80% of workplaces across Europe use digital technologies like laptops, tablets and smartphones (2019 ESENER survey);
• The same survey shows that the most common psychosocial risks associated with digital technologies are time pressure, long/irregular working hours and poor communication;
• 25% of workers report that they are monitored through digital devices and 30% say they have tasks, shifts or working time allocated automatically — according to EU-OSHA’s 2022 OSH Pulse survey;
• What’s more, 33% of workers say that their workload has increased due to digitalisation; and
• 44% of workers say that digital technology is increasing their work in isolation.

An overwhelming majority of companies in the European Union (EU) already enjoy the potential offered by these technologies such as supporting workers in hazardous environments, helping workers in heavy manual lifting work, and facilitating telework to improve work-life balance.

However, digitalisation also presents some challenges: isolation and blurring of boundaries between work and private life, loss of control and autonomy, replacement of jobs by algorithms and other technologies, penalties associated to workers’ performance or incorrect decisions taken by automated processes using flawed data.

EU-OSHA’s ‘Safe and healthy work in the digital age’ campaign aims at raising awareness about the occupational safety and health (OSH) implications of digitalisation. It highlights emerging risks and opportunities, promotes risk assessments and facilitates the exchange of information and good practice. In brief, the campaign aims at ensuring that EU organisations are able to implement a human-centred approach to digitalisation in the workplace.

The ‘Safe and healthy work in the digital age’ campaign is structured around five priority areas:

1. Digital platform work is paid work provided through an online platform. There are specific risks associated to platform work as professional isolation, long and irregular working hours and algorithmic management and surveillance. Besides, this type of work is often associated with poorer working conditions and limited OSH regulations in most Member States.
2. Automation of tasks is a process in which robotic systems assist workers by taking over repetitive tasks and performing complex and high-risk jobs in order to reduce the exposure of workers to hazardous environments. However, it also comes with risks such as overreliance on these systems, reduced human situation awareness, loss of specific skills, sense of decreased autonomy and fear of job loss.
3. Remote and hybrid work have become increasingly popular in the past years, as they allow for more flexibility and a better balance of professional and personal life. But the development of psychosocial disorders associated to social isolation, work intensification and worse work-life balance as well as ergonomic risks due to prolonged sitting are potential risks to be aware of.
4. Worker management through artificial intelligence assists managers by automating and optimising management tasks in the workplace. They gather data on workers that can be used, for example, to assign tasks to different employees based on their skills or customer demand. But they can also reduce their autonomy and pressure them to work faster, therefore making it easier for them to develop work-related stress and other psychosocial disorders and accidents.
5. Smart digital systems use digital technologies to collect and analyse data or signals to identify and assess OSH risks. They are present in applications using AI, smart Personal Protective Equipment, wearables like exoskeletons, and many others. Originally devised to protect workers, they can also pose a threat to their OSH, for example collecting inaccurate data, which increases the risks of accidents.

EWJI as an official campaign partner, works to make the water jetting industry more safe and reduce the amount of accidents that occur using water jetting tools. It publishes the Guide about health and safety in water jetting. Besides, specifically in the past few years, EWJI has been communicating about the use of automation and digitalisation in water jetting, to ensure safe and effective projects and has released the specialised document Automation in water jetting.

Another way of getting involved in the campaign is submitting an entry to the Healthy Workplaces Good Practice Awards. Organised by EU-OSHA and its national focal points, the Healthy Workplaces Good Practice Awards recognise organisations that demonstrate outstanding and innovative approaches to workplace safety and health. The winners and commended initiatives will be promoted across Europe and become a source of inspiration for other companies.

Companies and organisations can also participate in the many activities and events organised during the campaign, which runs from autumn 2023 to late 2025: competitions, film screenings, conferences, exhibitions, and much more.

About EU-OSHA

The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) works to make European workplaces safer, healthier and more productive — for the benefit of businesses, employees and governments. The agency promotes a culture of risk prevention to improve working conditions in Europe. Set up by the European Union in 1994 and based in Bilbao, Spain, EU-OSHA researches, develops and distributes reliable, balanced and impartial safety and health information, networking with organisations across Europe to improve working conditions.