This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the implications of digitalisation for occupational safety and health (OSH) regarding psychosocial risk factors based on the findings of EU-OSHA publications. Drawing from over one hundred documents, including reports, policy briefs, discussion papers, case studies and results from the OSH Pulse survey 2022, the report outlines how digital technologies can result in work-related psychosocial risks and mental health issues. The analysis is broken down by type of technology and tasks that the technology is able to perform. The report presents the analysis of implications of digitalisation in terms of psychosocial risks according to the five key areas identified in EU-OSHA’s research programme on OSH and digitalisation (2020-2023): advanced robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), smart digital systems, digital platform work, remote working technologies and artificial intelligence for worker management (AIWM).
Authors
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, EU body or agency, Urzí Brancati, Maria Cesira
- Catalogue number
- TE-01-24-002-EN-N
- Citation
- European Agency for Safety and Health at Work and Urzí Brancati, M., Digital technologies at work and psychosocial risks – Evidence and implications for occupational safety and health , Publications Office of the European Union, 2024, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2802/0488296
- DOI
- https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2802/0488296
- ISBN
- 978-92-9402-336-0
- Pages
- 54
- Published in
- Belgium
- Themes
- Working conditions , Workers' health and safety
Table of Contents
- Table of Contents 3
- List of Tables 3
- List of Boxes 3
- Executive summary 4
- Key findings 4
- ▪ Advanced robotics and artificial intelligence 4
- ▪ Smart digital systems 4
- ▪ Digital platform work 5
- ▪ Remote working 5
- ▪ Artificial intelligence for worker management (AIWM) 6
- 1 Introduction 9
- 2 Digitalisation and psychosocial risks: definitions and empirical evidence 10
- 2.1 Defining psychosocial risks 10
- 2.2 Empirical evidence from OSH Pulse and ESENER surveys 12
- 3 How different digital technologies influence the presence of psychosocial risks in the workplace 14
- 3.1 Advanced robotics and artificial intelligence 14
- ▪ Observed psychosocial risks from in-depth case study analysis 15
- 3.2 Smart digital systems 19
- ▪ Smart digital systems and psychosocial risks 20
- 3.3 Digital platform work 21
- ▪ Psychosocial risk factors identified in the case study analysis 21
- 3.4 Remote working 22
- ▪ Remote working and psychosocial risks 23
- 3.5 Artificial intelligence for worker management (AIWM) 24
- ▪ Artificial intelligence for worker management and psychosocial risk factors 25
- 4 Current legislation and good practices 27
- 4.1 Artificial intelligence (including AIWM) 27
- 4.1.1 Current legislation 27
- 4.1.2 Good practices 28
- 4.2 Telework 28
- 4.2.1 Current legislation 29
- 4.2.2 Good practices 30
- 4.3 Digital platform work 31
- 4.3.1 Current legislation 31
- 4.3.2 Good practices 33
- 5 Conclusions and policy pointers 34
- 5.1 Policy pointers 35
- References 37
- Appendices 44
- Appendix 1 — Case studies in advanced robotics and artificial intelligence 44
- Appendix 2 — Case studies on platform work 50
