Digitalisation is reshaping the world of work, introducing innovative practices, fostering new industries and reshaping both physical and psychosocial characteristics of work environments. However, the advancement brings new risks that require proactive and adaptive policy responses, GLORIA NWAFOR writes.

While digitalisation and automation are impacting millions of jobs worldwide, they present unprecedented opportunities to enhance occupational safety and health.

Undeniably, it is a fundamental right that every worker, in every way, has the right to a safe and healthy working environment. Globally, millions of workers continue to die, sustain injuries or fall sick because of work-related incidents.

Even though automation and smart monitoring systems are known to reduce hazardous exposures, prevent injuries and improve overall working conditions, experts said there is a need for a future of work that is not only smarter but also safer and healthier.

The World Day for Safety and Health at Work, a global advocacy date dedicated to promoting a healthy workplace, becomes a very important commemoration. It seeks innovation that protects workers’ rights and well-being and calls for proactive policies to address potential risks.

To commemorate the day, a new report from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) unveiled opportunities and risks, as well as exploring how artificial intelligence, digitalisation, robotics, and automation are reshaping occupational safety and health (OSH) in the workplace worldwide.

Already, the ILO’s OSH conventions (Nos. 155 and 187) provide a foundation for ensuring the right to a safe and healthy workplace in the digital era. The report, ‘Revolutionising Health and Safety: The Role of AI and Digitalisation at Work’, highlights how emerging technologies are improving workers’ health and well-being while underscoring the need for proactive policies to address new risks.

It stated that by taking on hazardous tasks, assisting in surgeries, and optimising logistics, robots help reduce risks and improve efficiency.The report stated that AI-powered systems enhance safety and health monitoring, and streamline tasks and operations, easing workloads and driving innovation, even in traditionally low-tech sectors.

However, the report stressed the need for proactive policies to ensure technologies are implemented safely and equitably. The Director-General of the ILO, Gilbert Houngbo, who noted that AI and digital technologies could help transform the workplace into a safer and healthier space, said the rise of worker surveillance and algorithm management could also threaten workers’ rights, dignity and well-being.

He maintained that the digital transition must be human-centred, making the workplace safer, healthier, more sustainable and inclusive. He cautioned that new technologies can also introduce new risks that are not yet fully understood.

“We have a responsibility to understand the safety and health risks that come with technological innovation. We have a responsibility to ensure that technology is used for good,” he said. He called on governments, employers, workers, and innovators to build a future of work that is not only smarter but also safer and healthier.

While organisations take turns to celebrate the day, the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), at their different branches, embarked on road walks to sensitise the general public and organisations on the importance of OHS in the workplace, ensuring that every worker must be safe where he or she works.

For instance, the Branch Manager, NSITF, Lekki, Allen Asawo, said organisations must create a healthy work culture and invest in safety technologies to protect their workers.

Speaking on this year’s theme, Asawo noted that workers’ safety and health should remain a top priority for every organisation. He said that the rise of digital platform work, remote work, hybrid work, and telework means that workers are no longer confined to traditional office spaces.

To keep workers safe in the digital age, the NSITF boss urged employers to comprehensively train the new technologies of their workers, adapt health and safety regulations, provide mental health support, and ensure cyber security and data privacy. He said continuous education and safety training are essential to ensuring that workers can adapt without compromising their health.

The study highlights that over-reliance on AI and automation may reduce human oversight, which would, in turn, increase OSH risks, while algorithm-driven workloads and being continuously connected can contribute to stress, burnout, and mental health issues.

On global policy response and the role of the ILO, the report highlights regulatory gaps in managing OSH risks linked to digitalisation and calls for stronger global, regional, and national policies.

To maximise the benefits of digitalisation in OSH while mitigating risks, it stated that a proactive, evidence-informed and participatory approach was essential.

This, it said, requires the active involvement of governments, employers, and workers, along with OSH professionals and other stakeholders, to ensure that digital transformation strengthens, rather than compromises, safety and health at work.

While countries are also beginning to review and adapt their legal frameworks, it stated that key areas of legal development include updating robotics safety regulations and human-robot interaction protocols to mitigate risks in collaborative work environments. It stressed that they also entail establishing the right to disconnect to prevent digital burnout and overwork.

“Additionally, OSH protections are being expanded to cover remote and platform work, acknowledging the evolving nature of work,’ it stated.At the workplace level, ILO maintained that regular risk assessment and management remain essential to proactively addressing emerging digital risks.

It said this involves regularly evaluating risks associated with new technologies, implementing preventive measures aligned with the OSH hierarchy of controls, and continuously adapting OSH policies to remain effective as technologies evolve, incorporating worker feedback and the latest OSH advancements.

It said digital tools like AI-driven analytics, real-time monitoring, and predictive modelling could enhance risk assessments and OSH strategies, but must complement, not replace, human judgment in OSH practices.

It stressed that workers and their representatives should be actively involved at all stages of digital technology implementation, including design, operation and monitoring, ensuring technologies enhance rather than undermine safety and health at work.

According to it, by adopting a collaborative, forward-looking, and worker-centred approach, stakeholders can ensure digital innovation leads to safer, healthier and more sustainable workplaces, benefiting everyone involved.

Additionally, it called for more collaboration between governments, academia and social partners to address research gaps and support evidence-informed strategies to ensure safe and healthy digitalised workplaces.