Navigating the impact of emerging technologies on worker health, safety, and wellbeing: what next?

Emerging technologies have the potential to fundamentally reshape the world of work. These technologies can enhance productivity and, in many sectors, improve occupational safety and health (OSH) outcomes for workers. However, they may also introduce new risks that are difficult to anticipate and manage.

RAND Europe has conducted a study for the Lloyd’s Register Foundation Global Safety Evidence Centre to better understand the impact of emerging technologies on workers’ safety, health and wellbeing. The research team synthesised global evidence, combining an AI-driven scoping review and expert analysis, and engaged with stakeholders from industry, regulation, government, and academia. This blog accompanies the release of this report.

The study focused on several technologies relevant to OSH and wellbeing outcomes:

• Algorithmic management, which automates or assists in supervising, scheduling, and evaluating workers.
• Emotional artificial intelligence, which detects and responds to human emotions, with applications in monitoring wellbeing.
• Wearable devices, which track health data and environmental risks.
• OSH-focused smartphone applications, which support OSH through resources and reporting tools.
• Collaborative robots (cobots), which are robots that work alongside humans to reduce hazards and boost productivity.
• Augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), which provide interactive training and simulated workplace scenarios to improve safety.

Our findings show that this wide range of technologies can support OSH outcomes and boost workplace productivity, but they also have potential implications for workers’ physical and psychosocial health and wellbeing. While outcomes can vary significantly across technologies, for many, the impacts – whether positive or negative, physical or psychosocial – remain unclear.

We highlight two key gaps in the evidence:

1. How are workers impacted by emerging technologies?
2. How can organisations address and pre-empt unintended risks?

Based on our research, we outline below several potential pathways to help address these questions.

Adaptive and evidence-based risk assessment tools

Because emerging technologies are, by definition, new and evolving, it is difficult to keep pace with the risks they may introduce. This challenge is compounded by the reluctance of many organisations to share data on the potential effects of these technologies on OSH and wellbeing, even when such data are collected. It is essential to encourage employers and OSH professionals to conduct thorough risk assessments of these technologies using adaptive frameworks that still support agile implementation.

These risk assessment tools should address two key factors: first, the different types of OSH risks posed by new technologies – including both physical and psychosocial risks – and how these interact with one another; and second, the trade-off between OSH risks and productivity opportunities. Such tools should be grounded in robust evidence and draw on input from a range of sources, including workers, trade unions, researchers, and OSH professionals.

Forums for information sharing

While adaptive risk assessment tools are essential for responsible technology adoption, understanding the demand for and use of new technologies remains challenging. Information on how opportunities and risks are assessed, as well as data on costs and benefits, is often not publicly available. Forums for information sharing, including the newly launched Global Safety Evidence Centre, can serve as a hub for sharing this information among like-minded organisations, drawing workers’ and researchers perspectives alike into these conversations.

Regulatory sandboxes

Our research reflected the existing benefits of regulatory sandboxes such as those hosted by the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which provides a forum for testing emerging technologies and novel applications of existing technologies. Making regulatory sandboxes accessible and available to firms that develop as well as implement technologies may help distribute benefits more widely.

Local hubs for best practice

Organisations like Construction Health and Safety New Zealand (CHASNZ) provide examples of how to translate research and evidence into best practice. Organisations such as this provide useful, constructive and practical guidance to construction workers on the use of new technologies. This support covers both advanced applications, such as exoskeletons, and more common, lower-tech solutions like chatbots and electric-assisted wheelbarrows.

What next?

Addressing the complex challenges posed by emerging technologies requires a multifaceted approach rooted in collaboration, transparency, and adaptability. By leveraging dynamic risk assessment tools, facilitating open forums for information exchange, utilising regulatory sandboxes, and promoting local hubs for best practice, organisations can better navigate the evolving landscapes of technology and OSH. Ultimately, these pathways foster a culture of continuous learning and shared responsibility, ensuring that innovation aligns with the safety, health and wellbeing of workers.