Revolutionize Workplace Safety and Health in the Digital Era
The celebration of World Day for Safety and Health at Work is an opportunity to reflect on the impact of digitalization on the workforce. The advancement of digital technology, from artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics to wearable sensors and virtual reality, has transformed traditional work environments. While digital innovation has the potential to enhance workplace safety and health by minimizing risks, it also introduces new hazards, inequalities, and regulatory gaps that need to be addressed promptly.
Various sectors in Asia and the Pacific are embracing digital transitions. Automation reduces worker exposure to chemicals, noise, dust, extreme temperatures, and hazardous machinery. In New Zealand, a network of robotics is exploring how automation can reshape workplace safety across industries. Similarly, Malaysia is integrating AI-based safety protocols in sectors like electronics to ensure the protection of workers involved in repetitive tasks and physical/chemical hazards.
Emphasizing prevention is key to workplace safety and health. Smart monitoring systems and predictive analytics provide tools for companies and employees to identify hazards before they escalate. Virtual and augmented realities are changing the way we train workers, especially in high-risk sectors. Immersive simulations enable employees to practice emergency responses or navigate hazardous environments without real-life risk.
Algorithmic management, utilizing AI to assign, monitor, and evaluate tasks, plays a significant role in ensuring safety. However, if not managed properly, these systems can intensify workloads, erode autonomy, and strengthen surveillance, leading to increased stress and reduced well-being.
While digitalization has facilitated significant growth in remote and platform-based work worldwide, it has blurred the boundaries between work and rest. This shift has negative health implications, ranging from musculoskeletal strains to mental fatigue and digital isolation. Rushing drivers delivering goods or picking up passengers endanger themselves and their clients. Freelance workers often lack basic safety and health protections, and many digital labor platforms do not provide structured support for physical and mental well-being.
To address these complex dynamics, governments, businesses, and workers must collaborate to create a future where digitalization enhances worker safety and dignity. International Labor Organization (ILO) core conventions, including those on Safety and Health at Work, provide a strong framework to support these efforts. Regulatory frameworks need to be developed, and legal systems across regions must respond accordingly.
For example, in Singapore, the Work Injury Compensation Act includes platform workers such as drivers and delivery personnel, granting them similar social protections as traditional employees since January 1, 2025. In Japan, efforts are underway to extend occupational safety and health laws to self-employed individuals, such as contract-less platform workers.
To progress further, safety and health must be ingrained in all digital transformation strategies, from AI and robotics to data governance. Updating safety laws periodically is crucial to address emerging risks, such as algorithmic bias, mental health impacts, and the right to terminate employment. Inclusive and continuous training is essential to ensure that all workers, not just those in high-tech industries, can safely use digital tools and devices. Special attention should be given to vulnerable groups, including women, youth, older workers, and people with disabilities.
Worker and employer participation at every stage of the technological journey, from regulation design, policy, and new tools to implementation and review, is critical. Finally, digital innovation should support, not replace, human supervision. Smart sensors, predictive analytics, and automated decision-making systems are valuable but must be integrated into a robust safety and health framework guided by human assessment, ethical standards, and workers’ rights.
Digitalization offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create safer, healthier, and more resilient workplaces. However, intention, inclusivity, and ensuring that no one is left behind in the race toward the future of work are paramount. Let us commit on this World Day for Safety and Health at Work to build a future where innovation and protection go hand in hand for the dignity, health, and safety of all individuals.
Kaori Nakamura-Osaka, Assistant Director-General and Regional Director of the International Labor Organization (ILO) for Asia and the Pacific, shares these views. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official policies or positions of ANTARA News Agency.
