Impact of Industry 4.0 on Occupational Health and Safety

Abstract

Background: The objective of Industry 4.0 is to bring into existence smart, self-regulating and interconnected industrial value creation through the integration of cyber-physical systems into manufacturing. Industry 4.0 is a new paradigm of production and one that leads to a faster and more precise decision-making, entirely new approach to production, work organization manner of work task performance, which may have a significant influence on the health and safety of workers. Objectives: To provide an overview of potential effects (positive and negative) of Industry 4.0 on occupational health and safety and to list some of the recommendations regarding the integration of OHS into manufacturing in the Industry 4.0 context. Methods: A critical review of the literature currently available on this topic. Results: There are many risks as well as opportunities for occupational health and safety that derive from Industry 4.0. A considerable challenge, especially in the transitional period, is posed by insufficiency of initiatives with respect to occupational health and safety including standards and regulations, which may render them incommensurate in the face of newer and newer threats as Industry 4.0 technologies emerge. Furthermore, it may lead to forfeiting the proactive approach towards occupational health and safety that has been established in the most industrialized countries. Further research is required to enhance integration of occupational health and safety into manufacturing in the context of Industry 4.0. To achieve this, an interdisciplinary approach needs to be adopted drawing on the expertise of a team comprising engineers, IT experts, psychologists, ergonomists, social and occupational scientists, medical practitioners, and designers. The overview was carried by the research group IDEAT.