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Safe and Healthy Work in the Digital Age: Adapting OSH for the Future

Gyula Szabo Leave a comment

Digitalisation is revolutionising the workplace, bringing opportunities and challenges requiring new ergonomics / human factors solutions to update occupational safety and health (OSH). With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), big data, collaborative robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), algorithms, digital labour platforms, and increased remote work, workers and employers face new risks and opportunities. The key to addressing these challenges lies in how these technologies are applied, managed, and regulated within current social, political, and economic contexts.

EU-OSHA’s Efforts and Campaigns

EU-OSHA’s Healthy Workplaces Campaign, “Safe and Healthy Work in the Digital Age” (2023-2025), aims to raise awareness about the implications of digital technologies on workplace safety and health. This campaign underscores the importance of a human-centred approach in designing, implementing, managing, and using these technologies to ensure they are safe and productive. The priority areas:

Advanced Robotics and Automation – Key Considerations for Human Interaction and Trust

According to the Agency’s recently published Policy Brief, “Advanced robotics and automation: Key considerations for human interaction and trust“, the growing autonomy in advanced robotic systems necessitates a shift in the terminology from ‘use’ to ‘interaction’ between humans and robots. The quality of this interaction significantly impacts occupational safety and health (OSH) factors. Various aspects of robotic interaction design, such as cognitive ergonomics, outward appearance, embodiment, robot behaviour, and communication styles, are linked to OSH risks and opportunities. The primary objective is facilitating smooth and natural interactions, enhancing well-being, acceptance, trust, and user experience while mitigating stress and other adverse outcomes.

Anthropomorphic Robot Design

  • Appearance and Behavior: Human-like features (e.g., eyes, facial expressions) can enhance natural interaction and acceptance, especially in social robotics. However, excessive human likeness may cause negative emotions due to the “uncanny valley” effect.
  • Expectation Management: Anthropomorphic features may lead to unrealistic expectations about a robot’s capabilities, potentially impacting task performance and safety. For example, workers might erroneously attribute visual or auditory perception to robots with eyes or ears.
  • Task-Relevant Design: In industrial settings, anthropomorphic movements can improve workflow and task accuracy but must be carefully designed to avoid misinterpretation and potential hazards.

Interaction Principles and Transparency

  • Design Principles: General ergonomic design principles, such as those in EN ISO 9241-110, apply to robotic systems, improving usability and user experience.
  • Cognitive and Sensorial Aid: With increasing robotic autonomy, interaction design must provide mental and sensory aids to prevent information overload and ensure effective decision-making.
  • System Transparency: Adequate transparency is crucial for users to understand robotic actions and intentions, fostering trust and reliability. However, too much information can overload and hinder critical information processing.

Trust in Human-Robot Interaction

  • Calibrated Trust: Appropriate trust in robotic systems is essential for effective collaboration. Over-reliance can lead to complacency, while insufficient trust can result in underutilisation. Trust must be calibrated to match the robot’s capabilities.
  • Influential Factors: Trust is influenced by human-related factors (e.g., user satisfaction, comfort), robot-related factors (e.g., reliability, anthropomorphism), and context-related factors (e.g., team collaboration task difficulty). Reliable and empathetic robots foster higher trust levels.

Risks and Recommendations

  • Privacy and Control: Collecting and analysing data for personalised interaction can raise privacy concerns and feelings of alienation. Ensuring transparency and adhering to data protection regulations is critical.
  • Training and Adaptation: Training on automation bias and system capabilities can mitigate trust miscalibrations. Continuous adaptation to user preferences and task requirements enhances interaction quality.

“Napo in… robots at work”

“Napo in… robots at work” animation provides an overview of safety considerations related to workplace robotics. The film outlines various emerging robotic technologies, associated accident types, key hazards, and control measures.

Production line workers face the highest risk, followed by maintenance workers. Most injuries result from poor workplace design and human error. Technological advances, such as fixed robots, collaborative and mobile robots, and exoskeletons, can enhance working conditions and introduce new hazards in manufacturing environments.

Join the Campaign

The Federation of the European Ergonomics Societies is one of the few EU-OSHA “Safe and Healthy Work in the Digital Age” campaign partners. Ergonomists have a crucial role in creating healthy workplaces and improving performance and user satisfaction.

Please learn more about ergonomics, human factors and occupational health in the digital age. Visit the campaign’s new “Automation of Tasks” Priority Area for more information, resources, materials, insights and practical tools to ensure safe and healthy work environments in the digital age.

The gap between a “human” and a “person”

Pedro Ferreira

By Pedro Ferreira

The continuous and accelerating rate of change seems to be the new normal for every profession and work context. This much can also be said about our own lives. It seems increasingly difficult to make sense of the boundaries between family, personal life, and work. We struggle to make sense of the organisation around us and the roles we are meant to be fulfilling seem increasingly blurry or hybrid.

Ergonomics has evolved across many boundaries, both scientific and professional practice. In my mind, this has always been one of the key challenges when conveying to stakeholders the relevance and added value of ergonomics. Exchanges with different colleagues worldwide have further reinforced this belief. The blurriness and dynamics at the boundaries of ergonomics seem an unsurmountable problem.

Recently, I have come to question these assumptions: How is this a problem? How does it really manifest itself? As you explore such questions, a much better understanding of the situation and its context emerges. Rather than looking outwards for causes and solutions, I started to focus on my own perceptions and perspectives. What has always appeared like an impossible challenge feels increasingly like an open array of opportunities.

It’s not about the tools and methods but rather the methodology itself. While I’ve always advocated my methodology as one that focuses on the person and its context at work, my self-questioning led me to realise how much I had allowed myself to be drawn into this inescapable tendency to look at the person as yet another part of a system. Much is said today about “technical, organisational and human factors” or even “organisational and human factors”. But ask yourself how much these common expressions do not push you towards levelling out the existing and fundamental differences despite placing these factors in “different boxes”?

The ultimate question is, what differences do I see between a “human” and a “person”? If we aim to explain performance and behaviour, and look at these as the result of a combination of body and brain activity, then little opportunity is there to understand the person. The richness of ergonomics, particularly its multi and inter-disciplinarity, lies in the ability to see the person as more than a mechanistic set of physiology and cognition. Communicating the value of ergonomics must not come from an (implicitly or explicitly) oversimplification of the person but rather by challenging the beliefs of stakeholders in regard to what a person is. In the end, what ergonomics practitioners share with their stakeholders is the desire to make better use of the unique human abilities to cope with the high complexity and uncertainty of our world. This can only be pursued by understanding the persons far beyond the generic human standards.

Ergonomics, Human Factors and Machinery

Update on Machinery Regulation and Standardization Activities

Gyula Szabó

The new Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 has significant ergonomics and human factors implications. The regulation lays down health and safety requirements for the design and construction of machinery, aiming to ensure high protection for persons, particularly consumers and professional users.

The regulation considers digital technologies like AI, IoT, and robotics and their safety/liability challenges. These technologies directly impact ergonomics and human factors as they change how humans interact with machinery. For instance, AI can lead to more intuitive user interfaces, while IoT can provide real-time feedback to operators, enhancing safety and efficiency.

Furthermore, the regulation mandates that machinery or related products may only be made available on the market or put into service if they meet the essential health and safety requirements in Annex III. These requirements likely include ergonomic considerations, such as the design of controls and displays, the provision of adjustable workstations, and the minimization of physical strain and fatigue.

While the specific requirements are mainly provided through European harmonized standards elaborated by European standards organizations, they generally cover aspects such as:

  • The design and construction of machinery to ensure safety.
  • The proper installation and maintenance of machinery.
  • The intended use or any reasonably foreseeable misuse of machinery.

It’s important to note that these requirements are directly applicable in Member States as, unlike those of a Directive, there is no need to be transposed into national legislation. This ensures uniform application for all operators across the Union and does not give room for divergent implementation by Member states.

The new regulation also aims to better cover new technologies such as autonomous mobile machinery (robots), the Internet of Things with connected equipment, or artificial intelligence (AI), where specific modules of AI using learning techniques ensure safety functions1. This highlights the evolving nature of these requirements in response to technological advancements.

The regulation also addresses the issue of ‘incomplete machinery’ and ‘substantial modifications’, providing clearer rules for manufacturers and other economic operators. This clarity can help ensure that modifications to machinery do not negatively impact ergonomics or compromise user safety.

Pascal Etienne represented FEES at the November 2023 Machinery Expert Group meeting. From an Ergonomics and Human Factors perspective, several advances in this field are expected in the next few months.

The New Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230

The new Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 is set to come into effect on January 20, 2027. However, it’s important to note that some articles will apply before this date due to Article 54 of the regulation. This includes aspects related to notified bodies, penalties, the Committee, delegated acts, and the categories of machines mentioned in Annex I.

Template for Collection of Machinery-Related Accident Data

The Commission has proposed a template for collecting machinery-related accident data by Member States. This template includes accidents causing harm and also damage to health caused by machines or related products.

Guide to Application of the New Machinery Regulation

The European Commission has launched a Call for Expression of Interest for experts and organizations to participate in revising the Guide to the Application of the Machinery Directive, aligning it with the updated Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230. The process is led by the Editorial Group, chaired by Mr. Alwin Verdaasdonk of the Dutch national authority, supported by co-chair Ms. Wendy Van Aerschot (Belgian national authority) and secretary Mr. Marcel Dutrieux (EGMF). The group will oversee five specialized sub-groups addressing key topics such as AI-powered safety functions, cyber-safety, and digital instructions. They aim to refine and update the guide, ensuring alignment with new legislative and technological developments.

Experts from EU Member States, EFTA countries, Türkiye, and other interested parties are encouraged to apply for participation in the sub-groups, which will organize themselves to support this work. Applications should include a motivation letter and CV, submitted to the group’s secretary at machineryeditorialgroup@gmail.com. The initial deadline is 25 April 2025, but applications will remain open until further notice. This initiative provides an opportunity to contribute to modernising machinery safety guidelines, ensuring they remain relevant and practical in light of evolving industry practices.

Standardization

The draft standardization request in support of the new Machinery Regulation will be published later. About 700 EN standards (hENs) under the machinery directive will be revised, with 40% under the ISO CEN agreement. Modifications in some essential health and safety requirements (EHSR) will impact about 60% of the EN standards.

For CEN, the task is to transfer the EN standards under the Machinery Directive to the new Machines Regulation. The work program results will be communicated to the Commission, and the work must be carried out by the end of 2024 using a tool to be developed. The first batches of revised standards will be presented in April/May 2026.

The Judgment of the Court in Case C-588/21 by the European Court of Justice, declaring that European harmonized technical standards on toy safety must be accessible to EU citizens, has significant implications for machinery safety.

Firstly, the ruling emphasizes the importance of transparency and accessibility of safety standards. This is particularly relevant for machinery manufacturers and other economic operators, who must ensure their products meet these standards to be placed on the European market. By making these standards accessible, manufacturers can better understand and comply with safety requirements, leading to safer machinery and reduced risk of accidents.

Secondly, the ruling could potentially lead to greater involvement of stakeholders in developing and revising safety standards. This could result in more comprehensive, up-to-date standards that reflect real-world conditions and challenges.

Finally, the ruling underscores the role of harmonized standards as part of EU law. This means these standards are not just guidelines but have legal implications. Manufacturers who fail to comply with these standards could face legal consequences.

Stay tuned for more updates on these important matters.