Safety

Need for a New Workplace Safety and Health Strategy for the Fourth Industrial Revolution

This paper argues for a new workplace safety and health 4.0 strategy that requires an adaptive and highly responsive approach to promote total worker health in the face of rapid technological advancements.

gettyimages-1128940038.jpg

We are on the cusp of the fourth industrial revolution, which promises to revolutionize the way we live and work. Throughout history, as society and technology progress, so too have our workplace safety and health strategies in regard to better knowledge and enhanced regulation.

This paper argues for a new workplace safety and health 4.0 strategy that requires an adaptive and highly responsive approach to promote total worker health in the face of rapid technological advancements and changes in employment relationships.

To do so, a multipronged strategy is proposed that consists of adaptive workplace safety and health solutions in regard to surveillance, risk assessment, and control measures leveraging on new technologies; effective multistakeholder dialogues for collaborative and sustainable solutions; an anticipatory workplace safety and health governance framework based on shared values and cooperative responsibility; and professional development among health and safety practitioners.

This new strategy will enable health and safety professionals to remain effective in this coming industrial revolution.

Find the paper here.