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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Occupational Safety and Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2023) | Viewed by 52400

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Sarah A. Felknor

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Guest Editor

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA
Interests: future of work; expanded paradigm for occupational safety and health; employee well-being; worker safety; strategic foresight; training
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Jay A. Vietas

E-Mail Website
Assistant Guest Editor

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA
Interests: emerging technologies and worker health; nano and advanced materials; synthetic biology; artificial intelligence; autonomous systems

Dr. Jessica M. K. Streit

E-Mail Website
Assistant Guest Editor

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA
Interests: foresight; health education; organizational design; well-being; occupational safety and health

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

One of the most influential factors on the future of occupational health and well-being is the advancement of new technologies and the impact they will have on work, the workplace, and the workforce.

While new technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and autonomous systems, can dramatically increase productivity, reliance on these advances may outpace the rate at which workers can adjust to new systems and processes, or replace human labor to the extent that there are fewer opportunities for meaningful work. These challenges brought about by new technologies risk further exacerbation of work-related stress and worker distress. As a consequence, worker well-being will likely become a central element in effective occupational health programs and policies.

This Special Issue on the Impact of New Technologies on Occupational Health and Well-Being seeks your contributions to help understand the myriad of challenges, opportunities, and implications that the adoption of new technologies will bring both now and in the future. Submissions are invited from any specialty or subject matter area related to the intersection of technology and worker health and well-being. We welcome contributions addressing occupational health inequities as they may relate to the adoption and use of new technologies across industrial sectors, both formal and informal.

Dr. Sarah A. Felknor
Dr. Jay A. Vietas
Dr. Jessica M. K. Streit
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

new technologies
occupational health
worker well-being
future of work
artificial intelligence
robotics
autonomous systems

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Published Papers (12 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review

11 pages, 627 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dissemination and Implementation of a Text Messaging Campaign to Improve Health Disparities among Im/Migrant Workers

by Ellie Cherryhomes and Shannon Guillot-Wright

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(7), 5311; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20075311 - 29 Mar 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1980

Abstract

The use of short message service (SMS) text messaging technology has grown in popularity over the last twenty years, but there is limited data on the design and feasibility of campaigns to reduce work-related injury, particularly among rural workers, non-native English speakers, and illiterate or low-literacy populations. Although there is a critical need for tech equity or ‘TechQuity’ interventions that reduce injury and enhance the wellbeing of under-reached communities, the barriers and benefits to implementation must be empirically and systematically examined. Thus, our team used D&I science to design and implement an 18-week texting campaign for under-reached workers with a higher-than-average risk of fatal and non-fatal injury. The experimental project was conducted with English-, Spanish-, and Vietnamese-speaking commercial fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico to test the design and feasibility, and messaging focused on preventing injury from slips, trips, and falls, as well as hurricane preparedness. The ubiquity of mobile devices and the previous success of texting campaigns made this a promising approach for enhancing health and preventing injury among an under-reached population. However, the perceived benefits were not without their barriers. The lessons learned included the difficulty of navigating federal regulations regarding limits for special characters, enrolling migratory participants, and navigating areas with limited cellular service or populations with limited accessibility to technology. We conclude with short- and long-term suggestions for future technology interventions for under-reached worker populations, including ethical and policy regulations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of New Technologies on Occupational Health and Well-Being)

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16 pages, 364 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring First Responders’ Use and Perceptions on Continuous Health and Environmental Monitoring

by Jacob Grothe, Sarah Tucker, Anthony Blake, Chandran Achutan, Sharon Medcalf, Troy Suwondo, Ann Fruhling and Aaron Yoder

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(6), 4787; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20064787 - 8 Mar 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2017

Abstract

First responders lose their lives in the line of duty each year, and many of these deaths result from strenuous physical exertion and exposure to harmful environmental agents. Continuous health monitoring may detect diseases and alert the first responder when vital signs are reaching critical levels. However, continuous monitoring must be acceptable to first responders. The purpose of this study was to discover first responders’ current use of wearable technology, their perceptions of what health and environmental indicators should be monitored, and who should be permitted to monitor them. The survey was sent to 645 first responders employed by 24 local fire department stations. A total of 115 (17.8%) first responders answered the survey and 112 were used for analysis. Results found first responders perceived a need for health and environmental monitoring. The health and environmental indicators that respondents perceived as most important for monitoring in the field were heart rate (98.2%) and carbon monoxide (100%), respectively. Overall, using and wearing monitoring devices was not age-dependent and health and environmental concerns were important for first responders at any stage of their career. However, current wearable technology does not seem to be a viable solution for first responders due to device expense and durability issues. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of New Technologies on Occupational Health and Well-Being)

15 pages, 556 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Automation, Climate Change, and the Future of Farm Work: Cross-Disciplinary Lessons for Studying Dynamic Changes in Agricultural Health and Safety

by Matt Comi, Florence Becot and Casper Bendixsen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(6), 4778; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20064778 - 8 Mar 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3409

Abstract

In this review, we first assess the state of agricultural health and safety research as it pertains to the dynamic challenges facing automating agriculture on a warming planet. Then, we turn to social science fields such as rural sociology, science and technology studies, and environmental studies to leverage relevant insights on the introduction of new technologies, environmental risks, and associated workplace hazards. Increased rates of automation in agriculture alongside new risks associated with climate change create the need for anticipatory governance and adaptive research to study novel mechanisms of worker health and safety. The use of the PRISMA framework led to the 137 articles for our review. We identify three themes in the literature on agricultural health and safety: (1) adoption outcomes, (2) discrete cases of health risks, and (3) an emphasis on care and wellbeing in literature on dairy automation Our review led to the identification of research gaps, noting that current research (a) tends to examine these forces separately, instead of together, (b) has not made robust examination of these forces as socially embedded, and (c) has hesitated to examine the broad, transferable themes for how these forces work across industries. In response to these gaps, we suggest that attention to outside disciplines may provide agricultural health and safety research with a toolset to examine needed inquiry into the multiplicity of experiences of rural stakeholders, the industry specific problems arising from automation and climate change, and the socially embedded aspects of agricultural work in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of New Technologies on Occupational Health and Well-Being)

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16 pages, 2275 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Relationship of Artificial Intelligence Opportunity Perception and Employee Workplace Well-Being: A Moderated Mediation Model

by Guanglu Xu, Ming Xue and Jidi Zhao

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(3), 1974; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20031974 - 20 Jan 2023

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 7631

Abstract

Several previous studies have revealed a positive relationship between artificial intelligence (AI) technology development and employees’ employment, income, and job performance. If individuals can seize the opportunity to master the knowledge and skills relevant to the implementation of AI, they could make career progress and improve their workplace well-being (WWB). Based on the transactional theory of stress and resource conservation theory, we constructed a moderated mediation model to explore the relationship between AI opportunity perception and employees’ WWB and examine the mediating factor of informal learning in the workplace (ILW), as well as the moderating factor of unemployment risk perception (URP). Through a survey of 268 employees, our results showed the following: (1) AI opportunity perception was significantly positively correlated with employees’ WWB; (2) ILW played a mediating role in the positive relationship between AI opportunity perception and employees’ WWB; and (3) URP negatively moderated the mediating relationship of ILW between AI opportunity perception and employees’ WWB. Our research results have a guiding significance for enterprises seeking to promote WWB during AI application. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of New Technologies on Occupational Health and Well-Being)

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11 pages, 339 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How Conditions and Resources Connected to Digital Management Systems and Remote Work Are Associated with Sustainable Work

by Andrea Eriksson, Lotta Dellve, Anna Williamsson and Katrin Skagert

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 15731; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192315731 - 26 Nov 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2553

Abstract

The current state of work–life transformation will see more white-collar work being performed remotely using digital management systems. There is, however, a lack of research on factors and resources contributing to sustainable work when working remotely using digital management systems. The aim of this study was to study the conditions and resources connected to digital management systems and remote work, and their associations with sustainable work, in terms of process quality, trust, and sense of coherence, when working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. An analytical cross-sectional study was performed. Questionnaire data from white-collar employees (n = 484) in two private companies were analyzed with regression models, focusing on the importance of the conditions and resources connected to digital management systems and remote work, stratified by working from home or at the office. The results showed digital conditions and resources being associated with indicators of sustainable work. Furthermore, the results showed that social work relations were additional important explanatory factors for sustainable remote work. This study contributes to the development of a new post-pandemic work–life balance by concluding that sustainable remote work needs to be ensured by functional digital management systems and adequate leadership supporting the development of a positive team and learning climate. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of New Technologies on Occupational Health and Well-Being)

13 pages, 649 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Technology Advancements and Employees’ Qualitative Job Insecurity in the Republic of Korea: Does Training Help? Employer-Provided vs. Self-Paid Training

by Hyun Jung Lee, Tahira M. Probst, Andrea Bazzoli and Sunhee Lee

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(21), 14368; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114368 - 3 Nov 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2769

Abstract

While technological advancements have proliferated in our daily lives, they also pose threats to the job security of employees. Despite these growing concerns about technology-related job insecurity, little research has been carried out on the antecedents and outcomes of tech-related job insecurity. Using a cross-sectional, nationally representative survey sample of 28,989 Korean workers drawn from the Korean Working Conditions Survey, we examined the impacts of technology advancements on employee perceptions of technology-related qualitative job insecurity (i.e., perceived technology-related threat to the continued existence of valued job features) and subsequent effects on employees’ work (i.e., work engagement, job satisfaction), health (i.e., sleep), and life (i.e., work-to-family conflict) outcomes. Furthermore, we investigated the extent to which employer-provided (versus self-funded) training buffers the adverse impacts of technology advancements and associated job insecurity. The path analysis results showed more technology changes were associated with higher job insecurity, which subsequently related to adverse outcomes. While employer-provided training helped workers to reduce the negative impacts of tech changes on job insecurity, workers who paid for their training reported more adverse outcomes in face of job insecurity. We discuss these results in light of the job demands–resources theory and practical implications to buffer the adverse impacts of technology advancements. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of New Technologies on Occupational Health and Well-Being)

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17 pages, 951 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Using Core Elements of Health and Safety Management Systems to Support Worker Well-Being during Technology Integration

by Emily J. Haas and Emanuele Cauda

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(21), 13849; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192113849 - 25 Oct 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4215

Abstract

Research studying the intersection of occupational safety and health (OSH) and direct reading and sensor technologies (DRST) is sparse, with a specific lack of research available that has empirically considered ways that DRST may impact worker well-being. In this paper, the authors examine how organizations could utilize core elements of their health and safety management system (HSMS) to coordinate and execute DRST in the workplace to support worker well-being. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) researchers developed a 39-item questionnaire targeting OSH professionals to understand attitudes toward DRST and the current and intended uses of DRST at their place of employment. Eighty-eight OSH professionals completed the questionnaire between August and December 2021. Descriptive results of the study sample are provided but the focus of the study applies the open-ended responses to two questions, which was deductively analyzed. Descriptive results show that reliability and validity of data was a top concern while the open-ended qualitative feedback revealed three primary themes: (1) acceptability and trust in technology; (2) ease of use; and (3) support and guidelines. Results provide an opening to use core HSMS elements (i.e., management commitment and leadership, communication and coordination, and employee involvement) during DRST integration to demonstrate support for workers during times of ambiguity and change. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of New Technologies on Occupational Health and Well-Being)

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15 pages, 611 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Smartphone Use Side-by-Side with Burnout: Mediation of Work–Family Interaction and Loneliness

by Sónia P. Gonçalves and Joana Vieira dos Santos

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(11), 6692; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116692 - 30 May 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2597

Abstract

The main objective of this investigation is to study the relationship between compulsive smartphone use and burnout, and the potential mediating effect of negative work–family interaction and loneliness in this relationship. An online questionnaire was applied to a sample of 228 Portuguese workers, from various sectors, aged between 19 and 60 years (mean = 32.32); (standard deviation = 9.25), mostly female (64.5%; n = 154). The data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics. The main results show that the compulsive use of the smartphone is positively and expressively related (β = 0.258; p < 0.001) to burnout, with compulsive users reporting more symptoms of burnout. In addition, this study shows the mediating power of negative work–family interaction and loneliness, in the relationship between compulsive smartphone use and burnout, with this effect being positive and significant (B = 0.072; 95% CI [0.026; 0.145]; B = 0.068; 95% CI [0.008; 0.141]). These results highlight the need for individuals and organizations to use smartphones with caution, as well as reinforce that companies must develop a way to prevent and treat possible risk factors associated with this phenomenon. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of New Technologies on Occupational Health and Well-Being)

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Review

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28 pages, 884 KiB

Open AccessReview

Occupational Safety and Health Equity Impacts of Artificial Intelligence: A Scoping Review

by Elizabeth Fisher, Michael A. Flynn, Preethi Pratap and Jay A. Vietas

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(13), 6221; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20136221 - 24 Jun 2023

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 9020

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to either reduce or exacerbate occupational safety and health (OSH) inequities in the workplace, and its impact will be mediated by numerous factors. This paper anticipates challenges to ensuring that the OSH benefits of technological advances are equitably distributed among social groups, industries, job arrangements, and geographical regions. A scoping review was completed to summarize the recent literature on AI’s role in promoting OSH equity. The scoping review was designed around three concepts: artificial intelligence, OSH, and health equity. Scoping results revealed 113 articles relevant for inclusion. The ways in which AI presents barriers and facilitators to OSH equity are outlined along with priority focus areas and best practices in reducing OSH disparities and knowledge gaps. The scoping review uncovered priority focus areas. In conclusion, AI’s role in OSH equity is vastly understudied. An urgent need exists for multidisciplinary research that addresses where and how AI is being adopted and evaluated and how its use is affecting OSH across industries, wage categories, and sociodemographic groups. OSH professionals can play a significant role in identifying strategies that ensure the benefits of AI in promoting workforce health and wellbeing are equitably distributed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of New Technologies on Occupational Health and Well-Being)

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21 pages, 3679 KiB

Open AccessReview

Trends in Robotics Research in Occupational Safety and Health: A Scientometric Analysis and Review

by Ci-Jyun Liang and Marvin H. Cheng

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(10), 5904; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20105904 - 21 May 2023

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3927

Abstract

Robots have been deployed in workplaces to assist, work alongside, or collaborate with human workers on various tasks, which introduces new occupational safety and health hazards and requires research efforts to address these issues. This study investigated the research trends for robotic applications in occupational safety and health. The scientometric method was applied to quantitatively analyze the relationships between robotics applications in the literature. The keywords “robot”, “occupational safety and health”, and their variants were used to find relevant articles. A total of 137 relevant articles published during 2012–2022 were collected from the Scopus database for this analysis. Keyword co-occurrence, cluster, bibliographic coupling, and co-citation analyses were conducted using VOSviewer to determine the major research topics, keywords, co-authorship, and key publications. Robot safety, exoskeletons and work-related musculoskeletal disorders, human–robot collaboration, and monitoring were four popular research topics in the field. Finally, research gaps and future research directions were identified based on the analysis results, including additional efforts regarding warehousing, agriculture, mining, and construction robots research; personal protective equipment; and multi-robot collaboration. The major contributions of the study include identifying the current trends in the application of robotics in the occupational safety and health discipline and providing pathways for future research in this discipline. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of New Technologies on Occupational Health and Well-Being)

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14 pages, 974 KiB

Open AccessReview

Workers’ Health under Algorithmic Management: Emerging Findings and Urgent Research Questions

by Emilia F. Vignola, Sherry Baron, Elizabeth Abreu Plasencia, Mustafa Hussein and Nevin Cohen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(2), 1239; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20021239 - 10 Jan 2023

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 5099

Abstract

Algorithms are increasingly used instead of humans to perform core management functions, yet public health research on the implications of this phenomenon for worker health and well-being has not kept pace with these changing work arrangements. Algorithmic management has the potential to influence several dimensions of job quality with known links to worker health, including workload, income security, task significance, schedule stability, socioemotional rewards, interpersonal relations, decision authority, and organizational trust. To describe the ways algorithmic management may influence workers’ health, this review summarizes available literature from public health, sociology, management science, and human-computer interaction studies, highlighting the dimensions of job quality associated with work stress and occupational safety. We focus on the example of work for platform-based food and grocery delivery companies; these businesses are growing rapidly worldwide and their effects on workers and policies to address those effects have received significant attention. We conclude with a discussion of research challenges and needs, with the goal of understanding and addressing the effects of this increasingly used technology on worker health and health equity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of New Technologies on Occupational Health and Well-Being)

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11 pages, 469 KiB

Open AccessReview

Occupational Safety and Health with Technological Developments in Livestock Farms: A Literature Review

by Marie A. Hayden, Menekse S. Barim, Darlene L. Weaver, K. C. Elliott, Michael A. Flynn and Jennifer M. Lincoln

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(24), 16440; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192416440 - 8 Dec 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4456

Abstract

In recent decades, there have been considerable technological developments in the agriculture sector to automate manual processes for many factors, including increased production demand and in response to labor shortages/costs. We conducted a review of the literature to summarize the key advances from installing emerging technology and studies on robotics and automation to improve agricultural practices. The main objective of this review was to survey the scientific literature to identify the uses of these new technologies in agricultural practices focusing on new or reduced occupational safety risks affecting agriculture workers. We screened 3248 articles with the following criteria: (1) relevance of the title and abstract with occupational safety and health; (2) agriculture technologies/applications that were available in the United States; (3) written in English; and (4) published 2015–2020. We found 624 articles on crops and harvesting and 80 articles on livestock farming related to robotics and automated systems. Within livestock farming, most (78%) articles identified were related to dairy farms, and 56% of the articles indicated these farms were using robotics routinely. However, our review revealed gaps in how the technology has been evaluated to show the benefits or potential hazards to the safety and well-being of livestock owners/operators and workers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of New Technologies on Occupational Health and Well-Being)

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