Maintworld Magazine 4/2023

In Short
The Medical Device Contract Manufacturing
Market to grow at a CAGR of 11.19% from
2021 to 2026|The impact of Industry
4.0 on the medical device industry drives
market growth. Source: Technavio
EU-OSHA AND THE FUTURE OF WORK:
CHAMPIONING SAFETY AND HEALTH
IN THE DIGITAL ERA
and Healthy Work
in the Digital Age" is the
title of the new edition
of EU-OSHA's Healthy
‘Safe
Workplaces Campaign,
which commenced in October. The
campaign's objectives are to increase
awareness, encourage collaboration,
and establish a future where occupational
safety and health continue to be
a top priority alongside technological
advancement.
With 93% of workers in large companies
and 85% in micro companies using
digital devices, this campaign addresses
the evolving dynamics of work, emphasising
the imperative of ensuring safety
and health in a human-centred digital
transformation.
As Artificial Intelligence (AI), cloud
computing, and collaborative robots
become integral to work processes, the
very nature of work is transforming.
The campaign recognises the potential
for improved occupational safety
and health (OSH) while confronting
emerging risks in this rapidly evolving
environment, EU-OSHA says in a statement.
– The world of work has seen a huge
transformation in recent years, with the
rise of digital technologies, algorithmic
management and remote working. It
is essential to strike the right balance:
as we reap the benefits of the digital
age, we must also make sure we don’t
compromise on the human-cantered
approach, Nicolas Schmit, European
Commissioner for Jobs and Social
Rights, declared.
The campaign will explore five priority
areas over the next two years: digital
platform work, automation of tasks,
remote and hybrid work, worker management
through Artificial Intelligence
and smart digital systems.
– This campaign will help drive a
digital transformation of the world of
work that is fair and leaves no one behind,
spreading knowledge about digital
solutions that represent opportunities
for companies and workers, Joaquín
Pérez Rey, interim secretary of State
for Employment and Social Economy
of Spain and representing the Spanish
Presidency of the EU Council, added.
This edition seeks to enhance awareness
of the impact of digital transformation
on OSH and encourage a safe and
productive use of digital technologies
across diverse sectors and workplaces.
It also aims to foster collaboration
among stakeholders, providing resources
and promoting proactive risk assessment
for a secure and efficient digital
transformation of work.
– As Europe’s digital transformation
steams ahead, its impact on businesses
and workers is far from being fully
understood. There’s an urgent need to
grasp the opportunities and identify
the risks of digitalisation to maximise
the benefits of these new technologies
for safe, healthy and productive workplaces,
William Cockburn Salazar,
Executive Director of the European
Agency for Safety and Health at Work
(EU-OSHA), said.
8 maintworld 4/2023