ESENER survey highlights digital technologies and COVID-19 as new challenges to safety and health management
Digitalisation has been clearly identified an emerging occupational safety and health (OSH) issue by the 2019 European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks (ESENER). But despite the increasing use of robots, laptops, smartphones or wearable devices, less than one in four workplaces (24 %) are having discussions about the potential impact of such technologies on the safety and health of workers.
Further challenges involve psychosocial risks and work practices transformed by COVID-19 as identified in follow-up studies. Solutions include greater worker participation to identify and prevent risks, and legislation to drive OSH compliance.
The ESENER 2019 Overview Report addresses these topics, using data taken from over 45,000 respondents across workplaces of all sizes and sectors in 33 European countries. ESENER provides a leading monitoring tool for the management of OSH and the go-to source for European and national policymakers.