It is possible for increased automation to reduce physical and psychosocial workloads, but there is evidence that the opposite is occurring. In some work situations, it leads to an increase in task repetitiveness, pace of work, physical fatigue, cognitive workload and psychosocial demands. Key factors being the permanent electronic monitoring and surveillance of workers’ performance, and when algorithms set tasks and time targets. This can result in workers working too fast, or for too long, or cutting corners in terms of their safety, for example not following safe lifting procedures.
The proportion of workers experiencing cognitive overload, cognitive and physical fatigue, and various forms of ‘technostress’ will increase if attention is not given to planning substantive, human-centred work as digitalisation changes occur. The 2022 OSH Pulse Report revealed that digital technologies controlled the pace of work for over half of respondents, 37% said that they increase their workload, a third said that they increase surveillance and a fifth that they reduce their work autonomy.
https://healthy-workplaces.eu/ has a list of dozens of case studies from many industries showing how digitisation has been successful at preventing MSDs.
