Health and Safety ReportVolume 23, Issue 03

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to influence the future of work, several different industries are exploring the use of artificial intelligence worker management (AIWM) to automate or semi-automate tasks such as shift scheduling and work allocation, as well as to monitor activity and evaluate performance.

The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) recently published a report on the potential workplace impacts of artificial intelligence worker management on workplace health and safety.

What is artificial intelligence worker management?

Artificial intelligence worker management uses digital systems and algorithms to collect real-time data from workers and the workplace. These systems use AI-based models to make automated or semi-automated decisions about factors such as task allocation or workload. Automated decisions are made without human involvement. Semi-automated decisions are where the AI system provides the operator or manager with real-time information to help them make informed decisions.

Where and how is it being used?

In larger European companies where work involves mostly manual and repetitive routine tasks, the report provides examples of artificial intelligence worker management systems being used to improve demand prediction, shift scheduling, and task assignment based on workers’ capabilities. At one Italian auto part manufacturer, the AI-based system helped skilled operators adapt to changing constraints using real-time data and automated task assignments, with the goal of enhancing productivity, reducing stress, and improving work-life balance. In another example, AI chatbots analyze communication patterns to detect and prevent mental health issues and provide personalized support.

What are the risks to health and safety?

Introducing artificial intelligence worker management to mainly increase productivity, and without consulting workers on its purpose and use, can have profound physical and psychological impacts. Using AI to monitor and direct work can lead to work intensification. Workers may experience higher pressure to perform, avoid breaks, and be told to work more and faster, which increases the risk of incidents and musculoskeletal disorders. This accelerated pace of work can also lead to stress, fatigue and burnout, affecting a wide range of workplaces from banking and call centres to warehouses. Workers may also experience feelings of surveillance and a lack of control when digital systems determine their work tasks, pace and schedule.

Where performance results are visible to peers, artificial intelligence worker management can create an environment of unhealthy competition and feelings of social isolation. The collection of confidential or sensitive data can also raise privacy concerns among workers and lead to feelings of distrust. In some cases, excessive automation can reduce the need for workers’ and managers’ cognitive or creative abilities, which can lead to stress and reduced job satisfaction.

How can it improve health and safety?

To date, the evidence of artificial intelligence worker management improving health and safety is limited, but there are several potential benefits. The collected data can influence the design of more effective health and safety training programs in the future. Matching tasks to workers’ skills can make the division of work more efficient, increasing job satisfaction. By monitoring workplace conditions, digital systems can warn of risks to workers such as excessive workload, fatigue and burnout. They can also optimize work routines to improve workers’ safety, well-being and productivity. Since the impact of artificial intelligence worker management on workplaces is not yet fully understood, employers need to continuously evaluate these technologies to further improve strategies to promote and protect the health and safety of workers. 

How can potential hazards be prevented?

Trust is a determining factor for managing the potential health and safety risks of implementing AI workplace management systems. Foster trust by considering the impacts on workers at every step, including whether to use the technology at all. Involve workers in decisions, be transparent about data collection and use, perform risk assessments, and provide information and training. When workers know employers and managers are invested in their ability to work well, not just hard, they are more comfortable raising concerns about potential performance pressure and burnout.

Resources

• Worker Management through AI, European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA)
• Musculoskeletal Disorders – Psychosocial Factors, CCOHS
• Measures for Promoting Mental Health in the Workplace, CCOHS
• Introducing New Technology at the Workplace, CCOHS

From meat slicers in a supermarket to industrial mixers in a manufacturing plant, machines make performing jobs easier and more efficient. But with their moving parts, emissions, power, noise, and other potential hazards, operating machinery can put workers at risk of serious injuries.

Entanglement in parts, flying debris, and the uncontrolled release of energy can cause cuts and lacerations, eye damage, burns, amputations, hearing loss, and more. The following steps can help protect your workers from harm.  

• Identify the hazards and assess the risks. Assess your workplace for mechanical and other hazards. Look for machinery with rotating parts, sharp edges, or pinch points that may pose a risk to workers. Your assessment should also consider outdated or faulty machinery in need of upgrading, repair or replacement to meet health and safety standards and regulations in your jurisdiction.
• Eliminate or substitute the hazard. Whenever possible, eliminate the hazard completely so there is no risk to your workers. For example, review a task or process to see if the machinery is still necessary for the job. If not, eliminate it. Substituting equipment with a safer alternative, like a machine with lower energy, can also help to reduce risk.
• Introduce machine guards. Install and secure existing machine guards to prevent workers from accidental contact with hazardous parts. These guards work as physical barriers and should be tamper-resistant and made from durable, high-quality materials such as metal or reinforced plastic.
• Consider installing presence-sensing devices. Install personal detection equipment, such as light curtains, to keep workers out of harm’s way. These invisible safety gates automatically stop machinery once the sensing field is interrupted.
• Train workers to operate machinery safely. Introduce safety training on how to use machinery with machine guards and other protective devices in place. Your training should also include how to identify and report mechanical and other hazards and respond to emergencies.
• Establish a lockout and tagout program for maintenance and repairs. Locking out puts machinery in a safe and de-energized state while tagging out is a labelling system that informs workers of the reason for the lockout and its duration. Together, they protect workers from activating machinery during repairs or servicing.
• Support safeguarding with signage and safety barriers. Introduce barriers to restrict access to hazardous areas and post signage that raises awareness about mechanical risks. Both can help workers to be aware of potential hazards while working with and around machinery.
• Reduce exposure with personal protective equipment. Be sure workers have the right protective gear for the job. Goggles, face shields and respirators can protect them from ejected material and machine-generated dust, while hearing protection can prevent noise-related injuries and illnesses.

Safeguarding your workplace is vital to protecting your workers from accidental contact with machinery and mechanical parts and is part of an effective health and safety strategy.

Resources

• Safeguarding – General fact sheet, CCOHS
• Safeguarding – Working around Machinery fact sheet, CCOHS
• Metalworking Machines fact sheets, CCOHS
• Safeguarding Machinery and Equipment, WorkSafeBC

Our podcast episodes help you stay current and informed about workplace health, safety, and well-being in Canada. 

Featured podcast: Addressing Inequities in Personal Protective Equipment 

When personal protective equipment is designed with diverse body types in mind, everyone in the workplace benefits. Dr. Amin Yazdani joins us to discuss how using breakthrough technology can shape the design of more inclusive personal protective equipment for workers in Canada. Dr. Yazdani will be speaking at CCOHS Forum: The Changing World of Work.

Listen to the podcast now. 

Encore podcast: Women Leaders in Health and Safety 

While many companies are committed to gender equality, a gap still exists between men and women in leadership roles. Learn more as we chat with leaders Lee-Anne Lyon-Bartley and Janet Mannella about their journeys in the field of health and safety. 

Listen to the podcast now.

See the complete list of podcast topics or, better yet, subscribe to the series on iTunes or Spotify and don't miss a single episode.

Help your workers understand the basics of health and safety with our new online course, Introduction to Health and Safety for Workers.

Everyone in the workplace shares a responsibility for health and safety. This course helps workers gain a deeper awareness of their rights and the role they play in health and safety.

Workers will also learn how to support their workplace’s health and safety activities, including incident reporting, investigation, and emergency preparedness and response.

Register your workers for the course today.

CCOHS also offers these related courses for workers and supervisors:

• Health and Safety Awareness for Workers in Canada
• Health and Safety for Supervisors in Canada

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From sessions on emerging health and safety issues by subject experts to a showcase on innovative tools, resources and good practices, Forum delivers two full days of learning and inspiration. Join like-minded health and safety professionals, leaders, and changemakers at CCOHS Forum: The Changing World of Work on May 27-28, 2025, in Calgary.

What you’ll learn about

• Future of work
• Intersection of artificial intelligence and workplace mental health
• Indigenous perspectives
• New and emerging risks
• Paradox of physically demanding work and increased health risks
• Climate change impacts
• Heat stress as an occupational hazard
• Inclusive personal protective equipment

Program schedule

• Day One: 7 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. plus an evening networking reception
• Day Two: 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Get more information on the speaker lineup and program at www.ccohs.ca/forum.

If you’ve been thinking about registering for Forum, don’t delay. The event is 90% full. Register online at www.ccohs.ca/products/events/forum25. Special rates for CCOHS Members are available.

Marked annually in Canada on April 28, the National Day of Mourning is dedicated to remembering those who have lost their lives, suffered injury or illness on the job, or experienced a work-related tragedy.

According to the Association of Workers' Compensation Boards of Canada (AWCBC), in 2023 there were 1,057 workplace fatalities recorded in Canada. There were also 274,022 accepted claims for lost time due to work-related injuries or diseases.

The National Day of Mourning serves as a powerful reminder to reflect on the importance of health and safety in the workplace, and to protect workers to prevent further work-related injuries and loss of life.

The day is also an opportunity for workplaces to publicly renew their commitment to improving health and safety. CCOHS offers resources to help raise awareness, including social media cards, podcasts, and posters.

Learn more about Day of Mourning

Download the Day of Mourning poster

Calling all youth in Canada! Share what workplace safety means to you by entering the 2025 Focus on Safety Youth Video Contest. Cash prizes of up to $2,000 are up for grabs.  

The full contest details are available on our website. Note that the deadline to enter will depend on which province or territory you live in. National winners will be announced on May 5, 2025, during Safety and Health Week.