The research examines how modern OSH systems increasingly rely on digital technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), Virtual Reality (VR), and digital communication platforms. These tools enable organizations to monitor workplace conditions in real time, identify hazards more accurately, and deliver more interactive safety training.
According to La Ode Muhammad Zainal Abidin and Suryo Ediyono, this development has created a new paradigm in occupational safety management—one that is data-driven, predictive, and highly responsive to workplace risks. However, the researchers argue that digital transformation also introduces consequences that deserve equal attention.
Safety communication plays a strategic role in building workplace safety culture, strengthening risk awareness, and accelerating responses to potential hazards. Digital communication tools expand these capabilities by allowing information to spread faster, more widely, and in more interactive forms.
The study employed a qualitative method through a systematic literature review. The researchers analyzed academic publications indexed in Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, and ProQuest published between 2000 and 2026. From this process, 15 key sources were selected and examined to develop an integrated understanding of OSH digitalization and its effects on workers.
The findings identify three major technology clusters transforming occupational safety communication.
First, IoT technology allows integrated sensors to continuously monitor workplace conditions, including air quality, temperature, noise levels, and even indicators of worker fatigue. These data streams are transmitted directly to OSH management systems, enabling earlier hazard detection.
Second, AI supports the analysis of massive safety datasets. Through pattern recognition and predictive analysis, AI can identify accident risks and recommend preventive actions before incidents occur.
Third, VR and Augmented Reality (AR) are transforming workplace safety training. Workers can experience hazardous scenarios through simulations in safe virtual environments, helping them strengthen emergency response skills without facing real danger.
Despite these advantages, the researchers emphasize that workplace digitalization also generates significant psychosocial risks. One of the central concerns identified in the study is technostress, a form of psychological strain triggered by intensive technology use.
Technostress appears in several forms. Workers may experience techno-overload, where the volume of digital information becomes overwhelming. Another dimension is techno-invasion, where constant connectivity erodes the boundary between work and personal life. The study also highlights techno-insecurity, referring to fears of job loss caused by automation and AI adoption.
La Ode Muhammad Zainal Abidin and Suryo Ediyono argue that highly digitized workplaces may increase stress, anxiety, and uncertainty regarding professional futures. Ironically, these pressures can undermine workplace safety itself by reducing concentration, increasing mental fatigue, and weakening safety motivation.
The study also raises ethical concerns about digital surveillance. Algorithm-based systems that continuously monitor workers can improve safety oversight, but excessive and non-transparent monitoring may damage trust and reduce workplace autonomy.
The authors stress that technology should not be treated as a neutral instrument. Technological systems reflect organizational values, interests, and power relations. For this reason, OSH digitalization should not focus solely on productivity and operational efficiency but must also uphold workers’ dignity.
Suryo Ediyono of Universitas Sebelas Maret contributes a philosophical and humanistic perspective to the discussion. From this viewpoint, technology should enhance human quality of life rather than become a mechanism of control that intensifies psychological pressure.
To address this dilemma, the researchers recommend a socio-technical approach that integrates technical and social considerations. Workers should be involved as active participants in designing, implementing, and evaluating digital OSH systems to ensure technology aligns with real workplace needs.
The study further recommends policies promoting digital ergonomics, including clear limits on after-hours connectivity, transparent use of employee data, stronger digital literacy, and mental health support within workplace safety programs.
For industries and policymakers, these findings deliver an important message. The success of workplace digitalization should not be measured solely by operational efficiency or reduced accident rates. Equally important are workers’ psychosocial well-being, organizational trust, and the sense of meaning people derive from their work.
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