Occupational safety and health in Europe - state and trends 2023 
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work – EU-OSHA 103 
This trend generates new and complex challenges for OSH  policies and legislation, and also for 
practical OSH management in enterprises. On the one hand, the level of safety and health prevention 
for the conventional types of work has to be kept high. On the other hand, the health risks caused by 
inadequate work organisation, psychosocial burden of different kinds and physical inactivity still need 
more awareness and require the implementation of partly new preventive approaches.   
 
5.2 Technological developments – influence on OSH  
During the past 20 years significant technological developments and changes  have taken place in 
all sectors at nearly all workplaces. Literature related to the relation between technology development 
and OSH focuses on hori zontal or cross-cutting technologies that influence all sectors, particularly 
automation and digitalisation as its main elements and drivers. Digitalisation facilitated the development 
of new services based solely on digital technologies. It has an enormous impact on practically all types 
of work. Digital technologies now provide essential services to all sectors of our economy and society.269 
The European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training ( Cedefop) estimates that 7 of 10 
workers need  ‘at lea st some fundamental ICT level to be able to perform their jobs.’ 270  These 
developments considerably influence the ways of interaction between humans and between humans 
and machines.  
Beside such major cross -cutting technologies there are numerous essential sector- and process-
specific technological  developments that influence work in a sector or occupations. Technological 
developments are often based on the application of several intertwined technologies , for example, 
mechanical engineering, microelectronics, chemical engineering and optical technologies. The progress 
of effectiveness, speed and price of transport technologies  might illustrate this. This progress was 
essential for the growth of inter national trade and the organisation and functioning of supply chains 
between countries and continents . This development needed the computerisation of the logistics but 
also progress in manufacturing of trains, trucks, ships and aircraft towards lower costs, higher speed, 
higher capacities and high reliability.  
New material technologies (nanotechnologies, chemicals, plastics) have replaced classical materials 
(wood, stone, metals) and consequently influenced health and safety risks in many sectors. 
Biotechnologies have had much influence in sectors like agriculture, food processing and 
pharmaceutical production. Technologies for renewable energy generation facilitate the change from 
centralised large-size and plant-based energy generation to decentralised systems, that is, the shift from 
fossil fuels to renewable sources and to new storage systems, like the development of more effective 
batteries. Also the change towards a circular economy and more recycling requires technologies for 
the effective and safe reuse of materials and equipment.  
At the same time — contrary or in parallel to a mainstream of techno logical developments — there is a 
small but emerging societal trend of de -technologisation and de -globalisation, that is, niche 
trends like ‘Bio’, ‘Eco’ and ‘Regional’, predominantly in agriculture  and in food and cloth production. 
This trend is often caused by ethical and/or environmental considerations on certain types of products, 
for example, related to the consumption of meat or fish and the use of plastics-based products and fast-
fashion clothes. This trend generates — on the producers’ side — working conditions with partly distinct 
OSH requirements, that is, more safety risks in manual and craft work, and health risks typical for the