text: **Major technological developments**
  
  The widespread**introduction of new or advanced technologies**— automation, digitalisation/ICT, 
  green technologies, new material technologies and so on — results in substantial changes in work 
  organisation and work processes, and replacement of (traditional) materials (screws by glues, metal and 
  wood by plastics, nanomaterials). For OSH regulators and practitioners, it is a constant challenge to 
  assess these changes regarding their impact on risks for health and safety and to develop adequate 
  risk prevention and mitigation measures. 
  
  **Foresight studies**(e.g. by EU-OSHA) have shown that such technological change can help improve 
  working conditions, for example, by taking over heavy, dangerous or routine work (automation, 
  robotisation, exoskeletons), or by better communication and remote control via ICT tools. At the same 
  time, they can also pose new risks, creating rigid work processes without much decision latitude, along 
  with technical options for extreme surveillance and control (e.g. by constant geolocation), or pose new 
  safety risks like working at height (renewable energies) or by exposure to materials with widely unknown 
  health effects (e.g. nano). 
  
  EU-OSHA has**published several foresight studies**to emphasise possible safety and health concerns. 
  Examples are the reports and fact sheets about new safety risks in green jobs (green buildings, solar 
  energy, wind energy) published more than 10 years ago. Since 2015, EU-OSHA has been publishing 
  reviews and discussion papers on emerging risks and foresight topics. This work covers topics like 
  robotics, performance-enhancing drugs, 3D printing, monitoring technologies, developments in the e- 
  retail sector, artificial intelligence, platform work, Long COVID, exoskeletons and so on. In 2018, the 
  Agency published a foresight report on new and emerging OSH risks associated with digitalisation. 