Program component of the focus programme “Occupational Safety and Health in the Digital World of Work
- Project number: F 2490
- Institution: Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA)
- Status: Completed Project
Description:
The occupational environment is undergoing a digital transformation. This results in different consequences and changing job requirements for various groups of employees. The project´s aim was to provide data on the impact of digital transformation on employees’ working conditions, safety and health. For this purpose various representative employee surveys were analysed (e.g. DiWaBe, BIBB/BAuA Employment Survey, BAuA Working Time Survey, LEEP-B3) and correlations between digitalisation and job demands, resources, and health characteristics were found.
The results indicate that working in digital work environments or with digital tools is associated with increased job demands, such as the work intensity. However, positive aspects are also associated with it, like increased job autonomy. Nevertheless, it is also apparent that these relationships are not uniform. For example, the effects vary depending on the type of digital work equipment or job task. In addition, there are also heterogeneous correlations, e.g. regarding the employees’ qualification, which point to increasing inequalities ("digital divide"). The findings underline the importance of a nuanced perspective on interrelationships and highlight the relevance of designing contextual conditions for the digitisation of the work environment.
The project was part of the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s focus programme "Occupational Safety and Health in the Digital World of Work".
