Preventing digital transformation risks requires adaptation to workers' health and safety, stresses Maria João Carreiro - Communication

Secretaria Regional da Juventude, Habitação e Emprego

The Regional Secretary for Youth, Housing and Employment, Maria João Carreiro, chaired today the opening session of the seminar “Work with Safety and Health at Work in the Digital Age,” promoted by the Regional Labour Inspectorate (IRT).

The event took place at NONAGON in the municipality of Lagoa, São Miguel. It was part of the annual “Healthy Workplaces” campaign promoted by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, bringing together workers, employers, representative associations, citizens and entities interested in this topic.

In her speech, Maria João Carreiro pointed out the “profound changes caused, for example, by artificial intelligence, digitisation or remote working in all sectors of activity,” which require employers to “adapt" to guarantee the safety and health of workers.

“Today, when we talk about digitisation, we are talking not only about the automation of processes, the use of digital platforms and the integration of artificial intelligence but also about cyber risks, data breaches and other risks to the safety and well-being of workers,” she said.

According to the Regional Secretary, innovation presents countless opportunities but also imposes significant challenges in terms of health and safety at work.

Faced with new ways of working and a new configuration of the working environment, “joint actions and interventions among the agents of the working world” are needed, so that “both workers and employers are both promoters and beneficiaries of good practices” in promoting safety and health at work, she said.

“Informing and raising awareness entails addressing ignorance and consolidating literacy about good practices conducive to the creation of safe, efficient and healthy working environments, considering the health and well-being of workers and the resulting benefits for the productivity of companies and employers,” he said.

Since 2020, 82 actions have been carried out to raise awareness of occupational safety and health issues, as part of the preventive approach promoted by the IRT. These involved 45,958 entities, including 14 regional campaigns that covered 43,797 entities, and 51 actions in schools, including vocational schools, for 1,426 students.

Also this year, the IRT has already carried out an awareness-raising campaign on “Working on Digital Platforms,” which reached 5,575 organisations. There are plans to carry out, at least, four specific campaigns on preventing the risks associated with the digital transformation for the safety and health of workers next year.