A study from CSIRO’s Data61 has found that new technologies and ways of working have the potential to make work safer and reduce workplace injury over the next 20 years.

The Workplace Safety Futures report, written in partnership with Safe Work Australia, also identifies new challenges for work health and safety and workers’ compensation.

The report explores how six mega-trends underpinned by advances in digital technologies and shifting employment patterns may affect WHS and workers’ compensation in Australia in years to come.

Joanna Horton, Research Analyst at CSIRO’s Data61 and co-author of the report said digital technologies, such as automation, artificial intelligence and augmented reality entering the workforce in greater numbers, have introduced significant structural and demographic changes to the Australian workplace.

“This will have implications for workers’ compensation and the WHS environment in Australia and may require fresh approaches to managing risks and supporting sick or injured workers,” she said.

The six megatrends shaping the future workforce environment for Australia:

1. The extending reach of automated systems and robotics.

The costs of advanced automated technologies are likely to continue falling and the capabilities and widespread deployment are likely to continue rising. Physical workplace injury is predicted to fall by 11 per cent by 2030 as the use of robotics including AI and drones replaces dull, dirty and dangerous tasks.

However, growing use of robots in the workplace raises questions about whether current ways of identifying, assessing and controlling WHS risks will be adequate in addressing potential new risks that may arise.

2. Rising workplace stress and mental health issues.

Australia’s workforce is registering increasing levels of stress and mental health issues. New and intensifying uses of digital technologies in the workplace may exacerbate problems with mental health and stress, but technology also presents opportunities to manage these issues.

3. Rising screen time, sedentary behaviour and chronic illness.

The amount of daily screen time has grown for both adults and children and there is a continued drift away from manual jobs towards sedentary jobs. Rates of obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and other chronic illnesses continue to rise.

4. Blurring the boundaries between work and home.

An increasingly large share of Australian workers is entering into work arrangements that enable them to work from home or other locations, blurring the boundaries between work and home life.

5. The gig and entrepreneurial economy.

A shift away from traditional employment patterns towards freelance task-based work poses new challenges for the way WHS risks are managed and how insurance can be delivered.

A significant shift towards freelance task-based work in Australia, with fewer workers covered by workers’ compensation may also have long-term implications on our public health and social security systems if injured workers are not covered by some form of insurance.

6. An ageing workforce.

The average age of Australia’s workforce is increasing along with the ageing of the population as a whole and older Australians are having to stay in the workforce longer.

More information on the Workplace Safety Futures report can be found on the Data61 website.

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