OSH News

Ensuring that companies meet their obligations under occupational safety and health (OSH) regulations is essential for protecting workers, promoting a safe working environment and increasing productivity. In the context of digitalisation, ensuring and enforcing compliance presents new challenges, such as adapting to rapidly evolving technologies and addressing issues related to data security, remote work and complex organisational structures. At the same time, digital technologies offer significant opportunities for both labour inspectorates and enterprises, enabling more effective monitoring, streamlined data collection and enhanced communication, which can ultimately support and strengthen compliance efforts.

Digitalisation: barrier or driver for compliance?
As explored by the ‘Safe and healthy work in the digital age’ campaign, digital technologies are reshaping every aspect of work, from how it is structured and managed to the ethical, surveillance and transparency challenges they introduce. These changes can make it more difficult for companies to comply with legislation and for authorities to conduct traditional inspection activities, particularly in decentralised and high-risk settings or where workers operate outside the company’s premises.

However, digitalisation also drives innovation. Labour inspectorates across Europe are increasingly adopting digital tools to promote compliance by improving the effectiveness of targeting inspections, data collection and analysis, as well as communication with workplaces. These tools also contribute to addressing common challenges such as limited resources, low OSH adoption in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and high inspector-to-workplace ratios. What’s more, a range of innovative strategies are emerging to ensure that prevention and OSH measures reach more workers, regardless of sector, job location or employment model.

Risk-based approaches
Labour inspectorates use artificial intelligence and data analysis to identify high-risk sectors, prioritise inspections and increase the effectiveness of proactive strategies. These innovations make their work more accurate and efficient, helping them focus on areas that require the most attention and addressing issues like fragmented information and inconsistent decision-making:

• Germany’s Prevention Process Management System (PPMS) supports OSH compliance by systematising how inspections are planned and followed up. The approach relies on a digital software programme that analyses data to organise workplace inspections more efficiently.
• The Norwegian Labour Inspectorate’s risk-based strategy applies data analytics to identify sectors and workplaces with the highest potential risks, ensuring that inspection resources are allocated effectively and that companies presenting higher risks are prioritised.

Remote and digital approaches
Inspectorates are also making use of digital tools to achieve wider visibility and expand their reach, especially when it comes to SMEs, as well as to provide OSH support in situations where geographical barriers or limited resources would make direct contact challenging. These tools create accessible communication channels that are particularly valuable for remote and platform workers and companies operating across dispersed locations.

• The Norwegian Labour Inspectorate also operates a call service that gives employers, workers and their representatives direct access to OSH expertise. The service provides quick and practical advice on regulatory obligations and risk management, helping to raise awareness of rights and obligations, reduce administrative burden and promote cooperation.
• A Tele-OSH system in Germany enables online video consultations between companies and occupational safety professionals. It ensures that SMEs and remote businesses can receive tailored expert guidance, supporting OSH compliance and prevention without the need for physical site visits.
• Ireland’s BeSMART.ie platform offers SMEs a free interactive online tool to conduct risk assessments using pre-defined templates. The system simplifies compliance processes and encourages proactive risk management.
• In Portugal, new technological tools such as digital simulators, a chatbot and a mobile app are being used to improve coordination between inspectorates and companies, making it easier to share information, track progress and improve prevention efforts.
• Explore additional case studies on innovative approaches to supporting OSH compliance.
• Explore our previous HWC article focusing on case studies on smart digital systems.
• #EUhealthyworkplaces continues on LinkedIn, Facebook, Bluesky and X.