Psychosocial Risks and Ethical Implications of Technology: Considerations for Decent Work

Details

• Personal Author:
  Schulte, Paul A. ; Streit, Jessica M. K.
• Description:
  Decent work, a United Nations Sustainable Development Goal, is built on the ethical treatment of workers and ensures respect of their security, freedom, equity, and dignity. In the future, a wide range of technological forces may pose significant impediments to the availability and quality of decent work. This paper applies a prescriptive taxonomy to categorize evidence of the psychosocial impacts technology may bring to the future of work and elucidate the associated ethical concerns. Ethical objectives in support of a future defined by decent work are also offered. Central to this technoethical discourse are the principles of nonmaleficence, beneficence, autonomy, justice, and respect for persons. Expanded technoethical education, ethical technology assessments, ethical foresight analysis, and revised ethical standards are important ways to address technology-related ethical challenges on a larger scale. The findings in this paper may serve as a foundation for the systemic prevention and control of adverse effects and ethical concerns from the use of technology in the workplace of the future. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Automation Occupational Health Safety Workplace
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Automation Autonomy Digitization Emerging Technology Ethics Future Of Work Justice Nonmaleficence Psychosocial Factors Respect For Persons Work-life Balance Work Environment Work Schedules

  More +
• ISSN:
  2398-7308
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Chicago Region [OSHA] ; Maryland ; Ohio ; Philadelphia Region [OSHA]
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OD - Office of the Director
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  360-376
• Volume:
  69
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070605
• Citation:
  Ann Work Expo Health 2025 Apr; 69(4):360-376
• Contact Point Address:
  Jessica M K Streit, Offce of Research Integration, Offce of the Director, US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH, 45226, United States
• Email:
  jstreit@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Annals of Work Exposures and Health
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:ad466bc0c7e2f6f572a7118353e598cbac540c19e54ac294d63be72122df1984623c6c03a215a26f876c2db0eb2633a045b893a81a9eb53575ef076343a8b3cb
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208784/cdc_208784_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.00 MB ]