Automation has become increasingly sought-after for modern, evolving workplaces across a spectrum of industries. Automation can be used to streamline manufacturing operations, manage routine office tasks with minimal human intervention, conduct risk assessments and boost efficiency, among a whole host of other advantages.
Given the scale of the global automation market ($193.87 billion in 2024 and poised to reach a $205.11 billion valuation in 2025), it’s fair to say that this will become more accessible and attainable for businesses sector-wide. It’s certainly not ambitious to suggest that automation is fundamentally transforming how companies currently operate and how they will in the near future. However, as businesses embrace these innovations, it’s important to maintain a level head and avoid your organisation becoming ‘over-automated’. With the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) and intelligent digital technologies, it’s easy to become too reliant on technology to the point where it becomes a health and safety concern. How is this possible and what can health and safety professionals do about it?
The journey toward automation began with mechanisation in traditional manufacturing but has since expanded dramatically across all sectors. Today’s automated systems handle everything from complex assembly operations to routine administrative and financial tasks. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated this trend, with many organisations implementing automated solutions to maintain operations while reducing person-to-person contact.Over-automation occurs when businesses implement automation solutions and systems without careful consideration of human factors or without sufficient planning.
While automation is widely touted as being an invariably safe and time- and resource-saving task, excessive reliance on automated systems can open the door to new vulnerabilities and risks.
Loss of Critical Human Judgement: While automated systems excel at handling routine tasks such as data entry and consolidation, labelling, and processing, they may struggle with nuanced situations requiring human judgement and discretion. For example, in manufacturing facilities, an over-reliance on automated quality control checks may not catch subtle defects or alterations that a watchful worker would spot immediately.
Skill Degradation: Automation runs the risk of making workers overly or entirely dependent on such systems. As such, their ability to perform important tasks manually may decrease over time. When systems fail or emergencies arise, manual intervention becomes necessary, and the need for flawless attention to detail becomes increasingly important.
Complexity and Integration Challenges: As organisations develop multiple layers of automation to their processes as they scale (for example, implementing smart building controls or automated logistics) the complexity of interconnected systems increases. Every new integration point creates potential safety risks, particularly if systems fail to seamlessly work together when required.
