VTHC’s new Digital Work Systems HSR Tool is designed to assist HSRs in consulting and negotiating with employers about existing or proposed digital work systems affecting their DWG members. This tool was developed with the assistance of the contributions of more than 1,000 HSRs at our 2025 HSR Conference.
The tool outlines key digital work systems commonly used in workplaces and suggests controls to eliminate or reduce the potential risk their use may introduce to the workplace.
Digital work system means an algorithm, artificial intelligence, automation or online platform used by an employer to allocate tasks, coordinate production, organise processes, manage inventory, manage staff, issue directives, or assess employee performance, and can be broadly classified into industrial analytics or people analytics.
Digital work systems can transform every element of the work environment. In some cases, the introduction of a digital system can have impacts on the content and intensity of work, the prevalence of hazards, the speed and pace of production, the privacy of the worker, or the interpersonal culture of an organisation.
Sometimes this technology and the potential harms arising from its use can be difficult to identify in the workplace, particularly when employers have not followed their duty to consult on safety matters and on major changes to the workplace, including on the rollout of significant digital workplace systems.
The Digital Work Systems HSR Tool includes:
- · examples of the different types of digital work systems
- · examples of the risks that can be increased by the technology and what the effects can look like
- · examples of actions that HSRs can take when consulting with management about controls for existing or proposed digital w ork systems
OHS frameworks are not the only way to address issues caused by digital work systems. HSRs may also consider other legal levers such as working with union delegates and unions to negotiate clauses in Enterprise Agreements or in workplace policies, to regulate how digital work systems will operate.
Go to the Digital Work Systems HSR tool