Algorithmic management and occupational health and safety: Non-deterministic insights into a contested relation

This article examines the relationship between algorithmic management and occupational health and safety (OHS) through the lens of Labour Process Theory, situating technology within the contested terrain of workplace control. Debates often isolate algorithmic management from the structural dynamics of managerial prerogative, overlooking how they relate to OHS risks. Using data from an European representative survey, this exploratory study assesses how automated work attribution and biological indicators monitoring condition workplace risks. Findings show divergent moderating patterns: these tools are associated with lower probabilities of detrimental OHS outcomes in some configurations, but higher probabilities in others. The moderating role of these tools varies considerably across different work environment configurations, and the magnitude of the associated shifts in probability is never enough to equalise scenarios where “traditional” risks are absent. Ultimately, the integration of technology can only be successful when done critically and without losing sight of broader workplace sources of risk.