Problems of robotics
Robots have driven workers to mental health problems and alcohol abuse
Maria Azarova, Naked Science
Employees of various enterprises in the United States, where they are actively implementing and using autonomous devices that help move various objects and perform production processes, have become less likely to get injured due to robotics. However, now they are more prone to mental problems and are more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs. This conclusion was reached by scientists from the University of Pittsburgh and Princeton, the Free University of Berlin and the John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies (Germany). The study is published in the journal Labor Economics (Gihleb et al., Industrial robots, Workers’ safety, and health).
"We still don't know much about the impact of robots on physical and mental health. On the one hand, they can take on some of the most stressful, physically intense and risky tasks, reducing the risk to workers. On the other hand, competition with robots increases the pressure on people who are afraid of losing their jobs or having to undergo retraining," the researchers note.
They analyzed data on industrial injuries received by American workers: due to automation, the injury rate decreased by 1.2 cases per hundred employees per year. At the same time, in regions where robots often worked hand in hand with humans (mostly suburban areas), scientists have identified an increase in deaths from drugs and alcohol — plus 37.8 cases per 100,000 people annually. There was also a slight increase in the number of suicides and appeals due to mental health problems.
Then, after studying the impact of robotics on workers in Germany, the researchers came to an amazing conclusion: in this country, employees of enterprises did not feel the harmful effects on the psyche and well-being due to the introduction of robots. Meanwhile, there were five percent fewer cases of injuries there, and the physical load at work decreased by four percent.
"Germany has stricter legislation on employment protection," the scientists explain. — In both cases, robots had a positive impact on the physical health of workers, reducing injuries and work-related disabilities. But <...> in conditions when employees of enterprises were less protected, competition with robots correlated with mental health problems."
As a result, the authors conclude: robotization and automation of production, despite all the advantages, can have a bad effect on the psyche and well-being of workers. And the state institutions of the labor market should take responsibility to protect people.
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