Industrial Robots: How Are They Affecting the Mental Health of Human Co-Workers?

A study by the University of Pittsburgh recently suggested that while American workers working together with industrial robots are less likely to experience physical injury, they are more likely to experience adverse mental health impacts, and even more possible to abuse alcohol or drugs.

As specified in a Phys.org report, automation improves industry, although it is hazardous "to the mental health of its human co-workers."

According to Osea Guintella, a Pitt economist, an expert in labor economics and economic demography, and assistant professor in the Department of Economics in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, there is a huge interest "in understanding labor market" impacts of robots.

He also said that there is also wide interest in the evidence of the manner robots affected both employment and wages of workers, specifically in the manufacturing sector.

Robots' Impacts on Physical and Mental Health

The said discoveries are coming from a study published recently in the Labour Economics journal by Guintella and a team that included colleague Rania Gihleb, a colleague at Pitt and assistant professor in the Department of Economics, and Tianyi Wang, who's in a post-doctorate program after obtaining his PhD at Pitt.

Nevertheless, the team still knows very little about the impacts on physical and mental health. On the other hand, robots could take some of the most severe. Physical intensive, as well as risky tasks, lessen the risks for workers.

Meanwhile, the competition with robots may increase the pressure on laborers who may lose their jobs or be pushed to retrain. Certainly, labor market institutions may play a vital role, specifically in a transition phase.

The study employed data from workplaces and organizations on workplace injuries in the United States to discover that a one-standard deviation increase in exposure to robots in a given regional labor market leads to a reduction of yearly work-related injuries.

Substantial Rise in Drug- or Alcohol-Related Cases

In general, injuries were cut by 1.2 cases in every 100 workers. Meanwhile, US areas with more individuals working alongside robots had a substantial rise of 37.8 cases in every 100,000 people in drug- or alcohol-related fatalities.

Additionally, communities that work alongside robots saw a little increase in the suicide rate, as well as in mental health problems.

On top of the US businesses, the study authors investigated the impacts of robotics as well, on workers in Germany.

According to a report from the University of Pittsburgh via Newswise, employees from both countries experienced a decline in physical injury risk "with a greater exposure to robotics in the workplace," with Germany retaining a decrease in injuries of five percent. Remarkably, the researchers discovered differing outcomes regarding mental health.

Increase in Mental Health Issues

While a rise in the US exposure to robotics led to more adverse mental health impacts, German workers saw no substantial mental-health change when exposed to industrial robots.

Such results then raised the question about the reason American automation at work appears to lead to much more adverse effects than in Germany.

Describing their findings, Guintella explained, "robot exposure did not cause disruptive job losses in Germany." He added the country has a much higher employer protection legislation.

The Pitt economist also said that their evidence shows that in both contexts, robots have a positive effect on the physical health of workers by lessening injuries and work-related disabilities.

Nonetheless, their findings have suggested that in contexts where workers were less protected, competition with robots was linked to a rise in mental health issues.

Relate information about industrial robots affecting the workplace is shown on DW News's YouTube video below:

Check out more news and information on Robots and Mental Health in Science Times.