The paradoxical effects of emerging mining technologies on psychosocial work factors: An integrated framework and research agenda

As industries strive for healthier, safer, and more productive workplaces, a comprehensive understanding of psychosocial work factors is essential for sustainable improvement. In the context of digital transformation, automation and emerging technologies have led to mixed health and safety outcomes. However, how emerging technologies are reshaping work and organisational structures and driving varied effects, remains unclear. This uncertainty provides little guidance for practitioners and researchers on systematically integrating new technologies to optimise health and safety. This paper argues that a deeper understanding of how the evolving technological landscape affects psychosocial work factors is essential for bridging this research gap. Focusing on the mining sector, this systematic literature review examines how emerging mining technologies influence psychosocial work factors, which can, in turn, have health and safety implications. This study suggests that technology implementation can simultaneously produce both beneficial and adverse psychosocial effects, spanning the physical, psychological and social spheres. It also highlights that the way workplace changes are integrated and managed is critical in determining these outcomes. These insights have important implications for strategical workplace design, highlighting the need for human-centric principles, continuous evaluation, and feedback mechanisms. • Technology advances in mining impact psychosocial work factors diversely. • Technology yields physical, psychological, social effects on workers. • Human-centric workplace design optimises technology benefits. • Managing technology changes is critical for worker health and wellbeing.