Application of Emerging Artificial Intelligence-Based Technologies and Techniques to Improve the Occupational Health and Safety Management of Industries: From Singular to Ensemble Approaches

Dear Colleagues,

All industries and firms have, without exception, encountered different Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)-related risks every year, which not only endanger the wellbeing of the involved parties but also cast a shadow on the profitability of the industries suffering from the repercussions of such occurrences. To revolutionize the status quo of the management of OHS (OHSM) within these industries, the emergence of cutting-edge techniques and top-notch technologies is observed to have been the fulcrum of myriad researchers on this ground. With this in mind, the introduction of advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based technologies and techniques to the area of OHSM has led to a paradigm shift in the way the OHSM is being undertaken. Given that the OHSM has been given careful attention, the exploitation of emerging AI-based technologies (such as the Internet of Things, digital twins, sensors, virtual reality, augmented reality) and techniques (such as artificial neural networks, deep learning, meta-heuristic optimization algorithms, and so forth) within the concerned domain is still naive and fragmented; thus, more studies need to tilt their focus toward such crucial stepping stones. Considering this, this Special Issue opens avenues for scholars undertaking research in OHSM—including but not limited to the industries of construction, manufacturing, shipping, textile, petroleum, and healthcare—using advanced AI-based technologies and techniques to prudently disseminate their findings. Sharing such research will culminate in improving the wellbeing of crew members through reductions in the rate of associated injuries. This Special Issue also provides a podium for researchers not only to share the contributions of AI-based approaches in coping with safety challenges caused by COVID-19, but also to discuss possible enhancements in using such approaches to deal with the safety aspects of this pandemic. Additionally, this Special Issue welcomes studies that have developed hybrid and ensemble approaches to improve OHSM within different industries.

Dr. Amir Mahdiyar
Dr. Saeed Reza Mohandes
Dr. Mehrdad Arashpour
Guest Editors

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