Digital intensity and reactive safety management: The buffering role of worker participation in Spain and Denmark (2019-2024).

Authors

María-José Foncubierta-Rodríguez

Published in

Journal of safety research. Volume 98. Pages 475-484. Epub Aug 17, 2026.

Abstract

Rapid digitalization has evolved from a technical facilitator into a significant psychosocial demand. This study analyzes the transformation of psychosocial risk management in Spain and Denmark, testing whether digital intensity acts as a universal stressor or interacts with national contexts.
Drawing on the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, the study employs a repeated cross-sectional design based on the European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks (ESENER) in 2019 (N = 3,385) and 2024 (N = 3,462). A moderated mediation model was tested to connect Digital Intensity to Preventive Measures via Organizational Reactivity, examining Worker Participation as a moderator.
The analysis reveals a structural stratification in 2024: traditional industrial sectors are now significantly disadvantaged regarding safety management compared to the service sector. While Digital Intensity universally triggers Organizational Reactivity, the role of Worker Participation shifted from a dormant factor in 2019 to an active participatory shield in 2024, significantly buffering the negative link between reactivity and prevention.
The study challenges the assumption of digital homogenization. In the post-pandemic era, high digital intensity creates a reactive environment that requires active worker voice-not merely as a right, but as an operational necessity-to decouple safety management from the logic of failure demand.
Safety managers should prioritize worker participation mechanisms in highly digitalized environments to counteract organizational reactivity. Targeted interventions are urgently needed in industrial sectors, which are currently falling behind in the digital safety transition.

PMID:
42744499
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 16 Sep 2026.

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