Robot Use and Occupational Injuries:Theoretical Mechanisms and Evidence from China
The report of the 20th Party Congress pointed out that the protection of people's health should be prioritized as a strategic position for development,while the impact of the widespread use of industrial robots on occupational injuries has received increasing attention.This paper systematically examines the effects and mechanisms of robot use on occupational injuries based on Chinese census data,International Federation of Robotics data,regional-level data on workplace injuries,and China Labor Force Dynamics Survey data.It is found that robot use significantly reduces occupational injuries.The conclusion still holds under a series of robustness tests such as endogeneity treatment,replacement of explanatory variables,exclusion of the effect of international trade,and exclusion of the effect of certain industry trends.Heterogeneity analysis shows that robot use significantly reduces occupational injuries within the workplace and in the later stages of robot use,but the effect is not·102·significant outside the workplace and in the earlier stages of robot use.The effect of robot use on occupational injuries was greater in areas with a high proportion of manufacturing employment compared to areas with a low proportion of manufacturing employment.Mechanistic analysis found that task reallocation and improved working conditions are important channels through which robot use affects occupational injuries.Specifically,on the one hand,robot use can replace high-physical and high-risk tasks and push these workers to engage in tasks and occupations that are less physically demanding and with a lower risk of injury.On the other hand,it can help to improve working conditions by reducing the number of working hours,lowering the intensity of work and optimizing the working environment.The research in this paper provides empirical evidence from China for improving workers'occupational health through smart manufacturing transformation,and offers a feasible path for realizing the strategic goal of"Healthy China".
国家科技期刊平台
NSTL
万方数据
