An exoskeleton that reduces back injuries in warehouse workers, a drug that minimizes fatigue and boosts the performance of transport workers, or a geolocation-enabled wearable device that allows a logistics company to continuously track its delivery staff. None of these three examples sounds strange to us today, even though human enhancement technologies seemed like a distant reality only a short time ago.

These wide-ranging technologies, which have the capacity to enhance physical, cognitive, mental and moral capacities at work, are becoming increasingly common and can bring about major advances in terms of occupational safety and health, and productivity. However, they also present risks when it comes to ethics, regulations, security, equality and privacy. Antonio Fernández García, a professor in the Faculty of Law and Political Science at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) and a researcher in the TAXBUSINESS group, has explored this complex reality in an open-access article published in Justicia y Trabajo.


Human enhancement and occupational safety and health

Technological evolution is transforming the workplace. From digital tools to artificial intelligence, the world of work has changed profoundly in recent years. The gradual emergence of tools capable of extending or enhancing human capabilities has added a new layer of complexity to this landscape by promising to increase workers' physical, cognitive and sensory abilities beyond the natural limits of the human body.

The introduction of exoskeletons, advanced prostheses, drugs and wearables has opened up new possibilities to improve safety, productivity and occupational risk prevention, but has also raised legal, ethical and social challenges. In fact, they are prompting us to rethink traditional concepts of occupational health, work capacity and the protection of workers from potential abuses and inequalities.

"There is currently no drug designed solely to enhance work performance. What we are seeing is the use of drugs intended to treat specific medical conditions, whose effects may help sustain performance in certain jobs," explained Fernández, a member of the UOC-DIGIT research centre. "It isn't far-fetched to think that illegal substances are even being used to maintain performance at work. There are jobs such as transport workers and on-call doctors where this has been demonstrated."

The article warns of the growing use of drugs without therapeutic purposes to enhance work performance, a practice that ranges from cognitive stimulants and anxiolytics to anabolic substances and illegal drugs. Their use is gaining ground, especially in particularly demanding professions, where the pressure to increase productivity, extend working hours and maintain high levels of care encourages their consumption.

However, the risks often outweigh the benefits: dependence, tolerance and adverse effects such as heart problems, mental health conditions and hormonal changes mean that these drugs pose a threat to occupational health. The article also warns of the risk that companies could end up using them as a substitute for more effective preventive measures, including improved work organization and appropriate break scheduling.

Exoskeletons have become one of the technologies with the greatest potential to transform occupational safety and health. Although rarely used in the European Union until recently, these devices, which can enhance physical capacity and reduce fatigue, are now being used in sectors such as the automotive industry, logistics, aeronautics and emergency services, particularly for tasks involving heavy loads, repetitive movements or awkward postures.

"It is likely that passive, non-motorized exoskeletons will become more widespread in companies because they are easier to implement", explained the UOC researcher. "We're also talking about new equipment that will remain limited to sectors with higher musculoskeletal risks; it's not something we're going to see across all workplaces."

The analysis went further by pointing to an even more disruptive technological evolution: advanced prostheses connected to the nervous system and powered by AI, capable not only of compensating for disabilities or addressing physical limitations, but also of extending conventional human capabilities and redefining the very concept of worker.

Wearable technology, such as smart wristbands, helmets with sensors and smart clothing, has been revolutionizing occupational safety and health for a few years now, as it can be used to monitor workers' biometric data and environmental variables in real time. These systems can detect early signs of fatigue or drowsiness, distraction and exposure to hazardous substances, thus enabling faster and more accurate responses.

However, the article points out that the evolution of these technologies appears to be moving towards increasingly invasive solutions, such as implants and brain-computer interfaces capable of interpreting neural signals. Although these tools can improve safety and help people with disabilities find work, their implementation also raises important legal and ethical questions in relation to the constant monitoring of workers' health and the need to adapt labour regulations, which were designed before these technologies emerged.

One of the main risks identified by the study is the potential emergence of a new dimension of labour inequality between technologically enhanced and non-enhanced workers. Unequal access to human enhancement technologies could reproduce economic, social and even gender inequalities in the workplace, thereby favouring those who can afford these tools or are willing to use them to improve their performance. It could even lead to new forms of discrimination in decisions on hiring, firing or promotions.

"We're seeing a clear example with prostheses. In the past, they were used to replace, as far as possible, a lost limb or body part. With technological advances, AI-assisted prostheses have been developed that can reduce fatigue, adapt to movement and even provide a sense of touch. However, there are already experimental prostheses that enable users to perform functions beyond those of the lost limb", explained Fernández. "The most extreme predictions suggest that, in the future, some people may choose to replace healthy limbs with prostheses to enhance their abilities."

Advances in cybernetics, pharmacology and AI are accelerating the adoption of human enhancement technologies in the workplace, with the potential to transform occupational safety and health, and increase both worker safety and business productivity. However, the challenges posed by this revolution are significant, including the risk of discrimination, the erosion of workers’ privacy rights due to continuous health monitoring, and the need to adapt labour regulations to these human enhancement technologies.

The research was carried out as part of the Humanitat millorada i Dret (Enhanced Humanity and Law) project, financed by the UOC. "The members of the project team have proposed changes to regulations governing AI, health products, personal data protection, anti-discrimination measures and, of course, occupational safety and health," said Fernández in conclusion.


This project is aligned with the UOC's Ethical and human-centred technology research mission and contributes to the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): 3, Good Health and Well-Being, and 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth.

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