The concept of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) is evolving towards Industry 5.0 (I5.0), where the human factor is the central axis for the formation of smart cyber-physical socio-technical systems that are integrated into their physical and cultural host environment. This situation generates a new work ecosystem with a radical change in the methods, processes and development scenarios and, therefore, in the occupational risks to which safety science must respond. In this paper, a historical review of the evolution of work as a complex socio-technical system formalised through Vygostky’s theory of Activity and the contributions of safety science is carried out, for its projection in the analysis of the future of complex systems as an opportunity for safety research linked to the current labour context in transformation. Next, the Horizon 2020 strategies for Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) at the European level are analysed to extract the lessons learned and extrapolate them towards the proposed model, and subsequently the conceptual frameworks that are transforming work and Occupational Risk Prevention (ORP) in the transition to Industry 4.0 are identified and reviewed. Finally, a model is formulated that formalises the deployment of public policies and multi-level and multi-scale OSH 5.0 strategies within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN) for Horizon 2030.

Manufacturing systems under Industry 4.0, and their transition towards Industry 5.0, take into account the Quintuple Helix innovation model, associated with the sustainable development goals (SDGs) set by the UN and Horizon 2030, in which companies focus on operational efficiency in terms of the use and minimisation of resources for the protection of the environment. In this respect, the implementation of the circular economy model, which requires engineers to acquire appropriate competencies, enabling companies to establish this model at the manufacturing level. Moreover, competence has always been a priority for both the professional and the company. In this sense, connectivism has been called a learning theory for the digital era; this is the reason why a review of the state-of-the-art developments of this paradigm focused on engineering has been carried out. In this sense, the potential of the digital transformation in instruction to formulate an engineering model based on neuro-competences is of great interest, taking the connectivist paradigm as a methodological axis. To this end, a first bibliometric analysis has been carried out to identify the drivers on which to base the design of the neuro-competencies of the instructional engineering environment and the trend towards curriculum development under dual training models. The bibliographical research carried out on the connectivist paradigm has served to identify the trends followed to date in education within the subject area of engineering. These trends have not fully taken into account the leading role of the human factor within the socio-technical cyber-physical systems of sustainable manufacturing (SCSSM). The focus was more on the technology than on the adaptation of the uniqueness of the human factor and the tasks entrusted to him, which entails an additional complexity that needs to be addressed in both academic and professional contexts. In light of the foregoing, an improvement to the acquisition and management of competencies has been proposed to the academic, professional and dual engineering contexts. It is based on the transversal inclusion of the concept of neuro-competence applied to the competence engineering (CE) model, transforming it into the neuro-competence engineering (NCE) model. The foregoing provides a better match between the characteristics of the human factor and the uniqueness of the tasks performed by the engineer, incorporating activity theory (AT), the law of variety required (LVR), the connectivist paradigm and neuroscience as a transversal driver of innovation through fractality. This proposal enables a ubiquitous and sustainable learning model throughout the entire academic and professional life cycle of the engineer, placing it sustainably at the heart of the instructional and professional cyber-physical socio-technical system, thus complying with the SDGs set by the UN and Horizon 2030.

Engineering 4.0 environments are characterised by the digitisation, virtualisation, and connectivity of products, processes, and facilities composed of reconfigurable and adaptive socio-technical cyber-physical manufacturing systems (SCMS), in which Operator 4.0 works in real time in VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) contexts and markets. This situation gives rise to the interest in developing a framework for the conception of SCMS that allows the integration of the human factor, management, training, and development of the competencies of Operator 4.0 as fundamental aspects of the aforementioned system. The present paper is focused on answering how to conceive the adaptive manufacturing systems of Industry 4.0 through the operation, growth, and development of human talent in VUCA contexts. With this objective, exploratory research is carried, out whose contribution is specified in a framework called Design for the Human Factor in Industry 4.0 (DfHFinI4.0). From among the conceptual frameworks employed therein, the connectivist paradigm, Ashby’s law of requisite variety and Vigotsky’s activity theory are taken into consideration, in order to enable the affective-cognitive and timeless integration of the human factor within the SCMS. DfHFinI4.0 can be integrated into the life cycle engineering of the enterprise reference architectures, thereby obtaining manufacturing systems for Industry 4.0 focused on the human factor. The suggested framework is illustrated as a case study for the Purdue Enterprise Reference Architecture (PERA) methodology, which transforms it into PERA 4.0.

This chapter proposes a framework to develop a gamification platform for the activities, processes, and tasks executed by the stakeholders who participate in each stage of life cycle engineering (LCE). For this purpose, a review is made of the most significant aspects of gamification for its application in the LCE of the product. The stakeholders in the LCE must be known and classified to make a gaming experience. It is proposed to establish the relationship between the gameful and playful experiences expected by the stakeholders and the game design elements that allow the introduction of attractive game mechanics in the phases of the product design process. For this goal, it is proposed to gamify through a Kansei Engineering System. This methodology allows incorporating all the potential of the digital and organizational facilitators of Industry 4.0 and developing a cyber-physical holonic platform for the gamification of the LCE.