The aim of this article is to know the impact that the different Industry 4.0 technologies have on occupational health and safety risks, with special attention to the new emerging risks generated. To achieve this objective, an analysis of the literature was carried out. It allowed us to design a survey that was answered by 130 managers and/or technicians of pioneering companies in the development of Industry 4.0 technologies. Next, 32 of these projects were selected and a multiple case study was conducted through 37 in-depth interviews. Moreover, other source of information were analysed (project reports, technical reports, websites..). The findings highlight that the analysed technologies (Additive Manufacturing, Artificial Intelligence, Artificial Vision, Big Data and/or Advanced Analytics, Cybersecurity, Internet of Things, Robotics and Virtual and Augmented Reality) help to reduce occupational health and safety risks (physical and mechanical). However, its impact depends on the type of technology and the method of application. Influences in new emerging risks (mainly psychosocial and mechanical) have been detected in all technologies except in Internet of Things. In addition, additive manufacturing, artificial intelligence, machine vision, the internet of things, robotics and virtual and augmented reality help to reduce ergonomic risks and artificial intelligence, big data and cybersecurity psychosocial risks. The results obtained have implications for policy makers, managers, consultants and those in charge of managing occupational health and safety risks in industrial companies.

This research addresses the increasing importance of understanding how Artificial Intelligence can facilitate the transition of companies to a Circular Economy model. This study focuses on energy management, examining its impact on efficiency and emissions across a multi-case analysis of 18 projects in diverse sectors. The findings indicate that Artificial Intelligence positively influences both variables, with variations across applications and sectors. Notably, Artificial Intelligence significantly enhances energy efficiency in four out of six sectors, achieving over 5% improvement in half of the projects. Regarding emissions, positive effects are observed in 15 out of 18 projects, resulting in over 5% reductions in seven cases. Artificial Intelligence plays a pivotal role in emissions reduction in the Design and Energy sectors, with some projects achieving over 20% reductions. Additionally, this study explores how improved energy efficiency positively affects strategic business variables, such as cost, quality, and delivery time. The impact on emissions contributes to reducing occupational risks, particularly those associated with chemical and biological agents. Although managers are satisfied, measures need to be taken to overcome the lack of employee acceptance. These findings are of great interest to the stakeholders involved in the integration of Artificial Intelligence into companies.

The current socio-economic and environmental context obliges companies to increase their energy efficiency to be competitive, and the development of Industry 4.0 technologies should contribute to improve it. This article analyses the influence of Industry 4.0 technologies on energy efficiency and the mediation of quality management of production process variables. After a descriptive analysis, a correlation and regression analysis is presented using information from 72 projects for the integration of Industry 4.0 technologies in industrial companies. At a global level, it is confirmed that the four technology groups (Artificial Vision and Artificial Intelligence, Additive Manufacturing and Robotics, Big Data and Advanced Analytics, and Internet of Things) contribute to improving energy efficiency by an average of 15–25% in the processes where they are integrated. In addition, the regression model determines that improved decision-making capabilities strongly mediate the achievement of higher energy efficiency.

The adoption of Energy Management Systems (EnMSs) based on international standards has gained momentum since the ISO 50001 standard was launched in 2011. Before that, the potential to improve the energy management with Environmental Management Systems (EMSs) based on ISO 14001 and EMAS was identified in the literature. However, no in-depth analysis reported in the literature has explored this claim. The need for research is now even more evident with the development of new versions of the standards for environmental management―ISO 14001:2015 and EMAS III. Since many companies that already have a certified EMSs might be uncertain whether to adopt an ISO 50001 based EnMSs, the present work aims to shed light on the contribution of ISO 14001:2015 and EMAS III to energy management. Furthermore, the work summarizes the results of an empirical exploratory study carried out in eight Spanish organizations, four with an EMS implemented and certified based on ISO 14001:2015 and four more with an EMS registered to EMAS III. The findings show that both ISO14001 and EMAS certified organizations carry out energy management practices, even though they have no formal EnMSs implemented. Implications for managers and policy makers are discussed, together with avenues for further research.