IMPACT OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES (IOT/AI) ON WORKPLACE SAFETY IN SAUDI INDUSTRIES

Background: The energy, petrochemical, construction, mining, and logistics industries in Saudi Arabia are considered high-hazard industries. The implementation of digital technology, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), computer vision, artificial intelligence (AI), and other digital technologies, presents a tremendous opportunity to change the paradigm in safety management from reactive to proactive. Objective: The purpose of this review is to synthesize the available literature on the implementation of IoT/AI-based technology, the impact on safety outcomes, the impact on the safety management process, the implementation framework, and guidelines on how the results should be reported and evaluated. Methodology: The methodology used in this review is based on the PRISMA protocol. The literature review focuses on published articles from 2020 to 2025 on the implementation of IoT, computer vision, AI, machine learning (ML), Safety 4.0, Industry 4.0, augmented/virtual reality, digital twin-based decision support systems (DSS), and their impact on the safety outcomes and the safety management process. Results: The results indicate that IoT/AI-based technology implementation has the potential to impact the safety outcomes as well as the safety management process. Real-time monitoring of the usage of personal protective equipment (PPE) by computer vision technology is considered useful. Industry 4.0/Safety 4.0 implementation has the potential to change the paradigm in the safety management process. The implementation of wearable sensing technology is considered useful in the safety management process.