Occupational Health in a New World of Work

This handbook explores the shifting landscapes of work, focusing on how new and non-standard forms of employment—such as digital platform work, freelancing, remote work, and zero-hour contracts—are reshaping occupational health and safety (OHS) research and intervention. It provides a comprehensive overview of research on employment models evolving at the ‘margins of the labour market’, which challenge traditional ideas of a 'job' and 'working hours', and which create new conditions for workers’ health and well-being. It covers research on ongoing changes in work organization, including place-independent arrangements (from hybrid to fully remote), time-independent schedules (24/7 flexibility, blurred work-life boundaries), and new management practices.

The handbook reviews research on emerging health risks, the interaction of traditional and new work-related hazards, and the social distribution of related risks and benefits. With a focus on hyper-flexible work environments and the role of technology, this resource provides essential insights for students, researchers, professionals and policymakers aiming to understand the impact on worker health and safety of (new) work and employment phenomena at the margins of the labour market.