Business Process Digitalization at Metallurgical Industry Enterprises as a Factor of Industrial Safety Improvement and Accident Rate Reduction

Abstract

The goal of the study is the systematization and substantiation of prioritized areas of business process digitalization at metallurgical enterprises, implementation of which will help reduce accident rate, industrial injury rate, and improve industrial safety level in accordance with the requirements of the Federal Law № 116-FZ “On industrial safety of hazardous production facilities” and the rules of Rostechnadzor. Theoretical approaches to ensuring industrial safety in conditions of digital transformation have been considered. Specific threats emerging during the implementation of digital technologies have been identified. Based on the analysis of the most common accidents, criteria of business process prioritization from the perspective of their impact on industrial safety are proposed. A conceptual model of digitalization efficiency assessment, including a system of direct and indirect indicators, has been developed. The scientific innovation is the systematization of risks posed by digitalization to the safety of the metallurgical industry and the substantiation of an approach to ranking by the degree of impact on the accident rate and injury rate of operational processes. The practical significance of the results is the possibility of their use by industrial safety services, occupational safety departments, IT departments, and chief engineers of enterprises of the metallurgical industry.