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01/08/2025
Publications
Ladder Walking Detection via Action Recognition for Enhancing Worker Safety in Construction
The integration of AI and human-centered technologies has opened new avenues for improving workplace safety, particularly in high-risk environments such as construction sites.
Ladder-related accidents, often caused by improper body posture or unsafe practices, remain a significant concern.
These practices commonly adopted by blue-collar workers attempting to save time during finishing tasks at height are among the most frequent unsafe practices on construction sites.
They significantly increase the risk of falls, and research indicates that even falls from relatively low heights are the leading cause of injury among construction workers. Such behaviors may result in falls from height, and research shows that falls from relatively low heights are the most common cause of injuries among construction workers.
Due to the limited availability of real-world ladder-walking data and the challenges of safely simulating such behaviors, we curated a dataset from YouTube videos, which, while not ideal for direct safety guidance, provides valuable insights into ladder-walking techniques.
Using the MMAction2 framework, we propose a comprehensive methodology that involves experimenting with multiple state-of-the-art models, selected for their effectiveness in recognizing human motion and detecting safety-critical actions in workplace environments (e.g., Temporal Segment Networks and SlowFast), optimizing hyperparameters, and evaluating performance using metrics such as accuracy.
Our approach leverages action recognition to enable real-time detection of unsafe ladder behaviors, thereby reducing the risk of accidents in hazardous construction environments. This work enhances construction safety by providing a scalable, automated solution for hazard mitigation.
Additionally, it highlights the broader potential of AI technologies in occupational health monitoring and risk prevention within the construction industry.
27/06/2025
Publications
SMART Work Design and Modern Sociotechnical Theory. A marriage made in heaven?
Organisation designers responsible for organisational change and the introduction of new digital technologies may share an interest in ensuring good quality of work but often choose different angles. Some of them, likely with an HR background typically emphasise the importance of human needs and job satisfaction when it comes to work design. Others, like organisation designers with an operations management background, might focus more on the division of labour, work processes, and sociotechnical design aspects. Some organisation designers may highlight strategic and organisational choices as prerequisites for work quality, whereas others concentrate on person-environment-fit approaches. However, to ensure a good quality of work in the digital era, it is much more helpful if organisation designers apply a common lens. Recently, we have observed a convergence in the field of organisational and work sciences with the development of the SMART work design model; this approach integrates individual, team, and organisational elements, linking human needs, job characteristics, and organisational conditions. Previously, researchers in Europe had already connected sociotechnical design thinking to organisational design principles for production layouts and work quality criteria, particularly characteristic of the modern sociotechnical approach (MST) of the Low Countries. This conceptual and essayistic article aims to spark a discussion on how elements of the SMART work design approach and MST can be integrated into a comprehensive approach where organisation designers can collaborate with a common language. The article argues that the WEBA tool, a method to analyse jobs from both a human needs and organisational design perspective, can serve as a bridge in this context.
15/05/2025
EVENT
SEISMEC Online Workshop: Human Centric Industry 5.0 – Concepts and Solutions.
In our first online workshop, we explored innovative concepts and practical, human-centric solutions that are shaping a more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient future for industry and society.
Watch the full recording and follow our journey!
Watch the full recording and follow our journey!
30/12/2024
Publications
Can you bring the HR professional into dialogue with the organisational designer?
HR professionals generally emphasise the importance of human needs and job satisfaction when it comes to work design, whereas many organisational designers show a strong interest in the division of labour, work processes, and sociotechnical design aspects. Organisational designers highlight strategic and organisational choices as prerequisites for work quality, while HR professionals focus on person-environment fit approaches.
Recently, we have observed a convergence in the field of organisational and labour sciences through the development of the SMART work design model; individual, team, and organisational elements are integrated into an approach that connects human needs, job characteristics, and organisational conditions. Earlier, researchers in Europe linked sociotechnical design thinking to organisational design principles for production layouts and quality criteria for work. This is particularly evident in the modern sociotechnical approach, or ‘modern sociotechnics’ (MST), from the Low Countries.
This conceptual and essayistic article seeks to spark a discussion on how elements of the SMART work design approach and modern sociotechnics could be integrated into a comprehensive approach in which ‘HR professionals and organisational designers meet’. The article argues that the WEBA instrument can serve as a bridge in this respect.
04/12/2024
newswave
SEISMEC Newswave Issue #2 (Autumn 2024)
Second issue of SEISMEC’s Newswave, our official project newsletter.
15/10/2024
Promotional materials
Flyer
Discover the key elements of the SEISMEC project through our Flyer, designed to provide a clear and concise overview of SEISMEC’s mission and impact. This informative material illustrates how SEISMEC promotes human-centric solutions, fosters co-creation of technology, and supports the development of high-quality jobs in the EU’s industrial sector.
11/10/2024
Promotional materials
Trifold Brochure
Explore the key objectives and goals of the SEISMEC project through our concise and informative Trifold Brochure. This brochure provides an overview of how SEISMEC promotes human-centric solutions to empower workers, foster creativity, and build sustainable, high-quality jobs across the EU’s industrial landscape.
11/10/2024
Promotional materials
Rollup
Discover the key elements of the SEISMEC project through our Roll-up, designed for events and exhibitions. This visual material highlights how SEISMEC promotes human-centric solutions, driving co-creation of technology and fostering high-quality jobs within the EU’s industrial landscape.
23/07/2024
Publications
Enhanced Defect Detection in Airport Runway Infrastructure Using Image-Text Pairing
Maintaining runway infrastructure is vital for air transport safety, with defects like cracks and tire marks posing significant risks to the take-off/landing process. Researchers have proposed various methods for automatic detection of surface defects, using computer vision and machine learning. However, they often require explicitly annotated datasets that demand significant workload and field expertise. Additionally, the detection outcome usually follows the low-level training labels scheme to describe the detected defects, and requires post-processing for high-level semantic information extraction, such as damage level estimation. In this work, we present a novel method for defect detection and damage severity estimation on runway surfaces, leveraging the Contrastive Language-Image Pre-training (CLIP) architecture for image-text pairing. Our model processes runway images and attaches text descriptions mentioning detected defects and severity level, identifying three defect types (crack, joint, and tire mark) and categorizing damage severity into three levels (low, medium, and high). Utilizing natural language annotations simplifies the labeling process, eliminating the need for labor-intensive low-level image-based annotations. The model exploits the high-level natural language annotation for direct estimation of damage severity and delivers high-level semantic information to the end-user as text, providing a comprehensive runway condition assessment tool. The proposed method demonstrates high performance across various test sets, posing a valuable human-centric approach for efficient defect detection and damage estimation on runway surfaces.
17/07/2024
newswave
SEISMEC Newswave Issue #1 (Summer 2024)
Inaugural issue of SEISMEC s Newswave, our official project newsletter.
08/07/2024
Publications
A Framework for Vision-Based 3D Inspections for Maintenance Activities and Digital Twin Integration
Vision-based monitoring methods have been actively studied in the construction industry as they can automatically generate information related to progress, productivity, and safety. 3D reconstruction is key in such monitoring techniques, allowing the inference of job-site context, the creation of digital counterparts of physical spaces, and the comparisons between as-designed and as-built conditions. However, 3D applications in construction currently produce large volumes of unstructured data and unusable point clouds, which are time-consuming to convert into an interactive environment for Building Information Modelling (BIM) or Digital Twins. While radiance field rendering methods are increasingly gaining traction, the adoption of generated Neural Radiance Fields or Gaussian Splatting models by digital construction technology is still tentative. This study introduces a framework that uses Neural Radiance Fields (NeRFs) to improve 3D inspection and maintenance on construction sites. It merges NeRF’s high-resolution, real-time 3D modelling with an interactive platform, facilitating detailed remote site analysis and defect detection. The framework incorporates a custom version of TurboNeRF, tailored specifically for construction site inspections. Through this paper, we aim to highlight the potential of combining 3D imaging technology, the use of drone imagery and ontological models to improve construction site management practices.
07/07/2024
Publications
A Conceptual Framework for Workforce Skills for Industry 5.0: Implications for Research, Policy and Practice
Industry 5.0 is a relatively new topic and not yet well-defined. This article s purpose is to develop
understanding of Industry 5.0 by offering a new socio-centric conceptual framework. It extends prevailing
perception of Industry 5.0 by integrating workforce skills, labour shortages, and eco-digital shifts. The
study explores workforce skill measurement and its implementation.
21/06/2024
Publications
CAPS Self assessment: Aiming for Human- centricity through CAPS
In an age of digitalization, especially since the pandemic, workers have wanted more flexibility, support, and collaboration. Employers often promise to improve the worker s experience through technologies. Organisations, industries, and technologies, however, often fall short of their promises, especially when they don t put the human first. In this tension, we argue for the SEISMEC shift: industrial practices that combine advances in technology with the empowerment of workers through fair and ethical digital practices. This shift moves past an Industry 4.0 perspective one that puts technology and intensive data analytics at the forefront, and towards an Industry 5.0 perspective one that focuses on the relationship between empowering human practices and new technologies.
20/06/2024
Promotional materials
Official slide deck
Piloting the shift to human-centric industry – SEISMEC advocates for a multidimensional transformation that hinges on fair and trustworthy technology, ethical incentives, capacity building and democratisation as key enablers to fundamentally change the way workers see themselves and are seen within their organisations.
04/04/2024
Publications
Reviewing workplace innovation as a plea for a practical approach
Workplace innovation (WPI) approaches share the advancement of work as a commonality, that is, the notion of good jobs and its relation with good business performance. How WPI approaches contribute to the advancement of work is discussed in this narrative review of the WPI literature, which intends to provide direction to future study and implementation of advanced work.
13/02/2024
Publications
Connecting the SMART work design approach to sociotechnical design principles
While sociologists have a strong interest in the division of labour, the labour process, and sociotechnical design aspects, in relation to job and work design, psychologists stress the importance of human needs and human satisfaction. Sociologists underline strategic and organisational choices as conditional to the quality of work, whereas psychologists focus on person-environment-fit approaches. Recently, we observe a rapprochement in the field, with regard to the development of the SMART work design model; individual, team, and organisational elements are integrated into an approach that links human needs, job characteristics and organisational conditions.
08/02/2024
Promotional materials
First press release
SEISMEC -Supporting European Industry Success Maximization through Empowerment Centred development- aims to demonstrate the concept of human-centricity across a wide array of industry sectors, scales and sociotechnical contexts in the EU. Through 17 pilots spanning 14 key industrial ecosystems embedded in the European Single Market, SEISMEC will demonstrate how human-centric solutions can effectively empower workers in the co-design and co-development of new technologies, thus facilitating the journey towards a skills-driven and creativity-infused industrial landscape; one that is built around high-quality, sustainable jobs, and prioritises overall worker security and satisfaction.
All
01/08/2025
Publications
Ladder Walking Detection via Action Recognition for Enhancing Worker Safety in Construction
The integration of AI and human-centered technologies has opened new avenues for improving workplace safety, particularly in high-risk environments such as construction sites.
Ladder-related accidents, often caused by improper body posture or unsafe practices, remain a significant concern.
These practices commonly adopted by blue-collar workers attempting to save time during finishing tasks at height are among the most frequent unsafe practices on construction sites.
They significantly increase the risk of falls, and research indicates that even falls from relatively low heights are the leading cause of injury among construction workers. Such behaviors may result in falls from height, and research shows that falls from relatively low heights are the most common cause of injuries among construction workers.
Due to the limited availability of real-world ladder-walking data and the challenges of safely simulating such behaviors, we curated a dataset from YouTube videos, which, while not ideal for direct safety guidance, provides valuable insights into ladder-walking techniques.
Using the MMAction2 framework, we propose a comprehensive methodology that involves experimenting with multiple state-of-the-art models, selected for their effectiveness in recognizing human motion and detecting safety-critical actions in workplace environments (e.g., Temporal Segment Networks and SlowFast), optimizing hyperparameters, and evaluating performance using metrics such as accuracy.
Our approach leverages action recognition to enable real-time detection of unsafe ladder behaviors, thereby reducing the risk of accidents in hazardous construction environments. This work enhances construction safety by providing a scalable, automated solution for hazard mitigation.
Additionally, it highlights the broader potential of AI technologies in occupational health monitoring and risk prevention within the construction industry.
27/06/2025
Publications
SMART Work Design and Modern Sociotechnical Theory. A marriage made in heaven?
Organisation designers responsible for organisational change and the introduction of new digital technologies may share an interest in ensuring good quality of work but often choose different angles. Some of them, likely with an HR background typically emphasise the importance of human needs and job satisfaction when it comes to work design. Others, like organisation designers with an operations management background, might focus more on the division of labour, work processes, and sociotechnical design aspects. Some organisation designers may highlight strategic and organisational choices as prerequisites for work quality, whereas others concentrate on person-environment-fit approaches. However, to ensure a good quality of work in the digital era, it is much more helpful if organisation designers apply a common lens. Recently, we have observed a convergence in the field of organisational and work sciences with the development of the SMART work design model; this approach integrates individual, team, and organisational elements, linking human needs, job characteristics, and organisational conditions. Previously, researchers in Europe had already connected sociotechnical design thinking to organisational design principles for production layouts and work quality criteria, particularly characteristic of the modern sociotechnical approach (MST) of the Low Countries. This conceptual and essayistic article aims to spark a discussion on how elements of the SMART work design approach and MST can be integrated into a comprehensive approach where organisation designers can collaborate with a common language. The article argues that the WEBA tool, a method to analyse jobs from both a human needs and organisational design perspective, can serve as a bridge in this context.
15/05/2025
EVENT
SEISMEC Online Workshop: Human Centric Industry 5.0 – Concepts and Solutions.
In our first online workshop, we explored innovative concepts and practical, human-centric solutions that are shaping a more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient future for industry and society.
Watch the full recording and follow our journey!
Watch the full recording and follow our journey!
30/12/2024
Publications
Can you bring the HR professional into dialogue with the organisational designer?
HR professionals generally emphasise the importance of human needs and job satisfaction when it comes to work design, whereas many organisational designers show a strong interest in the division of labour, work processes, and sociotechnical design aspects. Organisational designers highlight strategic and organisational choices as prerequisites for work quality, while HR professionals focus on person-environment fit approaches.
Recently, we have observed a convergence in the field of organisational and labour sciences through the development of the SMART work design model; individual, team, and organisational elements are integrated into an approach that connects human needs, job characteristics, and organisational conditions. Earlier, researchers in Europe linked sociotechnical design thinking to organisational design principles for production layouts and quality criteria for work. This is particularly evident in the modern sociotechnical approach, or ‘modern sociotechnics’ (MST), from the Low Countries.
This conceptual and essayistic article seeks to spark a discussion on how elements of the SMART work design approach and modern sociotechnics could be integrated into a comprehensive approach in which ‘HR professionals and organisational designers meet’. The article argues that the WEBA instrument can serve as a bridge in this respect.
04/12/2024
newswave
SEISMEC Newswave Issue #2 (Autumn 2024)
Second issue of SEISMEC’s Newswave, our official project newsletter.
15/10/2024
Promotional materials
Flyer
Discover the key elements of the SEISMEC project through our Flyer, designed to provide a clear and concise overview of SEISMEC’s mission and impact. This informative material illustrates how SEISMEC promotes human-centric solutions, fosters co-creation of technology, and supports the development of high-quality jobs in the EU’s industrial sector.
11/10/2024
Promotional materials
Trifold Brochure
Explore the key objectives and goals of the SEISMEC project through our concise and informative Trifold Brochure. This brochure provides an overview of how SEISMEC promotes human-centric solutions to empower workers, foster creativity, and build sustainable, high-quality jobs across the EU’s industrial landscape.
11/10/2024
Promotional materials
Rollup
Discover the key elements of the SEISMEC project through our Roll-up, designed for events and exhibitions. This visual material highlights how SEISMEC promotes human-centric solutions, driving co-creation of technology and fostering high-quality jobs within the EU’s industrial landscape.
23/07/2024
Publications
Enhanced Defect Detection in Airport Runway Infrastructure Using Image-Text Pairing
Maintaining runway infrastructure is vital for air transport safety, with defects like cracks and tire marks posing significant risks to the take-off/landing process. Researchers have proposed various methods for automatic detection of surface defects, using computer vision and machine learning. However, they often require explicitly annotated datasets that demand significant workload and field expertise. Additionally, the detection outcome usually follows the low-level training labels scheme to describe the detected defects, and requires post-processing for high-level semantic information extraction, such as damage level estimation. In this work, we present a novel method for defect detection and damage severity estimation on runway surfaces, leveraging the Contrastive Language-Image Pre-training (CLIP) architecture for image-text pairing. Our model processes runway images and attaches text descriptions mentioning detected defects and severity level, identifying three defect types (crack, joint, and tire mark) and categorizing damage severity into three levels (low, medium, and high). Utilizing natural language annotations simplifies the labeling process, eliminating the need for labor-intensive low-level image-based annotations. The model exploits the high-level natural language annotation for direct estimation of damage severity and delivers high-level semantic information to the end-user as text, providing a comprehensive runway condition assessment tool. The proposed method demonstrates high performance across various test sets, posing a valuable human-centric approach for efficient defect detection and damage estimation on runway surfaces.
17/07/2024
newswave
SEISMEC Newswave Issue #1 (Summer 2024)
Inaugural issue of SEISMEC s Newswave, our official project newsletter.
08/07/2024
Publications
A Framework for Vision-Based 3D Inspections for Maintenance Activities and Digital Twin Integration
Vision-based monitoring methods have been actively studied in the construction industry as they can automatically generate information related to progress, productivity, and safety. 3D reconstruction is key in such monitoring techniques, allowing the inference of job-site context, the creation of digital counterparts of physical spaces, and the comparisons between as-designed and as-built conditions. However, 3D applications in construction currently produce large volumes of unstructured data and unusable point clouds, which are time-consuming to convert into an interactive environment for Building Information Modelling (BIM) or Digital Twins. While radiance field rendering methods are increasingly gaining traction, the adoption of generated Neural Radiance Fields or Gaussian Splatting models by digital construction technology is still tentative. This study introduces a framework that uses Neural Radiance Fields (NeRFs) to improve 3D inspection and maintenance on construction sites. It merges NeRF’s high-resolution, real-time 3D modelling with an interactive platform, facilitating detailed remote site analysis and defect detection. The framework incorporates a custom version of TurboNeRF, tailored specifically for construction site inspections. Through this paper, we aim to highlight the potential of combining 3D imaging technology, the use of drone imagery and ontological models to improve construction site management practices.
07/07/2024
Publications
A Conceptual Framework for Workforce Skills for Industry 5.0: Implications for Research, Policy and Practice
Industry 5.0 is a relatively new topic and not yet well-defined. This article s purpose is to develop
understanding of Industry 5.0 by offering a new socio-centric conceptual framework. It extends prevailing
perception of Industry 5.0 by integrating workforce skills, labour shortages, and eco-digital shifts. The
study explores workforce skill measurement and its implementation.
21/06/2024
Publications
CAPS Self assessment: Aiming for Human- centricity through CAPS
In an age of digitalization, especially since the pandemic, workers have wanted more flexibility, support, and collaboration. Employers often promise to improve the worker s experience through technologies. Organisations, industries, and technologies, however, often fall short of their promises, especially when they don t put the human first. In this tension, we argue for the SEISMEC shift: industrial practices that combine advances in technology with the empowerment of workers through fair and ethical digital practices. This shift moves past an Industry 4.0 perspective one that puts technology and intensive data analytics at the forefront, and towards an Industry 5.0 perspective one that focuses on the relationship between empowering human practices and new technologies.
20/06/2024
Promotional materials
Official slide deck
Piloting the shift to human-centric industry – SEISMEC advocates for a multidimensional transformation that hinges on fair and trustworthy technology, ethical incentives, capacity building and democratisation as key enablers to fundamentally change the way workers see themselves and are seen within their organisations.
04/04/2024
Publications
Reviewing workplace innovation as a plea for a practical approach
Workplace innovation (WPI) approaches share the advancement of work as a commonality, that is, the notion of good jobs and its relation with good business performance. How WPI approaches contribute to the advancement of work is discussed in this narrative review of the WPI literature, which intends to provide direction to future study and implementation of advanced work.
13/02/2024
Publications
Connecting the SMART work design approach to sociotechnical design principles
While sociologists have a strong interest in the division of labour, the labour process, and sociotechnical design aspects, in relation to job and work design, psychologists stress the importance of human needs and human satisfaction. Sociologists underline strategic and organisational choices as conditional to the quality of work, whereas psychologists focus on person-environment-fit approaches. Recently, we observe a rapprochement in the field, with regard to the development of the SMART work design model; individual, team, and organisational elements are integrated into an approach that links human needs, job characteristics and organisational conditions.
08/02/2024
Promotional materials
First press release
SEISMEC -Supporting European Industry Success Maximization through Empowerment Centred development- aims to demonstrate the concept of human-centricity across a wide array of industry sectors, scales and sociotechnical contexts in the EU. Through 17 pilots spanning 14 key industrial ecosystems embedded in the European Single Market, SEISMEC will demonstrate how human-centric solutions can effectively empower workers in the co-design and co-development of new technologies, thus facilitating the journey towards a skills-driven and creativity-infused industrial landscape; one that is built around high-quality, sustainable jobs, and prioritises overall worker security and satisfaction.
Promotional materials
15/10/2024
Promotional materials
Flyer
Discover the key elements of the SEISMEC project through our Flyer, designed to provide a clear and concise overview of SEISMEC’s mission and impact. This informative material illustrates how SEISMEC promotes human-centric solutions, fosters co-creation of technology, and supports the development of high-quality jobs in the EU’s industrial sector.
11/10/2024
Promotional materials
Rollup
Discover the key elements of the SEISMEC project through our Roll-up, designed for events and exhibitions. This visual material highlights how SEISMEC promotes human-centric solutions, driving co-creation of technology and fostering high-quality jobs within the EU’s industrial landscape.
11/10/2024
Promotional materials
Trifold Brochure
Explore the key objectives and goals of the SEISMEC project through our concise and informative Trifold Brochure. This brochure provides an overview of how SEISMEC promotes human-centric solutions to empower workers, foster creativity, and build sustainable, high-quality jobs across the EU’s industrial landscape.
20/06/2024
Promotional materials
Official slide deck
Piloting the shift to human-centric industry – SEISMEC advocates for a multidimensional transformation that hinges on fair and trustworthy technology, ethical incentives, capacity building and democratisation as key enablers to fundamentally change the way workers see themselves and are seen within their organisations.
08/02/2024
Promotional materials
First press release
SEISMEC -Supporting European Industry Success Maximization through Empowerment Centred development- aims to demonstrate the concept of human-centricity across a wide array of industry sectors, scales and sociotechnical contexts in the EU. Through 17 pilots spanning 14 key industrial ecosystems embedded in the European Single Market, SEISMEC will demonstrate how human-centric solutions can effectively empower workers in the co-design and co-development of new technologies, thus facilitating the journey towards a skills-driven and creativity-infused industrial landscape; one that is built around high-quality, sustainable jobs, and prioritises overall worker security and satisfaction.
Publications
01/08/2025
Publications
Ladder Walking Detection via Action Recognition for Enhancing Worker Safety in Construction
The integration of AI and human-centered technologies has opened new avenues for improving workplace safety, particularly in high-risk environments such as construction sites.
Ladder-related accidents, often caused by improper body posture or unsafe practices, remain a significant concern.
These practices commonly adopted by blue-collar workers attempting to save time during finishing tasks at height are among the most frequent unsafe practices on construction sites.
They significantly increase the risk of falls, and research indicates that even falls from relatively low heights are the leading cause of injury among construction workers. Such behaviors may result in falls from height, and research shows that falls from relatively low heights are the most common cause of injuries among construction workers.
Due to the limited availability of real-world ladder-walking data and the challenges of safely simulating such behaviors, we curated a dataset from YouTube videos, which, while not ideal for direct safety guidance, provides valuable insights into ladder-walking techniques.
Using the MMAction2 framework, we propose a comprehensive methodology that involves experimenting with multiple state-of-the-art models, selected for their effectiveness in recognizing human motion and detecting safety-critical actions in workplace environments (e.g., Temporal Segment Networks and SlowFast), optimizing hyperparameters, and evaluating performance using metrics such as accuracy.
Our approach leverages action recognition to enable real-time detection of unsafe ladder behaviors, thereby reducing the risk of accidents in hazardous construction environments. This work enhances construction safety by providing a scalable, automated solution for hazard mitigation.
Additionally, it highlights the broader potential of AI technologies in occupational health monitoring and risk prevention within the construction industry.
27/06/2025
Publications
SMART Work Design and Modern Sociotechnical Theory. A marriage made in heaven?
Organisation designers responsible for organisational change and the introduction of new digital technologies may share an interest in ensuring good quality of work but often choose different angles. Some of them, likely with an HR background typically emphasise the importance of human needs and job satisfaction when it comes to work design. Others, like organisation designers with an operations management background, might focus more on the division of labour, work processes, and sociotechnical design aspects. Some organisation designers may highlight strategic and organisational choices as prerequisites for work quality, whereas others concentrate on person-environment-fit approaches. However, to ensure a good quality of work in the digital era, it is much more helpful if organisation designers apply a common lens. Recently, we have observed a convergence in the field of organisational and work sciences with the development of the SMART work design model; this approach integrates individual, team, and organisational elements, linking human needs, job characteristics, and organisational conditions. Previously, researchers in Europe had already connected sociotechnical design thinking to organisational design principles for production layouts and work quality criteria, particularly characteristic of the modern sociotechnical approach (MST) of the Low Countries. This conceptual and essayistic article aims to spark a discussion on how elements of the SMART work design approach and MST can be integrated into a comprehensive approach where organisation designers can collaborate with a common language. The article argues that the WEBA tool, a method to analyse jobs from both a human needs and organisational design perspective, can serve as a bridge in this context.
30/12/2024
Publications
Can you bring the HR professional into dialogue with the organisational designer?
HR professionals generally emphasise the importance of human needs and job satisfaction when it comes to work design, whereas many organisational designers show a strong interest in the division of labour, work processes, and sociotechnical design aspects. Organisational designers highlight strategic and organisational choices as prerequisites for work quality, while HR professionals focus on person-environment fit approaches.
Recently, we have observed a convergence in the field of organisational and labour sciences through the development of the SMART work design model; individual, team, and organisational elements are integrated into an approach that connects human needs, job characteristics, and organisational conditions. Earlier, researchers in Europe linked sociotechnical design thinking to organisational design principles for production layouts and quality criteria for work. This is particularly evident in the modern sociotechnical approach, or ‘modern sociotechnics’ (MST), from the Low Countries.
This conceptual and essayistic article seeks to spark a discussion on how elements of the SMART work design approach and modern sociotechnics could be integrated into a comprehensive approach in which ‘HR professionals and organisational designers meet’. The article argues that the WEBA instrument can serve as a bridge in this respect.
23/07/2024
Publications
Enhanced Defect Detection in Airport Runway Infrastructure Using Image-Text Pairing
Maintaining runway infrastructure is vital for air transport safety, with defects like cracks and tire marks posing significant risks to the take-off/landing process. Researchers have proposed various methods for automatic detection of surface defects, using computer vision and machine learning. However, they often require explicitly annotated datasets that demand significant workload and field expertise. Additionally, the detection outcome usually follows the low-level training labels scheme to describe the detected defects, and requires post-processing for high-level semantic information extraction, such as damage level estimation. In this work, we present a novel method for defect detection and damage severity estimation on runway surfaces, leveraging the Contrastive Language-Image Pre-training (CLIP) architecture for image-text pairing. Our model processes runway images and attaches text descriptions mentioning detected defects and severity level, identifying three defect types (crack, joint, and tire mark) and categorizing damage severity into three levels (low, medium, and high). Utilizing natural language annotations simplifies the labeling process, eliminating the need for labor-intensive low-level image-based annotations. The model exploits the high-level natural language annotation for direct estimation of damage severity and delivers high-level semantic information to the end-user as text, providing a comprehensive runway condition assessment tool. The proposed method demonstrates high performance across various test sets, posing a valuable human-centric approach for efficient defect detection and damage estimation on runway surfaces.
08/07/2024
Publications
A Framework for Vision-Based 3D Inspections for Maintenance Activities and Digital Twin Integration
Vision-based monitoring methods have been actively studied in the construction industry as they can automatically generate information related to progress, productivity, and safety. 3D reconstruction is key in such monitoring techniques, allowing the inference of job-site context, the creation of digital counterparts of physical spaces, and the comparisons between as-designed and as-built conditions. However, 3D applications in construction currently produce large volumes of unstructured data and unusable point clouds, which are time-consuming to convert into an interactive environment for Building Information Modelling (BIM) or Digital Twins. While radiance field rendering methods are increasingly gaining traction, the adoption of generated Neural Radiance Fields or Gaussian Splatting models by digital construction technology is still tentative. This study introduces a framework that uses Neural Radiance Fields (NeRFs) to improve 3D inspection and maintenance on construction sites. It merges NeRF’s high-resolution, real-time 3D modelling with an interactive platform, facilitating detailed remote site analysis and defect detection. The framework incorporates a custom version of TurboNeRF, tailored specifically for construction site inspections. Through this paper, we aim to highlight the potential of combining 3D imaging technology, the use of drone imagery and ontological models to improve construction site management practices.
07/07/2024
Publications
A Conceptual Framework for Workforce Skills for Industry 5.0: Implications for Research, Policy and Practice
Industry 5.0 is a relatively new topic and not yet well-defined. This article s purpose is to develop
understanding of Industry 5.0 by offering a new socio-centric conceptual framework. It extends prevailing
perception of Industry 5.0 by integrating workforce skills, labour shortages, and eco-digital shifts. The
study explores workforce skill measurement and its implementation.
21/06/2024
Publications
CAPS Self assessment: Aiming for Human- centricity through CAPS
In an age of digitalization, especially since the pandemic, workers have wanted more flexibility, support, and collaboration. Employers often promise to improve the worker s experience through technologies. Organisations, industries, and technologies, however, often fall short of their promises, especially when they don t put the human first. In this tension, we argue for the SEISMEC shift: industrial practices that combine advances in technology with the empowerment of workers through fair and ethical digital practices. This shift moves past an Industry 4.0 perspective one that puts technology and intensive data analytics at the forefront, and towards an Industry 5.0 perspective one that focuses on the relationship between empowering human practices and new technologies.
04/04/2024
Publications
Reviewing workplace innovation as a plea for a practical approach
Workplace innovation (WPI) approaches share the advancement of work as a commonality, that is, the notion of good jobs and its relation with good business performance. How WPI approaches contribute to the advancement of work is discussed in this narrative review of the WPI literature, which intends to provide direction to future study and implementation of advanced work.
13/02/2024
Publications
Connecting the SMART work design approach to sociotechnical design principles
While sociologists have a strong interest in the division of labour, the labour process, and sociotechnical design aspects, in relation to job and work design, psychologists stress the importance of human needs and human satisfaction. Sociologists underline strategic and organisational choices as conditional to the quality of work, whereas psychologists focus on person-environment-fit approaches. Recently, we observe a rapprochement in the field, with regard to the development of the SMART work design model; individual, team, and organisational elements are integrated into an approach that links human needs, job characteristics and organisational conditions.
Newsletter
19/06/2025
newswave
SEISMEC Newswave Issue #3 (June 2025)
Third issue of SEISMEC’s Newswave, our official project newsletter.
04/12/2024
newswave
SEISMEC Newswave Issue #2 (Autumn 2024)
Second issue of SEISMEC’s Newswave, our official project newsletter.
17/07/2024
newswave
SEISMEC Newswave Issue #1 (Summer 2024)
Inaugural issue of SEISMEC’s Newswave, our official project newsletter.
Events
15/05/2025
EVENT
SEISMEC Online Workshop: Human Centric Industry 5.0 – Concepts and Solutions.
In our first online workshop, we explored innovative concepts and practical, human-centric solutions that are shaping a more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient future for industry and society.
Watch the full recording and follow our journey!
Watch the full recording and follow our journey!
08/02/2024
Promotional materials
First press release
SEISMEC -Supporting European Industry Success Maximization through Empowerment Centred development- aims to demonstrate the concept of human-centricity across a wide array of industry sectors, scales and sociotechnical contexts in the EU. Through 17 pilots spanning 14 key industrial ecosystems embedded in the European Single Market, SEISMEC will demonstrate how human-centric solutions can effectively empower workers in the co-design and co-development of new technologies, thus facilitating the journey towards a skills-driven and creativity-infused industrial landscape; one that is built around high-quality, sustainable jobs, and prioritises overall worker security and satisfaction.
20/06/2024
Promotional materials
Official slide deck
Piloting the shift to human-centric industry – SEISMEC advocates for a multidimensional transformation that hinges on fair and trustworthy technology, ethical incentives, capacity building and democratisation as key enablers to fundamentally change the way workers see themselves and are seen within their organisations.
11/10/2024
Promotional materials
Trifold Brochure
Explore the key objectives and goals of the SEISMEC project through our concise and informative Trifold Brochure. This brochure provides an overview of how SEISMEC promotes human-centric solutions to empower workers, foster creativity, and build sustainable, high-quality jobs across the EU’s industrial landscape.
11/10/2024
Promotional materials
Rollup
Discover the key elements of the SEISMEC project through our Roll-up, designed for events and exhibitions. This visual material highlights how SEISMEC promotes human-centric solutions, driving co-creation of technology and fostering high-quality jobs within the EU’s industrial landscape.
15/10/2024
Promotional materials
Flyer
Discover the key elements of the SEISMEC project through our Flyer, designed to provide a clear and concise overview of SEISMEC’s mission and impact. This informative material illustrates how SEISMEC promotes human-centric solutions, fosters co-creation of technology, and supports the development of high-quality jobs in the EU’s industrial sector.
23/07/2024
Publications
Enhanced Defect Detection in Airport Runway Infrastructure Using Image-Text Pairing
Maintaining runway infrastructure is vital for air transport safety, with defects like cracks and tire marks posing significant risks to the take-off/landing process. Researchers have proposed various methods for automatic detection of surface defects, using computer vision and machine learning. However, they often require explicitly annotated datasets that demand significant workload and field expertise. Additionally, the detection outcome usually follows the low-level training labels scheme to describe the detected defects, and requires post-processing for high-level semantic information extraction, such as damage level estimation. In this work, we present a novel method for defect detection and damage severity estimation on runway surfaces, leveraging the Contrastive Language-Image Pre-training (CLIP) architecture for image-text pairing. Our model processes runway images and attaches text descriptions mentioning detected defects and severity level, identifying three defect types (crack, joint, and tire mark) and categorizing damage severity into three levels (low, medium, and high). Utilizing natural language annotations simplifies the labeling process, eliminating the need for labor-intensive low-level image-based annotations. The model exploits the high-level natural language annotation for direct estimation of damage severity and delivers high-level semantic information to the end-user as text, providing a comprehensive runway condition assessment tool. The proposed method demonstrates high performance across various test sets, posing a valuable human-centric approach for efficient defect detection and damage estimation on runway surfaces.
04/04/2024
Publications
Reviewing workplace innovation as a plea for a practical approach
Workplace innovation (WPI) approaches share the advancement of work as a commonality, that is, the notion of good jobs and its relation with good business performance. How WPI approaches contribute to the advancement of work is discussed in this narrative review of the WPI literature, which intends to provide direction to future study and implementation of advanced work.
13/02/2024
Publications
Connecting the SMART work design approach to sociotechnical design principles
While sociologists have a strong interest in the division of labour, the labour process, and sociotechnical design aspects, in relation to job and work design, psychologists stress the importance of human needs and human satisfaction. Sociologists underline strategic and organisational choices as conditional to the quality of work, whereas psychologists focus on person-environment-fit approaches. Recently, we observe a rapprochement in the field, with regard to the development of the SMART work design model; individual, team, and organisational elements are integrated into an approach that links human needs, job characteristics and organisational conditions.
21/06/2024
Publications
CAPS Self assessment: Aiming for Human- centricity through CAPS
In an age of digitalization, especially since the pandemic, workers have wanted more flexibility, support, and collaboration. Employers often promise to improve the worker s experience through technologies. Organisations, industries, and technologies, however, often fall short of their promises, especially when they don t put the human first. In this tension, we argue for the SEISMEC shift: industrial practices that combine advances in technology with the empowerment of workers through fair and ethical digital practices. This shift moves past an Industry 4.0 perspective one that puts technology and intensive data analytics at the forefront, and towards an Industry 5.0 perspective one that focuses on the relationship between empowering human practices and new technologies.
07/07/2024
Publications
A Conceptual Framework for Workforce Skills for Industry 5.0: Implications for Research, Policy and Practice
Industry 5.0 is a relatively new topic and not yet well-defined. This article s purpose is to develop
understanding of Industry 5.0 by offering a new socio-centric conceptual framework. It extends prevailing
perception of Industry 5.0 by integrating workforce skills, labour shortages, and eco-digital shifts. The
study explores workforce skill measurement and its implementation.
17/07/2024
newswave
SEISMEC Newswave Issue # 1 (Summer 2024)
Inaugural issue of SEISMEC s Newswave, our official project newsletter.
04/12/2024
newswave
SEISMEC Newswave Issue #2 (Autumn 2024)
Second issue of SEISMEC’s Newswave, our official project newsletter.
