Digital Technologies in Occupational Health and Safety Management in Nigeria’s Upstream Offshore Oil and Gas Sector: A Critical Review of Gap-Bridging Potential

Abstract

The accelerating proliferation of digital technologies presents unprecedented opportunities to address the systemic implementation gaps that have long characterised occupational health and safety (OHS) management within Nigeria’s upstream oil and gas sector. Building on a foundational study that identified six critical barriers—including production-priority conflicts, resource inadequacy, regulatory enforcement deficits, and the invisibility of cumulative occupational exposures—this paper examines the gap-bridging potential of real-time risk platforms and artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted hazard identification systems in overcoming these entrenched challenges. Drawing on a critical, non-systematic review of recent empirical literature and industry deployment evidence, the study applies a Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) theoretical lens to evaluate how digital solutions interact with organisational, regulatory, and human factors in high-hazard offshore environments. The evidence synthesis indicates that AI-enabled predictive safeguards, IoT-integrated monitoring architectures, and data-driven decision-support platforms are theoretically and empirically positioned to address the production-priority override, resource inadequacy, and chronic exposure invisibility barriers—the three most pervasive implementation failures documented in the sector—while offering the potential to transform occupational health surveillance from reactive to continuous and predictive. However, significant contextual barriers—including legacy infrastructure constraints, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, workforce digital literacy deficits, ethical and privacy considerations, and cost-prohibitive adoption thresholds—continue to moderate uptake in the Nigerian context. The paper concludes with a strategic framework for staged digital integration and targeted policy recommendations for the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and industry operators seeking to operationalise technology-enabled safety governance.