Industrial Safety Enters a New Era: Digital Production Risks Are the New Reality

Industrial digitalization is changing more than production processes — it is reshaping the whole approach to industrial safety. Today, enterprises face not only accidents, regulatory breaches and human error, but also digital risks capable of halting production, disrupting logistics and impairing infrastructure operation. Experts note that modern manufacturing is increasingly dependent on digital control systems, automated platforms and network infrastructure. As a result, cybersecurity concerns are beginning to have a direct impact on industrial resilience.

ERP systems formally recognized as part of critical infrastructure

One of the most notable developments in 2026 was the inclusion of ERP systems on the list of critical information infrastructure objects for several industrial sectors. Systems responsible for production planning, procurement, logistics and enterprise resource management are now officially treated as strategically important elements of industrial infrastructure.
This applies to enterprises in:

• metallurgy
• chemical industry
• mining
• power generation
• defense sector

That change brings stricter requirements for protecting digital systems, mandatory security audits and increased accountability for the resilience of production processes.

Digitalization increases production vulnerability

Alongside the rise of “smart” manufacturing, the number of threats to industrial facilities is growing. Analysts report an increase in attacks on production enterprises, particularly targeting automated control systems and industrial infrastructure.
A major issue is the integration of legacy production systems with modern digital platforms. Many facilities were originally designed without consideration for network threats, and their connection to digital environments creates new risks for production safety.
Industry research indicates that most incidents in industrial environments originate through IT infrastructure and then affect production processes. That raises the likelihood of:

• equipment stoppages
• failures of production lines
• logistics disruptions
• damage to critical control systems

Safety becomes part of industrial modernization

Experts emphasize that industrial safety can no longer be considered separately from the digital environment. A modern enterprise must simultaneously ensure:

• physical safety of production
• resilience of digital infrastructure
• protection of data and control systems
• stability of production processes

Against this backdrop, attention to digital sovereignty, independence from foreign software, and protection of internal production systems is increasing.

New requirements — new competencies

The development of digital industry changes the skills that specialists must have. Companies increasingly need employees who understand not only manufacturing processes but also the principles of digital systems, automated equipment and modern industrial infrastructure.
Particularly important are:

• skills in working with automated control systems
• understanding of digital production processes
• knowledge of current industrial safety requirements
• ability to respond quickly to non‑standard situations

Practical training becomes critically important

As industry transforms, practice‑oriented training grows in importance. Modern specialists must be ready to operate in complex production environments where safety depends not only on equipment, but also on competent personnel actions.
Therefore, workforce development is a key element of sustainable industrial growth. The competence level of specialists today determines not only production efficiency, but the stability of the country’s entire industrial infrastructure.