Sidvokodvo- As businesses become more dependent on technology, the risks they must manage are moving beyond physical workplaces to the systems, data and artificial intelligence on which their operations increasingly depend.
That was one of the warnings from a panel discussion on business safety, where Samuelson Shongwe from Eswayini Communications Commission (ESCCOM)aid the failure of technology itself was becoming a major risk for organisations.
The concern extends from automated machines and communications infrastructure to cyberattacks that can disrupt an entire organisation.
The Safety Indaba 2026, pioneered by the Eswatuni Electricity Company (EEC) Shongwe pointed to the growing use of technology in workplaces and the increasing value of data as factors that have created new opportunities for criminals.
“Data is gold,” he noted, reflecting the growing economic value of information held by businesses.
The more organizations rely on technology, the greater the potential consequences when those systems fail or are compromised. A cyber incident, he highlighted, could potentially bring an organization to a standstill.
The growing use of artificial intelligence adds another layer of risk.
Businesses are increasingly using AI to process documents and perform tasks, but the technology also raises questions about how sensitive organizational and customer information is handled.
He urged businesses to consider how data is being shared with AI systems and what safeguards are in place to govern its use.
The discussion also raised risks associated with the physical expansion of telecommunications infrastructure.
As networks require greater capacity and higher frequencies, workers operating around communications infrastructure need to be aware of potential exposure to electromagnetic radiation, the panel heard.
Technology therefore creates a safety challenge that cannot be addressed solely through traditional workplace rules.
Businesses must consider what happens when automated systems fail, how sensitive information is protected and how employees are trained to respond to increasingly complex technological threats.
For companies adopting AI and other technologies, the question is increasingly not simply what the technology can do, but how safely it can be integrated into business operations.
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