Updates to Robot Safety Guidelines for Manufacturers |
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is stepping up its efforts on safety and robots as they are increasingly used on manufacturing floors.
A 2021 report on industrial robots estimated that more than 310,000 industrial robots are now operating in US factories.
In 2017, OSHA, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the Association for the Advancement of Automation formed an alliance to share technical knowledge, improve workplace hazard awareness, work and to appropriate protective measures, and identify the research needed on the use of traditional and emerging industrial collaborative robotics. technologies.
Since then, OSHA has expanded a chapter in the Technical Manual on Industrial Robot Systems and Industrial Robot System Safety.
The continued rise of robotics increases the risks associated with the dangers of robotic systems, such as an employee being bumped, caught between, crushed and/or trapped.
There are also electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic and environmental hazards.
In order to protect workers involved in robotic industries, OSHA encourages employers to implement a protection strategy using a hierarchy of controls.
Significant updates have been made to the manual on hazards associated with industrial and emerging robotic applications.
The manual also details safety considerations for workers, as well as risk assessments and risk reduction measures.