General Safety Tips

In the seven years from 2015 to 2022, OSHA documented 77 workplace accidents involving robots. Of this number, 54 accidents involved stationary robots, which resulted in more than sixty injuries. While those injured sustained amputations, head injuries, and even torso fractures, from 2018 to 2022, none of the accidents resulted in fatalities. In fact, according to a 2023 report written by Larry Layne of the Division of Safety Research at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, there were many as 41 robot-related fatalities from 1992 to 2017, and most of those fatalities occurred during the maintenance of stationary robots. 

The Texas Department of Insurance issued this guidance about industrial robotics and workplace safety: 

Ø Install barriers, fencing, or cages

Ø Erect warning signage and use markings, i.e., floor tape

Ø Use floor sensors to detect human proximity to machines, and enable machines to slow down or stop if humans are determined to be too close

Ø Utilize electric safety mats that stop machines when a human is detected

Ø Establish procedures for ensuring that all safety devices work together to stop machines

Ø Regularly inspect the system for viability

Ø Require PPE in the work area

Ø Avoid wearing loose-fitting clothing

Ø Tie up long hair

Ø Always remove the tech pendant (i.e., the control panel controlling the motion of the machine)

Ø Make sure all employees have access to an emergency stop button to shut off power to the machine