Automated barrier doors and new standards in robotic safety

摘要

The past few years have been marked by significant changes in industrial safety standards in the U.S. Safety managers, plant managers, and others who are not carefully monitoring these developments may not be keeping pace with the latest codes and regulations. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), "machine guarding" that pertains to machines' general requirements and general industry (29 CFR 1910.212) consistently falls in the top ten most frequently cited OSHA standards violated in any given year. When combined with newly introduced safety regulations, it is easy to understand why this commonly misunderstood topic is more confusing than ever. The multitude of robotic applications and the growth of robot use and automation in all industries only worsens the problem. Conducting a thorough risk assessment is the best way to maintain a safe work environment, especially when adding new automated processes. Thanks to the new Robotic Industries Association (RIA) R15.06-2013 standard, proper risk assessments are no longer just a best practice; they are mandatory.