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Integrating robots into your shop floor offers exciting potential, but prioritize safety every step of the way.
Here's what to keep in mind:
Before you start, you’re going to need to thoroughly understand the risks.
Here are some basic rules to follow:
To make your operation as safe as can be, everyone will need to be on the same page. We’ve already touched on the importance of training.
Now, here’s how to get it right:
The first step is determining who needs training. This includes not just robot operators and technicians but also maintenance staff, supervisors, and anyone else who may interact with or work near the robots.
Their level of training will vary based on their responsibilities.
Before developing your training program, conduct a risk assessment to identify potential hazards. This helps determine the necessary safety controls and precautions to emphasize in training.
You'll want to assess both routine risks as well as risks during non-routine operations like maintenance, troubleshooting, or setup.
With your assessments complete, you can develop a curriculum tailored to your facility and teams. This includes presentations, hands-on demonstrations, videos, and more.
The idea is to cover both conceptual knowledge, like basic robot safety principles as well as procedural knowledge, like lockout/tagout steps.
Initial training is important but not enough. Regular refreshers, drills, and retraining are necessary to reinforce lessons, update teams on any changes, and address any knowledge gaps.
Safety training should be an ongoing process, not a one-and-done event.
Finally, you need to track who has completed what training and conduct audits to ensure your program is effective.
Look for ways to improve and update the training as needed based on feedback, observations, or incident reports. Safety is an iterative process of continuous improvement.
Industrial robots require multiple layers of effective controls and barriers. The most important layers are physical safeguards to physically separate robots from humans.
But there are other considerations also, so let’s take a closer look!
Physical barriers like fences, doors, and light curtains create a physical separation between the robot and people.
Fences around the robot cell prevent accidental entry into the workspace. Interlocked doors and gates that shut when the robot is operating also prevent access. Light curtains use infrared beams to detect when something enters the curtain and stop robot movement.
Pressure-sensitive safety mats on the floor around the robot detect when someone steps into the work area.
They immediately halt robot operation to avoid injury. Safety mats should surround the entire robot cell for maximum effectiveness.
Emergency stop buttons, or E-stops, provide a way to quickly shut down the robot in an emergency.
E-stops should be clearly visible, within easy reach of the robot cell, and clearly labeled. When an E-stop is activated, power is cut to the robot motors and brakes, stopping all movement. The robot will remain inoperative until the E-stop has been manually released.
Effective programming is another all-important safety control. The robot should have limits set to avoid any extreme movements, speeds, or forces that could cause injury.
The programmer should do a hazard analysis to pinpoint any points in the process where potential hazards could arise, then add additional safeguards like reduced speed or pauses.
Here’s all you need to know about robot maintenance:
While collaborative robots (cobots) can operate mostly safely with humans, you can’t just go sticking your head next to a working cobot and hope for the best.
Here are some common-sense tips to remember:
First, Familiarize yourself with the most important safety standards for industrial robots.
Two widely recognized ones are:
Standards like ISO 10218 and ANSI/RIA R15.06 are complex, but understanding them is essential. They provide comprehensive guidelines on crucial aspects of robot safety:
If you’re in the US, getting acquainted with the OSHA technical manual is also recommended.
Making sure you follow proper industrial robot safety comes down to identifying risks, training your team, implementing robust safety measures, performing regular checks, and following key standards.
While it may seem like too much to keep track of at first, taking a methodical approach to assessing dangers and applying appropriate safeguards at each stage will get you there.
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