SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
El Reg reports
The family of a repair technician killed in an auto parts factory accident is suing five robotics companies they say are responsible.
In a suit [PDF] filed to the Western Michigan US District Court this week, the family of Wanda Holbrook claims that the companies that built, installed, and maintained the robotics at a trailer hitch assembly plant should be held liable for her fatal accident at the plant in 2015.
According to the lawsuit, Holbrook, a journeyman technician, was performing routine maintenance on one of the robots on the trailer hitch assembly line when the unit unexpectedly activated and attempted to load a part into the unit being repaired, crushing Holbrook's head.
Now Holbrook's estate is suing the three companies that built the robots (Fanuc America, Nachi Robotic, and Lincoln Electric) for failing to design adequate safeguards and protections into the robots. They're also suing two other companies that installed and maintained the unit (Flex-N-Gate, Prodomax) for failing to prevent an accident they say would have been avoided had safety been a higher priority.
(Score: 5, Informative) by drussell on Tuesday March 14 2017, @05:25AM (9 children)
I agree with the "why wasn't this equipment powered down, locked and tagged" above...
It doesn't matter if it was a "robot", a giant hydraulic press, a pump or fan or whatever....
It shouldn't be able to just start up while undergoing maintenance regardless of what kind of machine it is.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by MostCynical on Tuesday March 14 2017, @07:31AM (1 child)
It seems the device undergoing maintainence wasn't the one that killed her - so two, possibly three or more, devices should have *all* been switched off/tagged/pinned safe/chained. It is even poosible her body triggered the robot that killed her, passing a sensor or touching a pressure switch.
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 14 2017, @01:10PM
Still technician error then if the robots next to it should also have been de-energized and locked out. The liability on the employer then depends on how well they trained the employee on the safety procedures and if they were being followed.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday March 14 2017, @01:41PM (4 children)
Yep. LOTO - lock out tag out procedures are put in place for a reason. And, the tech is expected to exercise some judgement. Sometimes, you HAVE to power something up, to make adjustments - which a lot of so-called safety officers don't understand. But, still, there should be a LOTO precedure in place, and it should be observed as carefully as possible.
Some of us have learned the hard way, which makes for some funny stories. But a fatality takes all the fun out of those funny stories.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 1) by Sourcery42 on Tuesday March 14 2017, @04:03PM (1 child)
Should be some sort of temporary removal of energy control policy to handle such situations.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday March 14 2017, @05:27PM
Should be, but things usually aren't done that way. Our robots are powered separately from the machines they service. There are safety switches that are supposed to prevent robot movement if the machine isn't turned on and running, but those safeties can be bypassed in order to work on the robot. A central lockout that takes out EVERYTHING within a work station would be ideal. Lock that out, and nothing powered by electricity, anywhere within the work station will operate. But, then, there is water (both hot and cold) and air. Each of those needs to be locked out to ensure you can't hurt yourself while working within the station. No one actually locks out an air fitting, and we almost never lock out a water valve, but policy says we do.
Needless to say, it can get complicated. The guy on the spot is ultimately responsible for his own safety.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Tuesday March 14 2017, @06:11PM (1 child)
Sometimes, you HAVE to power something up, to make adjustments
In my experience, they don't like to follow the Arc-Flash policy for those situations, either.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday March 14 2017, @06:39PM
For interested readers - http://msamc.org/arcflash/Arc_Flash_Overview_print.html [msamc.org]
We don't even have an arc-flash policy. As a rule, we throw the doors open, and everyone in maintenance crowds around, looking over each other's shoulders. In the event of a flash, the entire maintenance department will be put out of commission.
For me, the hardest part of electrical safety, is to remember "keep one hand in your pocket". That is, don't provide the electricty with an easy path across your chest, and through your heart.
Ehhh - I'm not an electrician. If I fry my dumb ass, maybe the wife can file a huge suit against the company. "You had my husband doing electrical work? HE'S NOT AN ELECTRICIAN!!" Alas, it will never work here. Arkansas is not a very liberal state.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 2) by linkdude64 on Tuesday March 14 2017, @02:55PM (1 child)
Forget the damn lockout procedure, this guy didn't even bother to put the thing into friggin' thing into manual...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 14 2017, @07:10PM
FTFS: Wanda Holbrook
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]