The increase in the use of robots in the healthcare field will have significant implications for worker safety and health. There is a need to address the safety issues since the future use of robots may have robots working as a team with humans.
For years, robots have operated in cages or cells that are off limits to humans, but newer types of robots now work in shared spaces with humans resulting in robots working in close proximity to humans and it is possible for workers to be injured As a result, the types of work performed by robots and how they interact with workers needs to be studied.
Even today, although there is case-based information on worker injury deaths conducted by NIOSH and OSHA https://www.osha.gov, these findings are limited to traditional industrial robots and do not address emerging robotics technologies.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) within CDC https://www.cdc.gov/niosh established the Center for Occupational Robotics Research (CORR) https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/robotics. The Center is to guide the development and use of robots by utilizing machine learning and artificial intelligence.
On May 14, 2018, NIOSH published a Notice in the Federal Register requesting information to prioritize research on robotics to be undertaken by CORR. NIOSH is seeking input from the public on gaps concerning the safety and health of humans working with robotics that has not been addressed.
Information is needed in order to collect and analyze differences in fatalities, injuries, and near-miss incidences between workplaces using robotic technologies and other workplaces not using robotics.
The next step is to develop new methods, tools, and analytic techniques to obtain full access to worker injury data so action can be taken if necessary to protect the health of workers. Today, current worker injury data systems do not include full detailed information on how a robot-related fatality or injury incident has occurred.
For more information, go to the Federal Register at https://www.gpo.gov. Search for the notice titled “Occupational Robotics Research Prioritization”. For Further information, email Hongwei Hsiao PhD, in the NIOSH Division of Safety Research at hhsiao@cdc.gov or call 304-285-5910.