Something Your Robot Integrator Might Not Be Telling You

As industrial robots are called to perform a growing list of tasks and application types, new safety standards are quickly needed to match progress. System integrators, OEMs, and end-users alike; if you're a consumer of robotics, it can be difficult to keep pace. Yet with more workers being asked to coexist, collaborate, and configure robotics, that doesn't mean it's not absolutely necessary. And some systems are falling behind.

In 2014 the Robotics Industries Association released a report that made risk assessment reports mandatory for all new robot cells and produced guidelines for existing robot applications. (Yes, that includes applications using collaborative robots.) This means if you're not able to pull a risk assessment report on your robot right now, you're likely missing a key piece of safety documentation that is required by the RIA standard. Learn more about the standards that the RIA has put forth, here.

Are your operators trained to interact with robots? Is the proper safety control architecture in place? Are the machines in the cell protected to the standard? These are just a couple of questions that need to be answered when addressing risk.

Navigating the safety standards of industrial robots can seem like a daunting task, but it is an essential one for safe and profitable operation. No matter what your current level of safety, VMRA can help address your needs and work with you to create your safe operation roadmap.