In the popular “I Robot” series of novels and movie of the same name, the famed science fiction writer Isaac Asimov created the First Law of Robotics: “A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.”
Unfortunately, that’s just fiction. In real life, people can be injured or even killed by industrial robots.
And now the death of one of those victims — a young woman who was killed by a robot just two weeks before her wedding day — has prompted federal regulators to take a new look at robot safety.
On June 16, Regina Allen Elsea, 20, was killed after the robot she was repairing abruptly started up, crushing her to death at her job at an automobile stamping plant in Cusseta, Alabama, which makes parts for Hyundai and Kia vehicles.
Robot Safety Called into Question
Many, if not most, industries appear to be on the brink of automation. Every year, thousands of US workers are thrown out of work by robot replacements, prompting some experts to question the wisdom of the rise of the machines.
Robots are generally cheaper in the long run because they don’t require days off, they can perform repetitive tasks more efficiently and accurately than humans, and they never complain.
But even as more and more companies rely on robot workers to cut costs, improve efficiency, and improve profits, Dr. Robert David Michaels, the undersecretary for labor in charge of OSHA, is expressing concern about robot safety at the stamping plant.
“It is unfortunate that Hyundai and Kia, who set strict specifications on the parts they purchase from their suppliers, appear to be less concerned with the safety of the workers who manufacture those parts,” Michaels said in an OSHA news release.
Meeting with Robotics Managers
Last year, Michaels traveled to Korea to meet with robotics managers at Kia and Hyundai to share the federal agency’s worries about robot safety.
“Kia and Hyundai’s on-demand production targets are so high that workers at their suppliers are often required to work six and sometimes seven days a week to meet the targets,” Michaels said. “It appears that — to reduce its own costs in meeting these targets — this supplier cut corners on safety, at the expense of workers’ lives and limbs.”
Now OSHA has issued 23 citations against the plant where Elsea was killed — Joon LLC, doing business as Ajin USA of Cusseta — including 19 egregious instance-by-instance willful violations. The federal regulator also issued two citations against the temporary staffing agency that employed Elsea.
In total, the citations carry fines of more than $2.5 million.