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In “Erin Brockovich,” the Hollywood field workplace hit from 2000 starring Julia Roberts, the title character heroically fights to assist win a lawsuit for residents of a California metropolis affected by groundwater contamination. Whereas many theatergoers noticed the film, which was based mostly on actual occasions, they in all probability wouldn’t keep in mind that the chemical inflicting the widespread most cancers instances was hexavalent chromium.
After all, the hazards for people working with and round hazardous chemical compounds have lengthy been recognized. And, sadly, for a lot too lengthy, unsafe situations within the American office weren’t taken as critically as they need to have been. Lately, that has been altering — and as an example, the Environmental Safety Company (EPA) lately launched new advisable tips for human publicity to hexavalent chromium. As highlighted in “Erin Brockovich,” hexavalent chromium, or Cr(VI), is a big group of chemical compounds, typically produced in industrial workspaces, that has been recognized to trigger a wide range of illnesses in people, together with lung most cancers.
Hexavalent chromium risks in aerospace business
As documented by the Occupational Security and Well being Administration (OSHA), portray and sanding duties ceaselessly carried out within the aerospace business can pose critical dangers for people from publicity to hexavalent chromium. Vulnerability to respiratory issues attributable to inhalation of hexavalent chromium is critical, principally on account of potential harm to the lungs and airways — and the principle cause for the frequency of publicity is as a result of chromium is usually added to the paints used for airplane components.
Fortunately, the aerospace business has begun paying extra consideration to this very critical matter, making a heightened consciousness of the hazards of working carefully with some of these chemical compounds. However, along with rising consciousness and regulatory protections, there are additional methods to maintain people safely away from these and different hazardous substances — and robots are an essential a part of the equation.
Robots can maintain people from needing to work instantly with these and different hazardous chemical compounds. One of many strongest arguments for robots, generally, is their skill to protect people from working within the kinds of boring, soiled and harmful occupations that always compromise employee security.
A FANUC robotic sprays materials, permitting human employees to keep away from publicity to the fabric. | Credit score: Aerobotix
Avoiding different office accidents
Along with hexavalent chromium publicity, there are additional dangers for employees within the aerospace portray business. As an illustration, when jet-engine inlets are manually recoated, the work typically requires upkeep employees to put on protecting fits and respirators and spend a whole lot of hours crawling round on their fingers and knees.
It’s almost unimaginable, beneath these situations, to manually apply the coatings at constant speeds and thicknesses. As a consequence of labor situations in these cramped, tight areas, the U.S. Air Drive has reported a major quantity of shoulder accidents associated to this work. In these situations, robots can obtain higher outcomes whereas decreasing or eliminating some of these employee accidents.
So far, a 2022 research by the Nationwide Library of Medication discovered that the usage of robots for repetitive web site work can scale back unsafe, monotonous duties by 25-90%, decreasing human publicity to hazardous conditions by a median of 72%.
How do they do it? One efficient technique is teleoperation, which permits for distant management of robots from secure distances, conserving people away from harm, or publicity to chemical hazards.
A FANUC paint robotic inside an accudraft-enclosed sales space, which additional protects human employees from publicity to sprayed supplies. | Credit score: Aerobotix
Implementing the precise robotic, the precise means
To reduce human publicity to hazard whereas additionally gaining the good thing about potential cost-savings, it’s essential to make the most of and set up the precise robotic, and with the right implementation.
It’s essential to work with a robotic integrator affiliated with the Robotic Business Affiliation (RIA) who can assist select which sort of robotic is correct for the duty. As well as, any robotic set-up ought to have a threat evaluation carried out to make sure that RIA requirements are met.
Among the many methods to satisfy these requirements is through the use of additional sensors, emergency cease buttons, and scanners that detect human presence in unsafe areas, and by fencing off robotic work areas. These are only a few of the measures {that a} compliant robotic integrator may arrange and check for security.
Making a secure office tradition
On the finish of “Erin Brockovich,” the choose guidelines in opposition to the power firm that polluted the groundwater, and a hefty settlement is gained for Erin’s aspect. The film implies that the corporate had a tradition of not caring about human well being, which led to their detached dealing with of hexavalent chromium and a subsequent rise in most cancers instances.
Making a secure office within the aerospace business that protects people from the consequences of this chemical, and different occupational risks, is less complicated to implement with the precise security options in place. These embody robotic employees, which by no means get most cancers, respiratory illnesses or shoulder accidents. Finally, they merely can not get sick or injured.
There’s a mistaken perception amongst some that robotic installations take jobs away from folks. As an alternative, within the aerospace business, these are sometimes the identical personnel who’re then retrained to load, run, clear up and preserve the brand new robots. Consequently, human employees get pleasure from a safer working setting whereas concurrently including worthwhile technical expertise to their resumes.
They’re robots — they usually’re right here to assist people promote a safer office — an idea that Erin Brockovich would most probably help.
In regards to the Writer
Chris Kolb is vice chairman of gross sales at Aerobotix, an progressive chief in robotic options for the aerospace and protection industries. Headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama, the corporate specializes within the creation of cutting-edge automated robotic options for high-value, high-precision elements, plane and automobiles.
