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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 primarily based on actual occasions, they most likely wouldn’t do not forget that the chemical inflicting the widespread most cancers circumstances was hexavalent chromium.
After all, the hazards for people working with and round hazardous chemical compounds have lengthy been identified. And, sadly, for much too lengthy, unsafe circumstances within the American office weren’t taken as severely as they need to have been. In recent times, that has been altering — and as an instance, the Environmental Safety Company (EPA) not too long ago launched new beneficial tips for human publicity to hexavalent chromium. As highlighted in “Erin Brockovich,” hexavalent chromium, or Cr(VI), is a big group of chemical compounds, usually produced in industrial workspaces, that has been identified 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 continuously carried out within the aerospace business can pose severe dangers for people from publicity to hexavalent chromium. Vulnerability to respiratory issues brought on by inhalation of hexavalent chromium is important, principally as a consequence of potential injury to the lungs and airways — and the primary 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 severe matter, making a heightened consciousness of the hazards of working intently with most 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 necessary a part of the equation.
Robots can hold people from needing to work immediately with these and different hazardous chemical compounds. One of many strongest arguments for robots, typically, is their capacity to defend people from working within the kinds of uninteresting, soiled and harmful occupations that usually compromise employee security.
A FANUC robotic sprays materials, permitting human staff 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 staff within the aerospace portray business. As an illustration, when jet-engine inlets are manually recoated, the work usually requires upkeep staff to put on protecting fits and respirators and spend lots of of hours crawling round on their palms and knees.
It’s practically unattainable, below these circumstances, to manually apply the coatings at constant speeds and thicknesses. Because of labor circumstances in these cramped, tight areas, the U.S. Air Pressure has reported a big quantity of shoulder accidents associated to this work. In these circumstances, robots can obtain higher outcomes whereas lowering or eliminating most of these employee accidents.
Up to now, a 2022 examine by the Nationwide Library of Medication discovered that the usage of robots for repetitive website work can cut 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, holding people away from damage, or publicity to chemical hazards.
A FANUC paint robotic inside an accudraft-enclosed sales space, which additional protects human staff from publicity to sprayed supplies. | Credit score: Aerobotix
Implementing the suitable robotic, the suitable means
To attenuate human publicity to hazard whereas additionally gaining the advantage of potential cost-savings, it’s necessary to make the most of and set up the suitable robotic, and with the proper implementation.
It’s crucial to work with a robotic integrator affiliated with the Robotic Trade Affiliation (RIA) who will help select which form of robotic is correct for the duty. As well as, any robotic set-up ought to have a danger evaluation carried out to make sure that RIA requirements are met.
Among the many methods to fulfill these requirements is by utilizing further sensors, emergency cease buttons, and scanners that detect human presence in unsafe areas, and by fencing off robotic work areas. These are just some of the measures {that a} compliant robotic integrator would possibly arrange and check for security.
Making a secure office tradition
On the finish of “Erin Brockovich,” the choose guidelines towards the vitality firm that polluted the groundwater, and a hefty settlement is received 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 circumstances.
Making a secure office within the aerospace business that protects people from the results of this chemical, and different occupational risks, is simpler to implement with the suitable security options in place. These embody robotic staff, 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 staff take pleasure in a safer working surroundings whereas concurrently including precious technical abilities to their resumes.
They’re robots — and so they’re right here to assist people promote a safer office — an idea that Erin Brockovich would most certainly assist.
Concerning the Writer
Chris Kolb is vp of gross sales at Aerobotix, an modern 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 parts, plane and autos.
