Robots & Automated Equipment

Industrial robots move fast and powerfully, and can start without warning. Most robot injuries happen during programming, maintenance and troubleshooting, not normal operation, when people are inside the cell with the robot.

• General Industry
• Manufacturing
• Warehousing

Why robots are dangerous

• Unexpected motion: a robot waiting for a signal can look stopped, then move at full speed.
• Reach: the arm and tool can reach farther than people expect, and can swing behind you.
• Pinch points between the robot and fences, columns, fixtures and other machines.
• Tools and parts: welding torches, grippers, cutting tools and dropped or thrown parts.
• Stored energy: gravity, air, hydraulics and springs can move an arm even with power off.

Safeguards

• Perimeter guarding (fences) with interlocked gates that stop the robot when opened
• Light curtains, area scanners and safety mats
• Emergency stops inside and outside the cell
• Warning lights and signs showing when the cell is in automatic mode
• Collaborative robots (cobots) are designed to work near people with speed and force limits, but still need a risk assessment for the whole application, including the tool and the parts it handles
• Autonomous mobile robots in warehouses need clear paths, sensors and pedestrian awareness

Working in or near a robot cell

• Only trained, authorized people enter the safeguarded space.
• For teaching and programming: use reduced speed, hold the enabling device on the teach pendant, and keep an escape route.
• Only one person should control the robot at a time, and that person keeps the pendant.
• For maintenance and clearing faults: lock out all energy, including stored energy and gravity. See Lockout/Tagout.
• Assume a stopped robot can move: a paused program is not a safe state.
• Don’t bypass, mute or tape over interlocks and sensors.
• Report near misses and unexpected robot motion right away.

Before entering a cell

• Robot in the right mode (manual or locked out) for the task
• Personal lock applied if doing maintenance
• Stored energy released or blocked
• Teach pendant in hand, enabling device working
• Escape route clear; nobody else at the controls

Last updated: October 2, 2026