this post was submitted on 27 Dec 2023
140 points (100.0% liked)

Technology

37712 readers
182 users here now

A nice place to discuss rumors, happenings, innovations, and challenges in the technology sphere. We also welcome discussions on the intersections of technology and society. If it’s technological news or discussion of technology, it probably belongs here.

Remember the overriding ethos on Beehaw: Be(e) Nice. Each user you encounter here is a person, and should be treated with kindness (even if they’re wrong, or use a Linux distro you don’t like). Personal attacks will not be tolerated.

Subcommunities on Beehaw:

This community's icon was made by Aaron Schneider, under the CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
alyaza@beehaw.org
TheRtRevKaiser@beehaw.org
gyrfalcon@beehaw.org
rs5th@beehaw.org
Los@beehaw.org
coldredlight@beehaw.org
SemioticStandard@beehaw.org
TheRtRevKaiser@kbin.social
remington@beehaw.org
140
Tesla worker injured [in 2021] by robot that 'pinned' him to wall with its claws at car company's Texas factory (news.sky.com)
submitted 10 months ago by alyaza@beehaw.org to c/technology@beehaw.org
31 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

given the scrutiny around Tesla, it's interesting this story doesn't seem to have come out sooner since this is a fairly novel workplace accident

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] Thevenin@beehaw.org 14 points 10 months ago (2 children)

I'm an engineer who works in an industrial environment, and I regularly have to repair or reprogram hazardous equipment. Here are a few takeaways I got from the descriptions of the Tesla incident:

  • Lockout/tagout was not being respected. If you don't have a lock, yank the fuse and stick it in your pocket. But whatever you do, when working on a machine, you must maintain exclusive control so nobody activates it while you're inside the approach boundary.
  • Why was the engineer in the approach boundary for a "software update?" I feel like I'm missing some important context there.
  • Where were the hazard indicators? A hazardous device needs sound or light indicators, so nobody forgets they left it plugged in.
  • Where was the machine guarding? If it can kill you, entering the hazardous area should shut the machine off with or without LOTO. I'm partial to interlocked gates, but cordons and light curtains are popular for a reason.
  • If the machine guarding was disabled, where were the observers? The last time I activated a machine with the light curtains overriden, I had three other engineers on standby, one at the E-Stop, one with a rescue hook, and one just to watch.
[–] Thevenin@beehaw.org 9 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

In addition, while some companies try to blame workwrs for recordable incidents, safety is always ultimately management's responsibility. Safety controls or procedures missing? That's management's fault. Workers disabling safety controls out of malice or hubris? Managment is at fault for hiring them. Workers so overworked and tired they don't notice mistakes while operating lethal equipment? Management. Workers having to choose between having a job and doing it safely? Management. Lack of safety culture? Management.

With power comes responsibility, and in modern corporations, management has all the power.

[–] pbjamm@beehaw.org 5 points 10 months ago

I worked IT for a machine shop a while back and one of the giant machines had a sign posted next to it :

"This machine has no brains, so use yours"