Standard Guide for Assessing Risks Related to Implementation of Exoskeletons in Task-Specific Environments

Importancia y uso:

4.1 There is evidence to support use of occupational exoskeletons to support work tasks and activities. It is recognized that organizations, job responsibilities, and working contexts vary widely. Additionally, a wide array of exoskeletons are becoming available on the market. Exoskeletons vary in terms of complexity, form and mass, body coverage, and function. Certification programs for occupational exoskeletons are not available at this time. As such, at the present time no mechanisms exist to guarantee that circumstantial risk evaluation was performed on exoskeletons or whether these evaluations reflect the real working context in which exoskeletons will be implemented.

4.2 This guide provides a minimum baseline for assessing risks that may arise from exoskeleton interaction with existing and task-specific environments. The working document presented in Appendix X1 can be used to support decision making at different stages of exoskeleton implementation, such as:

4.2.1 Purchase—It can highlight safety concerns that may arise from introduction of a given exoskeleton technology in a specific work context;

4.2.2 Implementation of Risk Reduction Measures—It can highlight residual risks that require risk reduction measures;

4.2.3 Detection of Unknowns—It can lead to definition of additional steps that are needed to satisfy risk assessment for potentially hazardous situations;

4.2.4 Risk Monitoring—It can be used as a “living document” to monitor residual risks throughout the use period of the exoskeleton.

4.3 Harm scenarios described in this guide primarily reflect situations that may result in acute and observable injury or harm to a person. This guide is not suited for assessment of potential exoskeleton-to-task incompatibilities that may result in chronic, cumulative, or long-term injuries. However, these should be considered as part of any exoskeleton selection and implementation process. Guidelines on evaluation of risk factors that may lead to such injuries are currently under development and not yet published.

4.4 The user of this guide should evaluate the applicability of this guide for the given job context. The tool provided in Appendix X1 can be used as presented, can be adapted to reflect additional safety concerns, or elements of it can be used to supplement risk assessment tools existing in the enterprise where an exoskeleton is implemented.

4.5 The questions, statements, and harm scenarios provided in Appendix X1 are primarily targeted for assessment of risks that may endanger primary exoskeleton users. These can be modified to assess risks that may endanger secondary users, such as maintenance personnel, trainers, adjustment personnel, etc. It is recommended that risk assessment be conducted separately for each user type.

4.6 This guide can be used by non-specialized personnel to perform preliminary risk assessment, to aid, for example, pre-selection of exoskeleton models for purchase options. However, prior to implementing an exoskeleton in real-world working contexts, risk assessment should be conducted by personnel having the knowledge and experience appropriate to perform such assessment. This should include detailed knowledge of user tasks, ability to perform task analysis, knowledge and experience with the particular exoskeleton model, and knowledge of methods and of limitations associated to risk analysis. As such, risk assessment may require involvement of multiple stakeholders, including ergonomists and human factors specialists, users, managers, producer representatives, and safety professionals.

4.7 This guide does not supersede any established laws or regulations of international, national, federal, state, tribal, local, or regional governments.

Subcomité:

F48.02

Referida por:

F3612-24, F3579-24, F3323-24, F3584-22, F3528-21, F3582-22, F3580-24, F3581-22, F3583-22

Volúmen:

15.13

Número ICS:

25.040.30 (Industrial robots. Manipulators)

Palabras clave:

accident; environment; exoskeleton; hazard; implementation; incident; injury; risk assessment; safety; task; use context; wearable robotics;