Safety in the future

Abstract

As more and more machines are integrated into the factory automation and logistic automation, mobility and healthcare processes, the need to ensure safe procedures for people working with machines is increasing. The Internet of Things (IoT), big data, advanced robotics and especially artificial intelligence (AI) are all transforming the connection between electrotechnical systems and people.

While AI can dramatically improve efficiency in the workplace and can augment the capacity of human performance, the question arises: will machines become super-intelligent, leading humans eventually to lose control? Though the probability of such a scenario with possible additional risks is subject to debate, we do know that unforeseen consequences for humans always emerge when new technology is introduced. Consequently, more than at any moment in the past, it is critical to ensure that human safety be placed at the centre of the new human-machine relationship.

According to recent estimates released by the International Labour Organization (ILO), 2,78 million workers die each year from occupational accidents and work-related diseases. Millions more are injured on the job. Aside from the economic costs engendered by such factors, a further intangible human toll exists in terms of the immeasurable human suffering produced. Such outcomes are both tragic and regrettable, because, as research and practice over the past century have repeatedly demonstrated, the casualties involved are largely preventable. As humans continue to play a major role in causing workplace accidents, whether at the design and planning stages or during execution of the work, any efforts to improve safety in human-machine collaboration must focus specifically on human/worker behaviour. And while the future can hardly be predicted with precision, technological, societal and legislative megatrends will clearly impact the future of work and safety.

Using real life examples, this white paper addresses safety in the future by referencing current social trends and initiatives such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals and various real-life examples of projects, works and companies that are pioneering innovative safety solutions for the future. Common to such solutions is the underlying realization that the concept of safety will be delivered in an integrated system in which humans, machines and the environment collaborate. The paper also introduces a collaborative framework called the tripartite system for safety. This concept facilitates a systematic approach to examining key elements of safety in the future.

Bringing the ambitious visions connected with the tripartite system for safety to fruition will require significant efforts in standardization, with a view, for example, to mitigate some of the most pressing challenges related to decision-making between machines and humans, as well as expanding holistic approaches to safety. Thus the white paper presents an anticipated safety-in-the-future framework to address those needs. The white paper concludes by formulating recommendations both of a general nature as well as specifically addressed to the IEC and its committees.

The principal recommendations proposed include:

• Social goals should be established that aim to achieve both safety and efficiency, by shifting from a safety model based on separation of man and machine to one in which safety is achieved through man-machine cooperation
• Consideration should be given to the possibility that humans may not be the smartest component in a new human-machine collaborative system. A new concept of safety should be elaborated through the development of technology and the reconfiguration of man’s place in the system
• Measuring safety outcomes has formed a key part of safety management systems for many years, with a focus on incident statistics. However, a more forward-looking, proactive approach could be adopted by introducing “leading” indicators into the calculation
• Standards bodies need to expand and deepen their holistic approach to safety. This will require incorporating not only traditional technical expertise but also insights gathered in the fields of safety psychology, sociology and human behaviour. In other words, it is recommended that in the development of future safety standards, clear attention be paid to non-technical factors

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