Robotics and Health and Safety at Work

Abstract

The paper provides an analysis of the main changes due to robotic disruption in the workplace. In particular, the article focuses on the health and safety at work taking account the EU regulatory framework as well as the international technical safety standards. The study carried out by the authors reveals that the legislator is unable to specify the wide range of mechanisms due to the impossibility of keeping up with the pace of creation of new machines (industrial and collaborative robots). Therefore, the ISO standards are a cornerstone in order to understand the prevention duties of all parties (manufacturer, integrator) directly involved in the adoption of safety measures. However, the research identifies some weaknesses and proposes an approach that takes into account not only the technical aspects but also the ergonomic principle and psycho-social aspects.