IMPACT OF AUTOMATION ON THE WORKPLACE

Transcription

1 IMPACT OF AUTOMATION ON THE WORKPLACE During the age of mechanization, machines were developed to do work previously done by humans using hand tools. The 1960s saw the beginnings of broad-based efforts at automating mechanical processes and systems. 1

2 IMPACT OF AUTOMATION ON THE WORKPLACE Automation and integration are having the following effects on workers: Changing the emphasis from physical work to automated mechanical work. Changing the emphasis from physical to mental work. Categorizing work as either mental or physical. Intelligence versus labor. Increasing the level of stress on workers, supervisors, and managers. Eliminating some traditional blue-collar jobs that cause morale problems and decrease employee loyalty. Making workers feel a loss of control and the onset of helplessness and powerlessness. IMPACT OF AUTOMATION ON THE WORKPLACE With automation, the rate of change has increased. Workers must continually learn & relearn their jobs with little or no relief. Automated machines do more of the work that used to be done by humans. This can leave workers feeling as if they may be replaced by a machine and powerless to do anything about it. Development of a special curriculum known as robot medicine in Japan acknowledges the connection between emerging technology and stress. Offered to industrial doctors by the University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan. 2

3 VDTs IN OFFICES AND FACTORIES A safety & health concern brought about by the advent of computers has to do with the impact of video display terminals (VDTs). Does prolonged use of VDTs cause safety & health problems? Are pregnant women who work at VDTs more likely to miscarry? Are such problems as eye fatigue, muscle stiffness, and mental fatigue caused by VDT use? VDTs IN OFFICES AND FACTORIES NIOSH published a study showing that women who work with VDTs have no greater risk of miscarriage than those who do not. NIOSH plans to conduct research into two additional areas of concern: Whether VDT use can be tied to birth defects, premature births, or low birth weight. Potential risks of extremely low frequency (ELF) radiation, a type of electromagnetic energy emitted by VDTs, power lines, electrical wires, and appliances. 3

4 VDTs IN OFFICES AND FACTORIES Research has supported findings that VDT users often suffer eye-related discomfort and symptoms. Eye strain caused by prolonged VDT use impairs the visual health of the operator experiencing the strain. There is an increased likelihood of accidents caused by impaired work performance & psychological stress. Eye functions most noticeably affected by VDT use: Accommodation - the ability of the eye to become adjusted after viewing the VDT to focusing on other objects, particularly objects at a distance. Convergence - the coordinated turning of the eyes inward to focus on a nearby point or object. Lacrimation - is the process of excreting tears. VDTs IN OFFICES AND FACTORIES Strategies for reducing physiological/psychological problems associated with VDT use: Increasing computer response time. More frequent breaks from VDT use. Arranging the keyboard properly so it is located in front of the user, not to the side. Encouraging employees to use a soft touch on the keyboard and when clicking a mouse. Encouraging employees to avoid wrist resting. Placing the mouse within easy reach. Locating the VDT at a proper height and distance. Minimizing glare, reducing lighting levels, dusting the VDT. Eliminating telephone cradling. 4

5 HUMAN ROBOT INTERACTION What makes robots more potentially dangerous than other machines can be summarized as follows: Their ability to acquire intelligence through programming. Flexibility, range of motion, speed of movement & power. The modern factory is moving toward the following: Workers will supervise machine systems rather than interact with individual pieces of production equipment. Workers will communicate with machines via VDTs on which complex information will be displayed. Workers will be supported by expert systems for fault identification, diagnosis, and repair. Robots and other intelligent computer-controlled machines will play an increasingly important role in modern industry. SAFETY/HEALTH PROBLEMS Industrial robots in typical applications. 5

6 SAFETY/HEALTH PROBLEMS According to the National Safety Council (NSC) the principal hazards associated with robots are: Being struck by a moving robot while inside the work envelope. Being trapped between a moving part of a robot and another machine, object, or surface. Being struck by a workpiece, tool, or other object dropped or ejected by a robot. SAFETY/HEALTH PROBLEMS The work envelope of a robot is the total area within which the moving parts of the robot actually move. Anytime a worker enters a functioning robot s work envelope, probability bilit of an accident becomes very high. 6

7 SAFETY/HEALTH PROBLEMS The only logical reason for a worker to enter the work envelope of an engaged robot is to teach it a new motion. Many robots use a mode of operation called teach mode. Unique among industrial equipment as regards safeguarding. In the teach mode, an operator may be required to place himself within the operating range of the robot to program its movements within very close tolerance parameters. A hazard may arise if the robot goes out of control and moves in an unpredictable fashion at a high rate of speed. Teach mode is where the highest degree of hazard exists. Minimizing the Safety/Health Problems of Robots Strategies for minimizing robot hazards: Ensure a glare-free, well-lighted robot site. Keep floors in/around the robot clean & free of obstruction so workers do not trip or slip into the work envelope. Keep the robot site free of associated hazards such as blinding light from welding machines or paint booth vapors. Equip electrical/pneumatic components with covers/guards. Clear the work envelope of all nonessential objects and make sure safeguards are in place before starting. Apply lockout and proper test procedures before entering the work envelope. Remove and account for all tools and equipment used to maintain the robot before starting it. 7

8 SAFETY & HEALTH IN OFFICE AUTOMATION The following problems are identified as associated with office automation: Eye fatigue, seeing double & complementary colors. Headache, yawny feelings, unwillingness to talk. Shoulder & neck fatigue, dryness in the throat. Sleepy feelings, and whole-body tiredness. Current scientific research suffers from a lack of integration & clear definition of what is causing what. The question facing policy-makers is how best to create the policy to maintain the current level of creativity and innovation in the marketplace while not sacrificing the quality of worklife. INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE AND ROBOTS Maladaptation to an automated environment can manifest itself as: An urge to quit work or a drop in work performance. Fatigue; problems with human relations. Social pathological phenomena such as drug use or crime. Mood swings; a loss of motivation; and accidents. Practitioners of industrial medicine are concerned with improving the relationship between humans and automated machines by establishing methods whereby humans can work more adequately with the machines. 8

9 INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE AND ROBOTS Some recommendations for improving interaction of humans and robots, computers, & other automated machines in the high-tech workplace: Match the human system and the computer system. Position machine systems as human-supportive systems. Adapt human computer interaction to human use. Initiate job-changing opportunities. Allow suitable rest periods for automated equipment users. Encourage recreation, and promote the effective use of nonworking hours. Free people from hazardous, dirty, and harmful jobs. Shorten working hours and promote work sharing. Expand human contact. TECHNOLOGICAL ALIENATION Some workers have come to resent the impact of automated technology on their lives, a concept is known as technological alienation. Powerlessness is the feeling that t workers have when they are not able to control the work environment. Powerless workers may feel that they are less important than the technology, and that they are expendable. Meaninglessness is the feeling that workers get in jobs so specialized & technology dependent they cannot see the meaning in their work as it relates to the finished product. Normlessness is the phenomenon in which people in a highly automated environment can become estranged from society. Normless people lose sight of societies, norms, rules, etc. 9

10 TECHNOLOGICAL ALIENATION In the past, machines have been used to do physical work previously done by human workers. With the advent of computers, robots, and automation, machines began doing mental work. Mindlessness is the result of the process of dumbing down the workplace. The net result is jobs & work environments where people do not have to use their minds or think to do their work where computers, robots, and other forms of high technology do the thinking. Mindlessness on the job can lead to an increase in alcoholism, drug abuse, theft, work-related accidents, absenteeism, sick leave abuse, turnover rates, etc. MINIMIZING THE PROBLEMS OF AUTOMATION A pressing need is to identify and minimize the new safety & health problems specifically associated with automation. A sociotechnical system theory for doing this has been developed, which consists of the following: Variance control, boundary location, work group organization, management support, design process, and quality of work life. The various components in the sociotechnical system theory explain what must happen if humans and technological systems are going to work together harmoniously and safely. 10

11 MINIMIZING THE PROBLEMS OF AUTOMATION The components can be summarized as follows: Variance control involves controlling the unexpected events that can be introduced by new technologies. Boundary location involves the classification of work. What specific tasks are included in an employee s job description? Work group organization involves identifying tasks a work group is to perform & how they are to be performed. Management support states that managers must be willing to accept occasional temporary declines in productivity it without resorting to shortcuts or improvement efforts that may be unsafe or unhealthy. Management must be willing to emphasize safety in spite of temporary declines in productivity. MINIMIZING THE PROBLEMS OF AUTOMATION The components can be summarized as follows: The design process component refers to the ability of an organization to design itself in ways that promote productivity, it quality, competitiveness, safety, and health. Quality of work life involves determining ways to promote the morale and best interests of workers. Ensure that people control systems rather than vice versa. 11

12 Safety Measures for Automated Systems Examples of safety measures that can be used at the technological systems level include: A safety fence around to define the work envelope. Control of the speed of movement of system components when working inside the work fence. Location of the system control panel outside the safety fence Installation of an emergency stop device colored red and placed in an easily accessible location Establishment of automatic shutdown that activates any time a component goes beyond its predetermined operational range Training operators to work safely within the work envelope and work as a team when interacting with the system. Training maintenance workers on the technical aspects of maintaining all machines and equipment. CHALLENGE FOR THE FUTURE The future holds many problems to be addressed: Increasingly intense international competition may magnify the tendency for companies to neglect safety & health precautions in favor of short-term t productivity it gains. Mental stress is likely to increase as automated manipulation of information forces workers to try continually to handle too much poorly understood. information. Automation and competition are likely to increase anxiety as workers are required to make split-second decisions. Knowing their action/inaction may have dire consequences. New occupational diseases relating to mental, visual, and musculoskeletal problems may arise. 12

13 CHALLENGE FOR THE FUTURE Strategies for enhancing the safety & health of tomorrow s automated workplace: Technological systems and processes must be designed to take into account the physical, mental, and emotional needs of human workers. Workers will need training and continual retraining to effectively & efficiently operate technological systems. And interact with them from the perspective of mastery rather than inadequacy. Quality of work life as well as safety/health considerations will have to receive as much attention in the design and implementation of automated systems and processes as do economic and technological concerns. 13