Human error in an automated workplace

Human error is problematic in manufacturing, as it is in banking, but are advances in automation ruling it out altogether?

Automation has been lauded by manufacturers and engineers everywhere as the answer to consistency and quality. It takes

basic tasks out of human hands, giving employees the time to focus on more important tasks like business development

and strategic initiatives.

But if the move towards automated systems is meant to minimise error, why do mistakes still happen? Because we require

humans and robots to work side by side, automation will never remove human error completely. So, what can manufacturers

do to minimise it?

Programming and monitoring

We’re fallible creatures and one of the biggest causes of human error when working with technology is simply misunderstanding it.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve installed a machine transfer line to build car doors or are using programmable processes to batch produce

computer chips, if your systems are incorrectly set up it can cause a chain of problems across your devices. Robots also perform many

different tasks in a value chain and you may need to change their end effectors or programming in between.

Once it is set up, it is vital that all employees who will be interacting with or nearby to the robot are communicated with clearly and

that all required training is given. If a member of staff does not know the difference between a collaborative robot, which stops or

slows down when a human is nearby, and a non-collaborative robot, they could end up getting hurt.

Maintaining your technology

Another cause of human error when working with automated systems is maintenance. Manufacturers should proactively monitor a

system’s performance, using predictive or preventative maintenance to identify if something is wrong. Robots are also at an increased

risk of malfunction if maintenance is not performed when needed.

Robots do drastically reduce the risk of human error but they do not eliminate it entirely. While a robot can’t fall asleep with its finger

on a keyboard, it can introduce error if it is not programmed or maintained correctly.

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