Page 6 - Occupational Health & Safety, July 2018

FROM THE EDITOR
www.ohsonline.com
VOLUME 87 NUMBER 7
EDITORIAL STAFF
EDITOR
E-NEWS EDITOR
ASSOCIATE CONTENT EDITOR
ART STAFF
ART DIRECTOR
PRODUCTION STAFF
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
SALES STAFF
INTEGRATED MEDIA REPRESENTATIVE-WEST INTEGRATED MEDIA REPRESENTATIVE-EAST
INFRASTRUCTURE SOLUTIONS GROUP
PRESIDENT & GROUP PUBLISHER GROUP CIRCULATION DIRECTOR GROUP MARKETING DIRECTOR GROUP WEBSITE MANAGER GROUP WEBINAR ADMINISTRATOR GROUP SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN
REACHING THE STAFF
Jerry Laws Brent Dirks Jessica Davis
Dale Chinn Teresa Antonio
Barbara Blake
972-687-6718
Jenna Conwell
610-436-4372
Kevin O’Grady Irene Fincher Susan May Scott Newhouse Tammy Renne Sydny Shepard
Rajeev Kapur Henry Allain Craig Rucker Erik A. Lindgren
Michael J. Valenti Jeffrey S. Klein
Editors can be reached via e-mail, fax, telephone, or mail. A list of editors and contact information is at www.ohsonline.com.
Email: To e-mail any member of the staff please use the following form: FirstinitialLastname@1105media.com.
Dallas Office: (weekdays, 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. CT) Telephone: 972-687-6700; Fax: 972-687-6799 14901 Quorum Drive, Suite 425, Dallas, TX 75254
Corporate Office: (weekdays, 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. PT) Telephone: 818-814-5200; Fax: 818-734-1522
9201 Oakdale Avenue, Suite 101, Chatsworth, CA 91311
www.ohsonline.com
Where Should NIOSH
Focus Its Robotics Research?
NIOSH posted a request for comments in mid-May on what types of research its new Center for Occupational Robotics Re- search should tackle. The agency asked for “input on priority gaps in knowledge on the safety and health of humans work- ing with robotics technology, with an emphasis on worker safety and health research which is unlikely to be completed by other federal agencies, academia, and the private sector.”
It’s still possible to comment—visit www.regulations.gov and search for Docket CDC-2018-0046 and number NIOSH-313. If it isn’t extended, the comment deadline is July 13.
NIOSH established the center in September 2017. Its notice requesting input said the center has nominally identified re- search needs it will address, and these are organized by the four research types conducted by NIOSH: basic/etiologic, interven- tion, translation, and surveillance. The agency wants feedback on possible refinements of these.
The notice and other materials posted to the docket will
provide much more information about these than I can include
here. They’re interesting and important as the use of robot-
ics rapidly increases in U.S. industries. The basic/etiologic research would identify human workers’ risk factors and study hazardous situations outside normal operations, such as ro- bot breakdowns. The intervention and translation research would involve developing and evaluating solutions to an OSH problem and developing strategies for bring research findings and theoretical knowledge to bear in the workplace. Surveillance would involve methods/ techniques to monitor robot-related injuries and risk factors, as well as investigating fatalities, injuries, and near misses involving new robotics technologies.
As more and more workers share space with robots—the notice says U.S. sales of robots for industrial use were at all all-time high in 2016—this research certainly bears watching.
Work by NIOSH’s new Center for Occupational Robotics Research certainly bears watching as the use of robotics rapidly increases
in U.S. industries.
JERRY LAWS
jlaws@1105media.com
ID STATEMENT
Occupational Health & Safety (ISSN 0362-4064) is published monthly by 1105 Media, Inc., 9201 Oakdale Avenue, Ste. 101, Chatsworth, CA 91311. Periodicals postage paid at Chatsworth, CA 91311-9998, and at additional mailing offices. Complimentary subscriptions are sent to qualifying subscribers. Annual subscription rates payable in U.S. funds for non-qualified subscribers are: U.S. $79.00, International $149.00. Subscription inquiries, back issue requests, and address changes: Mail to: Occupational Health & Safety, P.O. Box 2166 , Skokie, IL 60076-7866, email OHSmag@1105service.com or call 866-293-3194 or 847-513-6011 for U.S. & Canada; 00-1-847-513-6011 for International, fax 847-763-9564. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Occupational Health & Safety, P.O. Box 2166, Skokie, IL 60076-7866. Canada Publications Mail Agreement No: 40612608. Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to Circulation Dept. or XPO Returns: P.O. Box 201, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 4R5, Canada.
COPYRIGHT STATEMENT
© Copyright 2018 by 1105 Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. Reproductions in whole or part prohibited except by written permission. Mail requests to “Permissions Editor,” c/o Occupational Health & Safety, 14901 Quorum Dr, Ste. 425, Dallas, TX 75254.
LEGAL DISCLAIMER
The information in this magazine has not undergone any formal testing by 1105 Media, Inc. and is distributed without any warranty expressed or implied. Implementation or use of any information contained herein is the reader’s sole responsibility. While the information has been reviewed for accuracy, there is no guarantee that the same or similar results may be achieved in all environments. Technical inaccuracies may result from printing errors and/or new developments in the industry.
CORPORATE ADDRESS
Corporate Headquarters:
1105 Media
9201 Oakdale Ave. Ste 101, Chatsworth, CA 91311 www.1105media.com
MEDIA KITS
Media Kits: Direct your Media Kit requests to
Lynda Brown, 972-687-6710 (phone), 972-687-6750 (fax), lbrown@1105media.com
REPRINTS
Reprints: For single article reprints (in minimum quantities of 250-500), e-prints, plaques and posters contact:
PARS International
Phone: 212-221-9595
E-mail: 1105reprints@parsintl.com www.1105Reprints.com
LIST RENTAL
This publication’s subscriber list, as well as other lists from 1105 Media, Inc., is available for rental. For more information, please contact our list manager, Jane Long, Merit Direct. Phone: (913) 685-1301; Email: jlong@ meritdirect.com; Web: www.meritdirect.com/1105
4
Occupational Health & Safety | JULY 2018