RoboticsWorking in the cell in manual mode
Some jobs cannot be done with the robot locked out: troubleshooting a fault or touching up a program needs power on, with you inside the safeguarded space. Then the robot goes into manual mode, at reduced speed, and moves only while you hold the enabling device of the teach pendant. Everything else is locked out. It is how OSHA's Technical Manual protects maintenance workers and programmers inside a robot cell.
Free to startScenarios
- A fault has to be troubleshot with the robot powered on, from inside the safeguarded space.
- A program needs a touch-up with the teach pendant.
- A sensor inside the cell needs cleaning while the robot is in automatic mode.
The steps
- Control power and other hazardous energy with lockout/tagout under 29 CFR 1910.147 whenever the work can be done with it off.
- If maintenance, repair or troubleshooting must be done with power on inside the safeguarded space, put the robot in manual mode, also called teach or T1 mode.
- Check that the robot runs at reduced speed: no more than 10 inches (250 mm) per second on any part of the application.
- Hold the 3-position enabling device, often in the teach pendant, in the center-ON position: releasing or squeezing it stops the robot and the equipment tied to it.
- Keep control of the robot and its associated equipment, knowing what is being programmed, how the system is interfaced and its control functions.
Safety rules that stop the station
- No servicing during automatic operation unless the safeguarding prevents operation or causes a stop and does not allow a restart.
- In manual mode some safeguards may not be active as they are in automatic mode, so there are added hazards.
- Perimeter guarding should cause a protective stop when someone enters the safeguarded space.
To pass
- Work with power on inside the safeguarded space was done only in manual mode, with the enabling device held and the robot at reduced speed.
- Everything that could be done with the energy off was locked out.
- Workers who program, maintain or repair robots get safety training before their assignment and can show they do the job safely.
- OSHA recommends the safeguarding techniques and procedures of ANSI/RIA R15.06-2012 Part 2, sections 5.9.7, 5.10.2, 5.12.1 and 7.2.7.
Official source
OSHA Technical Manual, Section IV Chapter 4: Industrial Robot Systems and Industrial Robot System Safety
OSHA's Technical Manual, Section IV Chapter 4, is free to read: it says work with power on inside the safeguarded space is done in manual mode, with an enabling device and reduced speed.
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