[LINK] Company Pays Up after Robot Breaches First Law

[Kim Holburn]

Have we got to Asimov's laws of robotics already?

On 2020/05/12 11:52 am, Roger Clarke wrote:
> An interesting item appeared in SMH this morning, item here:
> https://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/compliance-and-prosecutions/enforceable-undertakings/2020-eu-accordion/inghams-enterprises-pty-limited
> 
> 
> Inghams Enterprises Pty Limited
> 
> On 1 December 2016 a worker at the Ingham’s site located at Prestons,
> NSW, was working in the weigh label room stacking and adjusting pallets
> containing chicken products. The worker was injured as a result of being
> trapped by a [palletising robot] in a robotic cell.
> 
> [I've no idea what a 'robotic cell' is, nor why a worker was in it]
> 
> [Ingham's sacked the robot, i.e. removed it, forthwith.
> 
> Ingham's has undertaken to spend half-a-mill to develop a "safety
> incident reporting portal for Ingham’s WHSMS, specifically designed to
> address Ingham’s agri-business operations. Once developed this portal
> can be accessed via Ingham’s intranet, desktops and on workers’ mobile
> devices so the system can be can used by all workers, sub-contractors,
> and leaders who use the Ingham’s WHSMS onsite, in real-time, at the
> click of a button".
> 
> [I've no idea why it took 3-1/4 years from the accident to the signing
> of the undertaking by Ingham's and Safework NSW, but I guess it's
> progress.]
> 
> ______________
> 
> Alleged breach
> 
> Inghams Enterprises Pty Ltd contravened section 19(1) and 32 of the Work
> Health and Safety Act 2011.
> 
> Summary of undertaking
> 
> Activities Inghams Enterprises Pty Ltd will undertake include:
> 
> Development and Implementation of an electronic platform for a Work
> Health and Safety Management System designed for use in Ingham’s
> agri-business operations;
> An initiative to share the learnings from the incident and the process
> for developing the electronic platform for the Work Health and Safety
> Management System with industry;
> Development of a video to promote SafeWork NSW’s Participative
> Ergonomics for Manual Tasks (PErforM) Program; and
> Partnering with a creative advertising organisation to develop a public
> awareness campaign regarding musculoskeletal disorders.
> This undertaking has a total expenditure of $499,000.
> 
> Reasons for accepting the undertaking
> 
> The alleged contravention does not appear to be a section 31 Reckless
> conduct category 1 offence, which if it was the case, would preclude the
> proposed undertaking from being accepted
> The nature of the alleged contravention and the actions taken by Inghams
> Enterprises Pty Ltd in response to the incident are assessed as being
> appropriate for consideration of an undertaking
> The strategies proposed in the undertaking have been assessed as likely
> to deliver long term sustainable safety improvements in the workplace,
> industry and community
> The undertaking addresses the requirements contained within the
> “Enforceable Undertakings – Guidelines for Proposing a WHS Undertaking”.
> Date accepted
> 
> 20 April 2020
> 
> 
> Details here:
> https://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/821935/Inghams-Enterprises-Pty-Limited-signed-EU-Proposal_Redacted.pdf
> 
> 
>