We live in an era where working side by side with robots is no longer something we only see in movies, it’s a reality. But how safe is it for those who work with robots?

You may have heard recent news about a German Volkswagen worker who was killed by a robot this summer. That robot was designed to work alone in a cage and far away from humans, and while that doesn’t take away from the tragedy that robot should not have been able to interact with the employee in the first place. Many robots already working in factories are behind screens or shielded from humans because they are not designed to play nice with humans. “Cobots” are those robots that are designed to work closer to humans, oftentimes alongside them. They contain sensors and other safety features to make sure their power is limited. They can send out signals when a human gets too close and even change “facial expressions” when they encounter something unexpected.

Blay Whitby is an expert on artificial intelligence and said that the Volkswagen accident could be compared to an accident where a machine operator was crushed because he didn’t use the proper safeguards. Workers who get into cages with robots who have not been turned off properly face risks just like workers who get into heavy machinery without locking out first.

While robot related injuries or deaths may be relatively rare I feel like any incident should be cause for the industry to look closer at this potential working relationship. Between 1984 and 2013 there were 27 workers killed by robots out of 37 total incidents, according to OSHA reports. A lot of accidents occur while the robot is being serviced or installed, not while it is actually working. OSHA has lockout procedures in place for this very purpose, but there are certain maintenance issues that cannot be done on a robot without a source of power, like programming and troubleshooting.

Help from robots however, could soon be a normal part of the workday for many employees. Robots can lift items that humans cannot, and robots can hold tools or hold things together while humans work on them. Robots will not suffer repetitive use injuries and can do tasks that lead many workers to carpal tunnel or the like. Mike Taubitz is a Senior Advisor for FDRsafety LLC and says that it’s going to take better designed machines and cells to ensure that workers are protected. He sees injuries occur most when cells that hold robots are not designed properly, and as a result they put the workers in danger because the worker has to go in and work on the robot in an unsafe way.

Hopefully as technology advances the errors that lead to robot related injuries decline. They have the potential to help the workforce, but we have to make sure they’re implemented as safely as possible.