Robot-Related Workers' Compensation Claims in Ohio, 2001-2020

Increased robot adoption and advancements in robotics have led to the emergence of robotic arms for collaborative applications that work alongside humans, increasing direct human-robot interaction. This shift highlights the need to address new safety challenges posed by emerging robotic technologies. Currently, there is limited research on robot-related injuries.

Robot-related workers' compensation claims from 2001 to 2020 were identified using a keyword search from the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (OHBWC) database. Descriptive analyses were conducted on this claims dataset.

From 2001 to 2020, 1076 robot-related claims were identified, with 85% medical-only claims (medical care only and/or ≤ 7 days away from work). Most claimants were male (74.2%), and 51.1% were 25-44 years old. More than half of the claims were due to contact with objects and equipment (57.9%), followed by overexertion and bodily reaction (20.6%). Most injuries occurred in the manufacturing sector (75.1%), followed by the service sector (14.7%). The claims resulted in over $8.3 million in costs. Of this figure, 91% was incurred due to lost-time claims ($7.6 million). Almost 30% of claims included diagnoses from multiple diagnosis groups. Most claims involved working with robotic arms for collaborative applications (75.7%) in a shared workspace.

Robotics is rapidly evolving to remove workers from hazardous environments and reduce risks from hazardous, repetitive, and manual tasks, but it may introduce new workplace hazards. There is a need to study robot-related injuries, identify high-risk exposures, and develop sector- or application-specific comprehensive safety approaches for safer implementation of robots in the workplace.