🌅 Killed by Robots at Work

SOURCE

Layne (2023)

WHAT TO KNOW

• Most of the people killed by workplace industrial robots in the U.S. were male (85%), with nearly half (46%) of the deaths occurring in the Midwest (largely due to the prevalence of auto manufacturing in Michigan and Ohio). Most of the deaths involved a robot striking a worker (78%), often while the robot was undergoing maintenance.

WHY IT MATTERS

• Automation in manufacturing has helped American companies remain competitive in the global market, however, as the nature of U.S. manufacturing has changed, so too have the workplaces in which it takes place. As robot technology continues to develop and become further ingrained in American industries, identifying patterns of death and injury in workplaces will be crucial for policymakers tasked with safeguarding industrial workers.

CONNECT THE DOTS

• Direct deaths aren’t the only ones caused by robots in the workplace: automation of manufacturing jobs is also causally linked to an increase in “deaths of despair” (e.g., suicides and drug overdoses) among U.S. workers. Automation in manufacturing reduces employment, lowers household wages, and restricts access to healthcare, leading to around 8 additional deaths per 100,000 working-age males and 4 additional deaths per 100,000 working-age females.