Assessing the Evolution of Industrial Safety Management Systems in the Age of Automation: A Critical Evaluation of Accident Investigation Practices and the Development of Task-Specific, Technology-Adaptive Safety (Assessment)Tool

  • Unique Paper ID: 177246
  • Volume: 11
  • Issue: 12
  • PageNo: 341-353
  • Abstract:
  • The integration of robotics and automation in industrial settings has introduced new safety challenges, particularly concerning machine-related incidents. Traditional safety management systems, often rooted in static hazard identification frameworks such as Generic Risk assessment, JHA or HAZOP, struggle to address the dynamic risks posed by automated and robotic systems. This study presents the development and application of a flexible, task-specific, and technology-adaptive safety tool named Robotic Automation Hazard Identification and Risk Analysis (RA-HIRA). The tool was applied to five automation applications over a one-year period to assess its effectiveness in hazard identification and risk mitigation. RA-HIRA operates through five structured stages—Functional Decomposition, Dynamic Hazard Identification, Interaction Mapping, Failure Mode Integration, and Risk Scoring and Mitigation Planning—to provide a comprehensive and dynamic hazard analysis that extends beyond traditional safety approaches. The results indicated that RA-HIRA significantly reduced machine-related incidents, with four of the five applications reporting zero accidents or property damage. While a single near-miss event was identified, it was not initially captured in the original hazard analysis, highlighting the need for continuous adaptation. The study concludes that RA-HIRA offers a robust, function-specific, and adaptive safety framework that better aligns with the complexities of modern automated environments compared to traditional safety management tools.

Copyright & License

Copyright © 2025 Authors retain the copyright of this article. This article is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

BibTeX

@article{177246,
        author = {Anand Priyae Rajdarshan},
        title = {Assessing the Evolution of Industrial Safety Management Systems in the Age of Automation: A Critical Evaluation of Accident Investigation Practices and the Development of Task-Specific, Technology-Adaptive Safety (Assessment)Tool},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2025},
        volume = {11},
        number = {12},
        pages = {341-353},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=177246},
        abstract = {The integration of robotics and automation in industrial settings has introduced new safety challenges, particularly concerning machine-related incidents. Traditional safety management systems, often rooted in static hazard identification frameworks such as Generic Risk assessment, JHA or HAZOP, struggle to address the dynamic risks posed by automated and robotic systems. This study presents the development and application of a flexible, task-specific, and technology-adaptive safety tool named Robotic Automation Hazard Identification and Risk Analysis (RA-HIRA). The tool was applied to five automation applications over a one-year period to assess its effectiveness in hazard identification and risk mitigation. RA-HIRA operates through five structured stages—Functional Decomposition, Dynamic Hazard Identification, Interaction Mapping, Failure Mode Integration, and Risk Scoring and Mitigation Planning—to provide a comprehensive and dynamic hazard analysis that extends beyond traditional safety approaches. The results indicated that RA-HIRA significantly reduced machine-related incidents, with four of the five applications reporting zero accidents or property damage. While a single near-miss event was identified, it was not initially captured in the original hazard analysis, highlighting the need for continuous adaptation. The study concludes that RA-HIRA offers a robust, function-specific, and adaptive safety framework that better aligns with the complexities of modern automated environments compared to traditional safety management tools.},
        keywords = {Accident Investigation Practices, Adaptive Safety Tools, Automation, Autonomous Systems, Critical Evaluation, Dynamic Hazard Identification, Evolution, Failure Mode Integration, Flexible Safety Tool, Hazard Identification, Human Factors Engineering, Industrial Safety Management Systems, Interaction Mapping, Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) Procedures, Machine-Related Incidents, Robotics, Risk Analysis, Risk Mitigation, Risk Scoring, Safety Framework, Safety Management Practices, Safety Tools, Socio-Technical Systems Theory, Systemic Analysis, Task-Specific Safety Tools, Technology-Adaptive, Traditional Safety Approaches},
        month = {April},
        }

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