Machines taking over? Robot kills a man in Manesar

In a tragic accident, a worker was welded to death at SKH Metals Limited, an automobile industry in Manesar on 12 August. Following the accident he was rushed to a local hospital where he was declared dead.

Who is the deceased?

• The man was identified as Ramji Lal (25) who was working in the robotic division of the company. He was pierced with welding rods in the abdomen by a pre-programmed robot.

• Around 63 men and 39 robots were on duty when the accident took place.

The Accident

• The robot which was welding metal sheets pierced Lal's abdomen after one sheet had got dislodged and the victim had apparently moved too close to the robot while adjusting the dislodged metal sheet.

• A shop floor colleague claimed that had Lal approached the robot from the front and hadn't stopped to adjust the sheet, the accident wouldn't have happened.

Investigation

• During the preliminary investigations the cops have found that the victim got too close to the robot and was trapped. The robotic arm went through him and he died on the spot. Cops will be looking the CCTV footage and will gather more information from workers and the company's management.

• Assistant Commissioner of Police Rajesh Kumar said the company management and the contractor who had engaged the victim had been booked on charges of causing death due to negligence.

Previous Instance

• On June 29, 2015, a worker at a Volkswagen factory in Germany had died after a robot had grabbed him and had crushed him against a metal plate.