Abstract
Most existing industrial robots have fences installed around them to ensure safety. However, industrial sites are recently being transformed into workspaces shared by both robots and humans working cooperatively, wherein the robots are without security fencing owing to the development of sensor technology. However, in the last five years (2017-2021), 16 deaths have occurred due to robots at industrial sites, with the main cause of the accidents being workers approaching an industrial robot in operation and getting entangled with or colliding into the robot and its peripherals. To prevent such accidents, multilateral research is needed. To this end, this study analyzes the nonconforming contents of safety inspections for industrial robots and demonstrates the safety performance of the safety function control system implemented in an industrial robot cell. In addition, to ensure the fundamental safety of industrial robots, this study proposes the introduction of a safety certification system so that safety functions can be implemented in the design, manufacturing, and installation stages of the robots.