Thoughts on accessibility and automation

The week before we were set to complete this issue of Canadian Fabricating & Welding, I slipped and broke my wrist while out for a walk. Beyond the initial frustration of feeling like I should have known better than to be ill-prepared for the weather conditions, I didn’t give much thought to adapting to having the full use of only one arm, if only for the short term.

Most of us inevitably take for granted whatever mobility and fine motor skills we’ve been lucky enough to possess. Loss of those skills can be gradual or sudden, and society’s ability to accommodate those new needs isn’t always as it should be. Consider the struggle for wheelchair accessibility at many venues as the most obvious example. Although most publicly owned venues are now wheelchair accessible, many private businesses such as restaurants lag in adapting to such needs.

While discussing cobots used for welding and finishing with a number of experts this past month, it occurred to me how automation in all its forms can help a business adapt to not only productivity challenges but also the needs and abilities of its staff. For instance, an older manual welder may not be as fast or accurate as they once were, or they may just not want to be under the hood laying a bead anymore. But given a cobot to run, perhaps that welder could be encouraged to hold off retirement and support their team with the knowledge they’ve accrued.

Similarly, if you’ve got a robot that handles pick-and-place work or repetitive grinding jobs, perhaps an employee who previously experienced a repetitive strain injury could be assigned to these tools to complete tasks they’ve mastered manually without further exacerbating previous injuries.

All of these are steps to creating a more inclusive work environment as well. With the right tools, there’s less chance you’ll miss out on the latent talent of more people.

The inevitable question is, did I use voice recognition software to write this? Honestly, no, just my go-to hunt-and-peck method. But it was nice to be reminded by a colleague that this was a legitimate option available to me if I needed it. That’s all anyone wants—a legitimate route to prove their abilities.