This leads torapid fatigue and workers have to break at regular intervals toregain their strength. Workers are exposed to not only the harmful paintcomponents such as lead, but also to the risk of falling. Accordingto the National Safety Council, seventy percent of all seriousinjuries to coating workers are caused by falls. Strenuous workingconditions and worker fatigue contribute to an inconsistent qualityof the applied painting. This hazardous painting procedure iswell suited for automation techniques.
Development is justified by the potential improvementsin safety, quality, and productivity.
With the robotic bridgemaintenance system, human operators will be removed from the dangerouswork environment location under the bridge deck to a safe placeon top of the deck. There they can teleoperate the robotic systemwithout risking their health or their lives. The quality of paintingis also improved because the robotic system does not suffer fromexhaustion or fatigue as a human operators does. A consistent,high quality painting is then obtained. By protecting the workerfrom hazardous environments productivity is greatly increased.