Re:Tell HN: Duty of Care
by defrost on Tuesday November 08, 2022 @10:09PM
(#33527124)
> There was a Big Red Button acting as a physical power cut-out.
> Request was to remove the physical button and rely only on a software (touch screen). Death was a remote harm, but moderate injury / user stuck in device / panic attack was plausible.
Good on you for not removing it.
I work sometimes in mineral processing (above ground | below ground) with conveyor belts, crushers, etc.
Big easy physical power cutouts are everywhere:
Conveyors have "rip cords" running alongside, pull them and you can stop a 30 tonne/hour conveyor maybe before someone drwn into the rollers is crushed to death or maimed.
Crushers | screens | most big equipment has single OFF knife switch with "gang plates" that take multiple padlocks - if you and two others work inside a crusher you each put a lock (three in total) through the gang plates and nobody gets to restart the machin until everybody is out and has removed their padlock.
> Request was to remove the physical button and rely only on a software (touch screen). Death was a remote harm, but moderate injury / user stuck in device / panic attack was plausible.
Good on you for not removing it.
I work sometimes in mineral processing (above ground | below ground) with conveyor belts, crushers, etc.
Big easy physical power cutouts are everywhere:
Conveyors have "rip cords" running alongside, pull them and you can stop a 30 tonne/hour conveyor maybe before someone drwn into the rollers is crushed to death or maimed.
Crushers | screens | most big equipment has single OFF knife switch with "gang plates" that take multiple padlocks - if you and two others work inside a crusher you each put a lock (three in total) through the gang plates and nobody gets to restart the machin until everybody is out and has removed their padlock.
Big physical switches save lives.