Malfunctioning robot impales Chinese factory worker

Occurred: December 2018

Can you improve this page?
Share your insights with us

A worker at a porcelain factory in Hunan province, China, has been impaled by ten steel bars in the arm and chest after a robotic arm fell onto him.

A robotic arm suddenly collapsed from a machine and fell onto the worker, its spikes spearing his body. Each of the sharp steel bars measured 30 centimetres (one foot) in length and 1.5 centimetres (0.59 inches) in diameter, according to the hospital which treated the worker. 

Surgeons managed to remove all the spikes from the worker's body. 

Operator: Zhuzhou porcelain factory
Developer: 
Country: China
Sector: Manufacturing/engineering
Purpose: Assemble components
Technology: Robotics
Issue: Safety
Transparency: Governance

Page info
Type: Incident
Published: March 2023