San Mateo County Supervisor Ray Mueller is proposing new rules that would require businesses in unincorporated areas to obtain permits before using autonomous robots in the workplace.
The ordinance, set to be introduced tomorrow to the Board of Supervisors, would apply to robots used in restaurants, hotels, stores and other businesses.
Each robot and each location where it operates would require a separate permit, county officials said.
Insurance required
The proposal would establish requirements for battery safety, privacy, accessibility, emergency response, and operator accountability.
Businesses also would have to carry insurance and provide information about a robot’s manufacturer, incident history, and recalls.
Displaced workers
The ordinance would also address workers displaced by robots. Businesses would have to submit an Economic Impact Assessment and a Workforce Mitigation Plan, offering displaced employees’ redeployment at equal or higher pay, 60 days’ notice and severance, or a payment to a proposed county Workforce Retraining Fund.
The proposal includes additional safety requirements for lithium-ion batteries, which can cause fires through a process known as thermal runaway. Businesses would pay a fee to help fire departments respond to such blazes. — Bay City News
As I recall, Mueller and the others on the Board of Supervisors are all Democrats… a party that can’t define what a woman is. How are they going to define what a robot is?