Industrial robot safety could be advanced through participation of human factors scientists and practitioners who can join in investigating robot accidents and near accidents, propose additional robotic safety methods, conduct surveys and experiments, help develop standards and guidelines, and above all attempt to reduce “human error” that leads to accidents. Error types and sources are reviewed as well as techniques for reducing them. Reports are summarized that contained accident data, surveys, and experimentation. Japanese ergonomists have been in the forefront of robot safety research from a human factors perspective. A number of accident prevention methods are proposed that have received little or no attention.