Conveyor Safety

CONVEYOR SAFETY PRECAUTIONS Home | Maintenance | Safety | Tips | Glossary

1. General

Accidents resulting in personal injury and involving mechanical or electrical equipment almost always are attributable to unsafe practices by the operating or maintenance personnel. Many accidents happen because personnel concerned do not realize the danger of improper practices. Frequently, however, proper practices are known but ignored, because the employee is careless or in a hurry. For the most part, equipment is designed with standard safety features, which do much to protect operating personnel. It is impossible, of course, to provide complete protection for every situation and every contingency. Therefore, there should be a safety program that includes education of operating personnel, continual inspection to determine that safety equipment is in good working order, and frequent reviews of injuries to determine a pattern for those injuries and to determine if installing additional safety features on the equipment will eliminate or reduce those injuries.

Maintenance personnel can contribute greatly to the success of the safety program. Familiar with the equipment, they can understand the possible result of carelessness or improper use of the equipment. As an important aspect of their work, maintenance personnel should be trained to recognize and promptly report unsafe practices in the operational use of equipment, as well as any dangerous conditions in the equipment itself.

2. Safety and Equipment Design

No manufacturer deliberately installs equipment that is hazardous to personnel working around it. Most equipment is provided with safety devices in accordance with the National Safety Code (ASME American Standard B20.1-1957) and OSHA Safety Codes as they relate to conveyors and related equipment. Nevertheless, injuries continue to occur. Often, the possibility of injury from a particular situation seems so remote that no safeguards are provided. Despite educational programs, there will always be a few employees who do not fully understand the importance of proper conduct around mechanized equipment. To eliminate all possibility of injury, safety equipment must provide protection for more than the average alert employee.

It is the responsibility of the maintenance group to see that all guards remain in place and continue to provide the intended protection, and that all safety equipment stays in fully functional condition.

3. Safety Rules for Maintenance Personnel

Working continuously with conveyor equipment and related hardware, members of the maintenance staff must be especially careful. Maintenance personnel should keep the following basic rules for safety constantly in mind.

1. Maintenance work requiring close contact with equipment shall not, as a rule, be performed while equipment is operating. If servicing must be performed with the equipment operating, special safety provisions shall be used whenever possible.
2. The electrical motors disconnect switch for any piece of equipment shutdown for maintenance shall be locked out by means of a pad lock. Equipment adjacent to the work area shall also be locked out if the required maintenance work might require maintenance personnel to come in contact with it.
3. Before restarting any equipment that has been stopped for maintenance, inspect the equipment to be sure that all guards are in place and that all personnel are clear of moving parts.
4. No conveyors shall be permitted to run unless all safety devices are operating properly and guards are in place. Provisions should be made to prevent unauthorized tampering with safety device adjustments.
5. Use mechanical aids in lifting of heavy parts. Jacks, chain hoists, cables, etc., shall be used with extreme caution and shall be inspected regularly for defects.
6. Maintain vigilance for hazardous conditions. Repair or replace worn or broken parts as promptly as possible.
7. Maintain good housekeeping at all times. Clean spills promptly and remove tools and replaced parts from the work area.
8. Wear safety helmet in all hazardous areas.
9. Promptly report all accidents resulting in personal injury or in damage to equipment as well as any irregularities in equipment operation. Make any suggestions on how to prevent reoccurrence to your supervisor.

1. Safety Rules for Operating Personnel

Proper enforcement of safety rules for operating personnel is sometimes difficult. In some situations, the maintenance staff should have blanket authority to shut down equipment that is being used unsafely. Even this solution is not adequate in many cases. The best approach is an educational program that must include formal training sessions, on-the-job instruction by supervisors, prominent warning signs at hazardous locations, and meaningful poster displays. The following are basic safety precautions for operations personnel:

1. All persons working at or near conveying equipment should be instructed in the location and operation of emergency stop devices.
2. Except in emergencies, only authorized personnel shall start or stop conveyor equipment.
3. Conveying equipment shall not be permitted in areas where such clothing can be caught in moving parts of equipment.
4. Operating personnel are not to attempt repairs or adjustments to equipment.
5. Loose clothing or accessories shall not be permitted in areas where such clothing can be caught in moving parts of equipment.
6. Conveyors must be properly loaded. Load material only at established loading stations. Place loads so they cannot fall from the equipment.
7. Load limits of the conveyor shall not be exceeded.
8. Good housekeeping shall be maintained in the vicinity of equipment at all times.
9. All accidents resulting in personal injury or in damage to equipment or material as well as any irregularities in equipment operation shall be reported promptly.

1. General Personnel Safety

1. Do not wear ties unless they are of the clip-on type.
2. Do not wear loose clothing.
3. While climbing, carry tools properly so they do not fall on someone.
4. Carry your own personalized locks for locking out motor disconnects.
5. After locking out a piece of equipment, check the start, jog and main console pushing buttons and selector switches.
6. Always work in pairs.
7. Do not play or loiter on or around equipment.
8. Do not climb on conveyor, whether they are running or not.
9. If a tool catches in a moving piece of equipment, let it go. Tools can be replaced. Fingers, hands or arms cannot be replaced.
10. When working on conveyor with photo eyes, be aware that blocking the beam of a photo eye can often cause some function of the equipment to operate.
11. Never stick your finger in anything to check oil level, gear position, depth, etc.