recommendations related to clothing that should not be worn
around conveying equipment. Among them: do not wear
baggy clothing or hooded sweatshirts. Photo courtesy of
KPI-JCI & Astec Mobile Screens
Jerad Heitzler grabs the attention of listeners at the start of a webinar on belt conveyor safety with a few choice words.
“You and your employees are at risk of being injured by a belt conveyor,” says Heitzler, who is the Foundations training manager at Martin Engineering.
Heitzler details the importance of best safety practices when working around conveying equipment, and his presentation drives home the point that injuries and fatalities from conveyor accidents and other incidents have a number of negative effects on an operation – including to a company’s bottom line.
“Make sure workers have hard hats, safety shoes and safety glasses, and in some cases hearing protection is important,” he says. “Gloves are a good idea, and in certain applications, fall protection is needed.”
Heitzler also stresses the importance of wearing no baggy clothing and no hooded sweatshirts around conveyors. No jewelry, he says, and keep hair short or confined.
Guarding
A large part of Heitzler’s safety webinar focuses on conveyor guarding. One important point is that the guard itself should not be a hazard. Consider these takeaways:
■ The guard should not exceed 50 pounds.
■ It should not have sharp edges.
■ Hinges should not create a pinch point.
Heitzler suggests remembering the acronym “AUTO”: No one should be able to reach around, under, through or over a guard.
And, it’s an Occupational Safety & Health Administration rule – and a generally good idea – that a guard be installed in such a way that a tool is required to remove it.
“Foundations for Conveyor Safety: The Global Best Practices Resource for Safer Bulk Material Handling” is a book Martin Engineering published that details many aspects of conveyor safety, including best practices for the design and construction of guards for belt conveyors. Heitzler touts the book during his presentation. The book notes some of the following best practices in respect to guards:
■ Guards should not be designed in a way that someone can walk or climb on them. Either construct guards as if they are walking/working surfaces (grating) or provide a crossover.
■ Guards that are hinged should take less than about 17 lb.-ft. of force to open or close, and hinge and latch designs should be corrosion- and dirt-resistant.
■ To allow inspection, the open area in the guard’s mesh should be 50 percent or more.
■ Floating guard panels should be designed with a minimum of four mounting points, preferably in the corners.
■ Where there are openings in the guard panel (for example, for lubrication access) they should be bordered with frame material to eliminate sharp edges.
■ Guards utilizing electrical interlocks or remote non-contact sensing technology, such as RFID tags, should be tested for interference from other electrical signals.
Carryback, dust and spillage
Photo courtesy of Martin Engineering
In mining, for example, fatality and injury rates have dropped dramatically since the 1930s. However, Heitzler notes, the decline has plateaued somewhat since the early 1990s. He stresses the importance of making safety a priority and says the most effective way to keep workers safe around conveyors is to:
■ Mitigate cleanup and maintenance
■ Mitigate carryback, dust and spillage
When you have carryback, dust and spillage, he says, your risk of being hurt around a conveyor dramatically increases. The following are identified as best practices for the cleanup of fugitive material around belt conveyors:
■ Install and properly inspect, adjust and maintain the systems to prevent or minimize fugitive material.
■ Invest in systems to prevent the escape of fugitive materials such as carryback, dust and spillage. There is a prompt and significant return on investments for those systems that prevent the escape of fugitive material and thus reduce the expenditures for conveyor cleanup and component replacement.
■ New systems can be designed to allow safe cleaning under the conveyor in areas of anticipated high accumulation of fugitive materials. In those areas, the conveyor can be elevated and guarded to allow cleaning to be done safely and at less frequent intervals.
■ Employ available technologies to replace or supplement manual cleaning.
■ Use wash-down systems, skid-steer loaders, vacuum trucks and other equipment to meet cleaning requirements while minimizing labor. When using powered equipment, watch for other personnel working in the vicinity; use a spotter when moving.
Training
The key to training is to get trainees to modify their behavior and do things differently so you get the results needed, Heitzler says.
Data does not support the need for hands-on training. It’s more important to simply keep the trainee engaged, he adds.
Some training best practices include:
■ A small class size encourages interaction. A class of 25 individuals (or fewer) typically works best, especially when incorporating activity-based learning into the training program.
■ Instructors should be subject-matter experts who can deliver content in a classroom setting.
■ Some regulations require trainers to have special qualifications.
■ Draw on participants’ own knowledge and experience about safety and health issues.
■ Incorporate a variety of learning principles, methods and activities to enhance learning for all.
Also, Heitzler stresses that when it comes to belt conveyor safety, it is important to go above and beyond satisfying the requirements of government agencies such as the Mine Safety & Health Administration.
5 things to consider
According to Jerad Heitzler, Foundations training manager at Martin Engineering, companies and their employees have a responsibility for these five key areas at their operations:
1. Personal protective equipment
2. Policies, procedures, protocol
3. Safety equipment, including guards
4. Training
5. Developing effective ways to keep workers safe