Conveyor Safety Information & Resources
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Is your conveyor operation as safe as it should be?
Unsafe Conditions | Conveyor Hazard Points | Online Resources
Conveyors are one of the best productivity-enhancing tools available to warehouses, industrial facilities, and distribution centers, but conveyor injuries in the U.S. cost employers millions of dollars every year. That's money you can save and pain you can avoid with the right processes and design. In fact, conveyors are generally safer than other material handling alternatives if they are maintained, designed and properly operated.
Twelve Fundamental Conveyor Safety Rules |
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The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics reports over fifty workplace fatalities a year where conveyors are the primary source of injury. Workplace injuries account for nearly 25% of all workers' compensation claims and up to 35% of all associated costs. Clearly, your company cannot afford to ignore conveyor safety, and must actively find ways to enforce it.
Unsafe conditions & environmental causes
Inadequate guarding, or unguarded conveyors are a crucial safety breach that can be minimized with good training and employee awareness. We always recommend having adequate conveyor guarding in every situation. It can be expensive, too: Unguarded conveyor belts that exposed workers at a Worcester, Mass., CVS Pharmacy to possible fractures and crushing injuries resulted in $61,575 in fines from OSHA. Clearly, you want to avoid these kinds of fines and the potential injuries that can result by unsafe conditions.
Defective conveyor equipment is unproductive and dangerous. When conveyors are not running at correct speeds, belt tensions, or in other ways, accidents can result. Your people should be trained to avoid these situations, and to report any malfunctioning conveying equipment as soon as they're aware of it.
Conveyors that are arranged hazardously can be a source of accidents. If your conveyor layout is made so that it flows foot traffic into areas where people can come into contact with moving conveyors, training can help them avoid injuries. Many order pickers are in contact with conveying equipment on a frequent basis. Instructing them how to safely utilize the conveyors and how to avoid contact with them is an investment that will pay off.
Another possibility is that overhead or elevated conveyors may result in conveyed items that fall, possibly causing injuries. To avoid this, we recommend that conveyors be guarded either with railings, safety netting, or other fall protection products that prevent conveyed items from falling onto people who walk beneath.
Conveyor Safety Training is Fundamental
In the CVS case, OSHA inspectors also discovered that employees were not instructed on how to prevent accidental conveyor startups while clearing product jams and the company lacked written instructions for doing so. Employees also faced tripping hazards from material stored directly in front of the conveyor. These conditions resulted in three alleged serious violations with $6,375 in proposed fines.
Any facility that utilizes conveyors should work to train everyone involved in safe operations. This should include frequent updates and refresher classes. Training and process are probably the single most important aspect of conveyor safety.
Everyone involved in a conveyor-using facility can be responsible for safety. Preventing unsafe acts should be part of your culture.
Operating conveyors without training or authority should be avoided. People who don't understand how the system might react shouldn't be at the controls, even if the degree of complexity is simple on the surface. Always be sure to train everyone who works in a conveyor area about how to operate the equipment and where the controls are. Everyone should know where stop switches are, how to use them, and when to use them.
Conveyors should never be operated in an unsafe manner. This includes people standing or riding on the conveyor, overloading it, or reaching into or under the conveyor when it's in motion.
At times, people will deactivate safety devices to expedite work or to quicken the pace. You should understand what devices are installed on a conveyor to make it safer, and be sure yours are always operational and in place. Your employees should report any inoperative devices or other hazards as a matter of process, as quickly as possible. Employees should never knowingly use unsafe equipment.
Unsafe loading of conveyors is another factor. When people understand where conveyors are to be loaded, and how to interact with the equipment, the chances of injuries are reduced significantly. Loading a conveyor over guards or railing, for instance, increases the chance the employee bending incorrectly or unsafely, or that he will load near a drive or motor and have a better chance of catching clothing in the rollers.
Workstations that include lift tables or other ergonomic devices help to ensure employees load in the right position, as the devices make loading easier and faster, as well as safer.
Obviously, many of the same principles apply when loading and lifting with conveyors as when lifting and loading elsewhere. Employees who are familiar with correct lifting techniques are less likely to be injured due to conveyors, especially when moderate to heavy items are being loaded and unloaded. Unsafe position and posture are critical to conveyor safety.
In general, workers should never interact with in-motion conveyors. Conveyor lines can be designed to move totes to a spur or workstation to be scanned, to be order-picked, etc.
Get Employees Involved
Establishing safety committees and inspection committees is one way to involve your people in issues involving their own safety. It helps both you and them to understand what issues may exist in the facility, and where people could be injured. Safety committees can frequently and comprehensively advise, evaluate, and investigate your material handling processes. The key for management is to get involved and ensure the committees meet, that they stay on-focus, and that standards are set.
What are the Typical Conveyor Hazard Points?
According to FFVA Mutual Insurance Company, the top hazard points for conveyors are:
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Power transmissions
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Nip points
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Shear points
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Pinch points
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Spill points
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Areas under counterweights
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Transfer counterweights
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Transfer mechanisms
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Passage areas under conveyor
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Under special circumstances
How do you address these specific areas of concern?
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Guards - Guards constitute one of the more common types of safety devices used for the protection of conveyors. Guards are coverings or barricades provided for safety purposes, such as gears, chains, or nip point guards.
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Operation and Maintenance of Guards - It is the owner's responsibility to see that his conveyor/conveyor system is never operated unless the guarding provided is in place. Also, that all guards be maintained in a safe condition and warning signs be kept in legible condition.
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Power Transmission - The need for power transmission equipment is common to all types of powered conveyors involving items such as drives, gears, shafts, couplings, etc. Conveyor equipment must be carefully examined by the owners to assure that guarding is provided for all exposed power transmission equipment to protect their operators and others in the work area from accidental contact. Typical items to be observed include:
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Drive Guards for chain, v-belt, and gearing must be both practical and durable. Guards can be constructed of expanded metal, perforated or solid sheet metal, sire mesh, plastic, or other materials securely fastened to the conveyor framework.
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Coupling Guards must be provided around all direct connections between motors and gearboxes when couplings are used to connect shafts.
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Line Shaft Guards -- Line shaft drives are still utilized on some types of conveyors to distribute power to the conveying mechanisms. Care should be taken in their location to prevent fingers, aprons, strings, or hair entering the line shaft guard.
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End Shaft Guards -- The protruding ends of rotating shafts or keyed shafts are particularly dangerous. Plastic end caps can be used to enclose ends to prevent items from becoming caught in shafts.
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Nip Points - "Nip Point" by definition is that point at which an element of the conveyor machinery moving in a line or rotating meets another element which is either rotating or moving in a line in such a manner that it is possible to nip, pinch, squeeze, or entrap objects coming in contact with one of the two elements.
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Guarding Under Special Circumstances - All exposed, moving parts of a conveyor which present a hazard to employees at their workstation should be mechanically or electrically guarded or guarded by position or location. Ease of access or approach to conveying equipment is essential to assure proper and continuous usage. To assure an accessible and safe conveyor operation requires understanding between the design/manufacturer and safety training by the owner.
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Providing a safe working place involving conveyors also requires consideration of electrical controls. Companies that use powered conveyors should make reference to these sections of the Safety Standards regarding conveyor guarding using electrical controls and stop switches for safety.
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According to FFVA Mutual, the majority of conveyor accidents are a direct result of an original design or implementation error. Conveyor safety is generally considered as a part of general safety. The practices described in this article may not give sufficient attention to the nuances required to provide a safe conveyor system. The responsibility for the planning, design and implementation of a conveyor system is often fragmented, lacking central responsibility. Attention to these details at the very beginning of the conveyor purchasing process can result in enhanced safety in your facility.
Conveyor Safety Resources:
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Conveyor Safety Poster (PDF document courtesy of Hytrol Conveyors): This printable poster can be posted in break rooms and conveyor area to reinforce training.
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Conveyor Safety Manual (PDF document): Click to read, right-click to download to your drive. Printable conveyor safety standards from Hytrol Conveyors, Inc.
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American Society of Safety Engineers Conveyor Safety Manual. Features case studies also illustrate that the nuances and special details required for the planning, design and implementation of a safe conveyor system are often overlooked in considering conveyor safety as part of a general safety program.
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Conveyor Safety Tips from The U.S. Department of Labor. Some tips on belt conveyor safety.
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Concepts and Techniques of Machine Guarding. Information from OSHA on machine guarding techniques.
Conveyor safety questions can be answered by contacting Cisco-Eagle at 888-877-3861 toll-free in the United States.
