There is no point in spending time and money in designing and planning you next project, if you cast aside safety. Safety must take precedent, no if's or buts. It is ingrained in health and safety law of course, but more than this, thinking about safety in regards to your conveyor belt project, will pay dividends in protecting your second family, the colleagues and employees that you work with, day in and day out.
1) Talk to us about safety. We have been in the business for many years now and safety in terms of our design and build is second nature. We will advise you on the common considerations to take into account such as materials used, inclines, areas of a belt system that need special attention, and of course how to turn the belt off quickly, in case of emergency, and when the system needs complete isolation for when maintenance occurs.
2) Talk to your staff. As a manager it is unlikely that you will be at the coal face during the working day, you will have other responsibilities. However it is imperative that if something doesnt look right or that the belt is not performing that you know about it. Ensure all your operatives know about the reporting procedures for when they notice an issue with equipment. In terms of safety they play a crucial role in ensuring that equipment is kept as it should be - safe.
3) Emergency stops - these are key for when an issue occurs. An operative must be able to reach the emergency stop buttons in quick time, with no delay in order to be able to shut down the system and ensure that damage to equipment or personnel is minimal.
4) Safety training specific to conveyor systems is essential. We are not talking about incorporating conveyor training into the first day overview for staff. This training needs to be specific, regular and thorough taking into account any changes both in machinery and in health and safety law.
5) Call in the experts - us - when upgrades or amendments are required. Don't chance it or attempt to work with equipment and machinery that is not understood. 100's of accidents happen every year this way.
6) Dont clamber on or use the conveyor as a climbing frame. It is not designed for this purpose, and having operatives climb on potentially dangerous machinery is a risk not worth taking.
7) Review your conveyor system regularly, look for obvious problems and speak to your staff who are using it to see if they are seeing any issues.
This is not a conclusive list but it gets us all thinking about safety, which always a good thing. As always if you are planning your next project get in touch with us her at CCL Conveyors Ltd and we can help you plan your next conveyor belt project, safely.
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