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Industrial Supplies for Construction Workers and Contractors

Hi, my name is John. I have loved tools for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid, I built a tree house, and I used to give my dad lists of the supplies I needed. As I got older, I began to run the office at a busy construction firm. As part of that, I had to order all of our industrial equipment and supplies. From both play and work, I have learned a lot about what sort of supplies a successful construction worker or contractor needs. If you want advice or tips on this topic, please explore my blog. It has all kinds of posts based on my research and experiences.

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Be on the Safe Side With Conveyor Guards

12 September 2017
 Categories: , Blog

A conveyor system is a mechanical device that transports materials and goods from one spot to another in a planned route of travel. Essentially, conveyors come in handy in applications that involve the transportation of bulky or heavy goods. In addition to being productive, these transportation devices also minimise the potential hazards of spinal, shoulder or knee injuries and other orthopaedic complaints. However, in spite of their benefits, conveyors also pose safety hazards to workers, especially at nip points. That is why conveyor guarding is quite important for conveyor systems. Read on.

Nip point

Any section of a conveyor system that is a possible nip point ought to be guarded. A nip point is basically a junction formed by two or more parts rotating in one plane, close to each other and in contrasting directions. The danger here is the likelihood to get drawn into the machinery. A number of nip points are intended to draw materials into them for the machine to carry out some modifications of the material, whereas some nip points occur due to power transmission and aren't specifically meant to draw the material into the machine.

When a piece of clothing, an object, or any body part comes into contact with the nip point, the conveyor's drive components pull the object inside the machine, if the forces exerted on the object beat the forces stopping the object from shifting. The drive components typically exert resultant forces against the object vertical from the revolving point of the drive. For anything to get drawn into the nip point, hindrance must occur between the object and the drive components.

Examples of nip points

Examples of nip point risk areas in conveyors include:

  • Head drums
  • Tail drums
  • Any part of the belt characterised by exposed idlers together with skirts
  • Belt conveyors
  • Any scraper or skirting arrangements
  • Gravity tension devices
  • Exposed drive shafts

Conveyor guards

Conveyor systems must be fitted with guards. Many operators have ended up in nip points when a section of their loose clothing gets entwined in the pinch point. Essentially, these guards stop access to the nip point which eliminates the risk of the machine operator being pulled into the machine. Examples of conveyor guards include lift-out rollers that stop fingers from being trapped, fixed guarding, and removable or hinged interlocked guards.

In conclusion, warehouse or industrial managers should organise for a formal risk assessment to indicate what other safety measures to take apart from conveyor guards in regards to conveyor systems.