Stay Safe! Top Tips When Handling Machine Guards and Conveyor Belts

11 July 2017
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Certainly, conveyor belts are a necessity in any production plant. They make life easy for your workers in terms of moving equipment, materials and products throughout the facility. Conveyor belts can be installed at any phase of production provided there is a need to move lots of stuff at a time. Even though they are convenient, conveyor belts and the accessories used alongside them can pose a huge risk to the safety of the operators. A Little knowledge about the inherent dangers you face could leave you with severe injuries or even death. Thankfully, you can stay safe with the following handling tips when working in a workplace with lots of conveyor belts:

Cleaning and Clearing the Conveyor Belt

For optimal efficiency, conveyor belts should be kept clear and free of dirt at all times. It is actually an important part of the maintenance of the machine. However, cleaning and clearing the conveyor belt often puts someone at risk, especially if he or she does not have so much knowledge of the machine.

First of all, the machine should only be cleaned at standard times when the operations that are dependent on the conveyor belts have been brought to a halt. The machine should be turned throughout the cleaning period. Preferably, make sure that it is tagged out of the power supply to minimise further minimise the possibility of an accident.

Understand the Guards

Guards are used on conveyor systems to keep workers safe and prevent injuries when the machine jams or snaps. There are two types of guards used on conveyor belts, and a clear understanding of each set will help you stick to your lane and stay safe in the process. These are fixed and interlocking guards.

Fixed guards provide optimal safety because they can only be modified and altered by specially trained and qualified personnel. On the hand, interlocking guards are more discretional. They are fitted according to the specific needs of the conveyor belt in question, although their fitting must be adequate to ensure that they do not interfere with operations or jeopardise the efficiency of fixed guards.

Loading the Conveyor Belts

Here, it is important to pay attention to the designated loading capacities of the machines. Overloading can make the conveyor belt to snap and injure someone. Additionally, there should be no loads left lying on the conveyor belts when they stop. This can compromise safety.