Guarding Belt Conveyors

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Guarding Belt Conveyors
By Belt Conveyor Guarding (www.conveyorguarding.c
om) [phone]
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Guarding Belt Conveyors

• 1. Setting The Guarding Policy
• 2. Things to Consider When Building a Guard or
  Guarding an Area
• 3. Common Areas Requiring Guarding
• 4. Training

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Conveyor Belts Move Faster Than You!
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• What can happen in one second?
• A human eye can only blink twice in one second.
• At rest the human heart beats once per second.

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• For the average person the time needed to react
  to an unexpected sensation is about one second.

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• Consider the following
• A typical conveyor belt travels in the range of
  300 feet per minute.
• This means the belt is moving at 5 feet per
  second.
• That is one revolution of an 18 pulley.

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• That conveyor belt moving at 300 feet per minute
  or 5 feet per second will draw
• Your tool
• Your loose clothing
• Your hand
• Your arm
• 5 feet into the pinch point before you can
  react!!!

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1. Setting The Guarding Policy
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Company Guarding Policy

• Developed through Owner/Management and
  Worker/Joint Health and Safety Committee.
• These groups interpret the current MSHA Guarding
  Standards to establish their guarding policy.
• Using Standards such as the ANSI B11-Series
  Safety Standards for Machine Tools, for
  guidelines.
• From this a guarding best practices can be
  developed.

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ANSI B11-Series Safety Standards for Machine
Tools.(American National Standards Association)

• It was developed to determine guard mounting
  distances based on the maximum opening sizes in
  the guarding.
• The standard ensures that any body part which can
  fit through the mesh wont be able to contact the
  pinch point inside.

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What is the Safe Distance From a Pinch Point?
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• What and where is the in-running pinch point?

PINCH POINT
DIRECTION OF BELT TRAVEL
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• The distance that you are required to guard
  around a pinch point.

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PINCH POINT
DIRECTION OF BELT TRAVEL
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Guard Mounting Distances Proper Mesh Sizing
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Safety Gauges
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Distance from Point of Operation (in) Maximum Width of Opening (in)
0 to 1/2 Less than 1/4
1/2 to 2 1/2 1/4
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 3/8
3 1/2 to 6 1/2 5/8
6 1/2 to 17 1/2 1 1/4
17 1/2 to 36 1 7/8
Over 36 5
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2. Things to Consider When Building a Guard or
Guarding an Area
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Ergonomics

• A well designed guard should not weigh more than
  50 pounds
• It should not require more than one person to
  remove or install it.

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Simplicity

• Guards should fit into place easily with minimal
  thought or effort.

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Fastening System

• Consider What Type of Fastening System Will Work
  Best For the Application.

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Wedge Clamp

• Wedge clamp is never removed so your guard always
  has a place to go back on too.

Fully Opened Position
Partially Opened Position
Closed Position
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Wedge Clamp

• When a tool is required to remove the guard.
• Cable Tie requires a tool to remove it. (side
  cutters)

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Maintenance

• Do not design a guard that requires constant
  maintenance.

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Recognition

• Is the Guard recognizable as a Guard?
• Paint your guards a color which will standout
  from your equipment.
• Standardize a color which means Danger
• Safety Yellow is a common color.

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Adjustment

• Can adjustments be made to guarded components
  without
• 1) the loss of protection?
• 2) the modification of the
  guard?

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Inspection

• Can guarded components be inspected without
  removing the guard?

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Create A Hazard

• Does the design, material construction of the
  guard create a hazard?
• Free of
• Burrs
• Sharp Edges
• Pinch Points

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Standardization

• It is easier to install new guarding if you are
  using a common standard.
• Also, it is easier to educate new and existing
  workers on safe guarding practices.

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3. Common Areas Requiring Guarding
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Tail Pulley
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Tail Pulley
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Receiving Hopper/Skirt Boards
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Receiving Hopper/Skirt Boards
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Receiving Hopper/Skirt Boards
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Receiving Hopper/Skirt Boards
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Gravity Take Up Pulleys
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Gravity Take Up Pulleys
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Gravity Take Up Counter Weight Enclosures
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Gravity Take Up Counter Weight Enclosures
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Head Pulleys/Drive Pulleys/Snub Pulleys
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Return Rollers - within 7 ft from the ground or
walking and working surfaces.

• Example If a return roller is 6 feet above a
  walkway , and the area is 50 feet above the
  ground, it needs to be guarded.

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Return Rollers - within 7 ft from the ground or
walking and working surfaces.
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Return Rollers - within 7 ft from the ground or
walking and working surfaces.
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Return Rollers - above 7 feet from the ground
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Return Rollers - above 8 ft from the ground
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Return Rollers - above 7 ft from the ground
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Return Rollers on walkways
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Return Rollers on walkways
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Uprights or Obstructions which could trap
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Uprights or Obstructions which could trap
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V-Belts
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V-Belts
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V-Belts
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Other Circumstances to Consider
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Conveyor Bends
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Tripper Conveyors
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Radial Drives on Portable Stacks
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Radial Drives on Portable Stacks
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Self Closing Gate

• Used on top of ladder exits so person doesnt
  back or walk into the ladder opening.
• Gate can also be used at the bottom of stairs to
  limit access.

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Self Closing Gate
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Self Closing Gate
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Self Closing Gate
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4. Training
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• Training should involve instruction and hands-on
  training.
• Specific training is a crucial part of any
  effective guarding system.

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3 Questions to Ask Your Workers

• 1. How do the guards provide protection for the
  specific pinch point?
• 2. How and under what circumstances, can guards
  be safely removed and when must the guards be
  replaced?
• 3. What do you do if a guard is damaged or
  missing?

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Conclusion

1. Keep it simple !!!
2. Standardize your guarding.
3. Properly train your workers.

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Thank You!

• By Belt Conveyor Guarding
• (www.conveyorguarding.com)
• [phone]