Procter Machine Safety has published the third edition of its free White Paper ‘Conveyor Guarding – Safeguarding the hazards presented by conveyors’. This in-depth guide discusses the hazards associated with conveyors, the regulations and standards relating to conveyor guarding, and how to guard conveyors cost-effectively without compromising productivity.
Powered conveyors are ubiquitous in manufacturing, quarrying, agriculture, logistics, airports, waste management and many other industries. However, despite their apparent simplicity, conveyors account for a large number of injuries to workers, and sometimes fatalities. Incidents often occur during normal operations such as production, clearing of blockages, cleaning and maintenance. Severe crush injuries and soft tissue damage are common, as are broken bones, severed fingers and severed limbs.
Procter’s free White Paper, ‘Conveyor Guarding – Safeguarding the hazards presented by conveyors’, gives examples of conveyor-related accidents and prosecutions by the HSE (Health and Safety Executive). The White Paper goes on to outline applicable regulations, standards and published guidance, and explains the need for documented risk assessments. As well as introducing the subject of CE marking, which is still necessary for machinery placed on the market in the EU, the third edition of the White Paper also addresses UKCA marking for machinery in Great Britain, which was introduced when the UK left the EU.
In addition, the White Paper discusses conveyor hazards and safeguards, the requirements for control systems if the conveyor operates in conjunction with other machines, the importance of maintaining productivity when installing new safeguards, and how to guard conveyors as cost-effectively as possible. There are also references to additional measures that may be necessary, such as safe working practices should it be necessary to remove fixed guarding for maintenance.
Anyone responsible for specifying or designing conveyors, or the safety of existing conveyors, will find the White Paper invaluable. Thomas Shapland, Marketing Director of Procter Brothers, states: “Our conveyor guarding White Paper has been very popular since we published the first edition in 2015. It has now been revised and updated by Steve Allen CMSE, one of the most respected machine guarding specialists in the UK. The HSE often reports on prosecutions that have followed accidents involving conveyors. Unfortunately, these accidents could almost always have been prevented had sufficient safeguards been in place. Not only do such accidents lead to serious injuries and sometimes fatalities, but they are also very expensive in terms of fines, lost production and additional indirect costs.
“Having read our White Paper, if designers, specifiers or end users are concerned about conveyor safety, our guarding specialists can quickly take a look. If necessary, we can design, manufacture and install custom-designed guards that provide the necessary safety without hindering productivity.”