15/5/2017

Safety Tips Your Employees Should Know When Working around Conveyor Belts

Industrial

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Material handling industry is being moved by conveyor belts since a long time now. While it is important to maintain desired efficiency, keeping up the safety of employees as well as material is important, too.

It's only a matter of little negligence that an employee or two might get hurt and you, the employer, find yourself in legal quagmire. Therefore, getting your workforce to be familiar with certain safety rules makes sense.

Here are a few things to be kept in mind while working around a moving conveyor belt.

Maintain safe distance

A conveyor belt is pulled over high-speed conveyor rollers, so it's a no-brainer that one should maintain safe distance at all times. Do not ever try to ride on conveyor belts, as one might easily hurt oneself or even receive fatal injuries in a worst case scenario.

Do not remove safety guards

Safety guards are installed along the edges of the conveyor belt, for certain reasons. For any reason whatsoever, these safety guards must not be removed, lest the material fall off the belt, which could be a potential safety hazard.

Keep everyone clear of the belt

Before starting up the conveyor belt, make sure nobody in the vicinity is in direct contact with it. It is advised to blow a siren before starting up the belt, so everyone keeps clear of it. This is a great way to prevent unintentional injuries and keep everyone around safe.

Do not tamper with the controls

The controls of a conveyor belt should not be tampered with, as this might pose serious safety hazards or affect machine's functionality or both. You might want to stick the button to 'ON' position to keep the belt in motion, but this can cause serious problems during a short-circuit situation.

Keep your conveyor belt clear of debris

A small piece of cloth intertwined with conveyor rollers can wreak havoc, so be very careful about this. Also, if men or women with long hair are working around conveyor belts, their hair should be pulled back and tied up properly to prevent accidents.

Safety Gear

Employees working around conveyor belts must wear safety gloves and aprons at all times. Bare fingers are more likely to get underneath the leather belt, into the rollers; so, why take a chance?

Following the above safety tips will certainly protect your employees from injuries and keep you out of legal liability hassles.

Tags: conveyor rollers