World Cement - July 2020

To reduce hazards in the workplace, operators

employ a variety of methods, from requiring the

use of personal protective equipment (PPE) to

installing the latest and safest equipment designs.

When examining the safety of a system, improving

efficiency and reducing risk can be achieved

by utilising a hierarchy of control methods for

alleviating hazards. The consensus among safety

professionals is that the most effective way to

mitigate risks is to design the hazard out of the

component or system. This usually requires a

greater initial capital investment than short-term

fixes, but yields more cost-effective and durable

results.

The science: Hierarchy of control

methods

Examining the US Occupational Safety and

Health Administration (OSHA) accident database

reveals the dangers of working around conveyors.

Studies have revealed that accidents are most

likely to occur near locations where cleaning and

maintenance activities most frequently take place –

the takeup pulley, tail pulley and head pulley.

Experienced engineers often recommend

that operators retain an outside firm to examine

system requirements and design new equipment

around historical issues and specific needs

of the application, with an overall objective of

safety. Before the drafting phase, designers

should establish the goals of reducing injuries

and exposure to hazards (dust, spillage, etc.)

to increase conveyor uptime and productivity,

and seek more effective approaches to ongoing

operating and maintenance challenges. Designs

should be forward-thinking, exceeding compliance

standards and enhancing operators’ abilities to

incorporate future upgrades cost-effectively and

easily by taking a modular approach.

Designing hazards out of the system means

alleviating causes with the intent to bolster

safety on a conveyor system, but the methods of

protecting workers can vary greatly. In many cases,

it will be necessary to use more than one control

method, by incorporating lower ranked controls.

However, these lower-ranking approaches are

best considered as support measures, rather than

solutions in and of themselves.

PPE includes respirators, safety goggles, blast

shields, hard hats, hearing protectors, gloves, face

shields and footwear, providing a barrier between

the wearer and the hazard. The downsides are that

they can be worn improperly, may be uncomfortable

to use through an entire shift, can be difficult to

monitor and offer a false sense of security. But the

bottom line is that they do not address

the source of the problem.

Administrative controls (changes to

the way people work) create policies

that articulate a commitment to

safety, but written guidelines can be

easily shelved and forgotten. These

controls can be taken a step further

by establishing ‘active’ procedures

to minimise the risks. For example,

supervisors can schedule shifts that

limit exposure and require more

training for personnel, but these

positive steps still do not remove the

exposure and causes of hazards.

Warning signage is generally

required by law, so this is less of

Safety improves as the type of hazard control

moves higher up the hierarchy of methods.

Incorporating effective hazard control

techniques is easier and less costly in the early

stages of a project.

Risk assessment applied to design helps create a safer

conveyor system.

World Cement

July 2020