Aggregates Manager

October 2013

Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine

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SAFETY WATCH out Tear this ith your are w nnel and sh t perso plan Convey the Message of Safety With high speeds of travel, workers need to exercise caution around conveyors. compiled by Therese Dunphy, Editor-in-Chief tdunphy@randallreilly.com Conveyor-belt related accidents have traditionally been a significant concern among miners. During a 10-year window from 2000 to 2010, nearly 30 miners were killed around surface and underground conveyor belts. More than half of these fatalities may have been prevented if the following guidelines had been implemented among those working around conveyor belts. • Stop. Do not work or travel around a conveyor when it is operating, and do not attempt to place your arm or a tool near a roller or other moving part when the belt is on or may start. • De-energize. Stop the belt by switching off the power and disconnecting the electrical circuit at the breaker panel or motor control center. • Lock and tag. Once the power is disconnected, lock and tag to ensure that the conveyor belt cannot be energized while you're working around it. • Block from motion. Accidents have occurred when stored energy moved a stopped conveyor belt and entangled unsuspecting miners. Securing the belt from unintended motion can help ensure your safety. A simple mathematical understanding of conveyor speed can help workers understand the risks associated with moving conveyor belts. For example, in a group of fatalities studied by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), the belt speeds typically ranged from 300 to 500 feet per minute. This means the belt was moving from 5 to more than 8 feet per second. The average person needs about 1 second to react to an unexpected sensation. AM Information from this Safety Watch is from an actual accident and is provided by the Mine Safety and Health AGGREGATES MANAGER October 2013 Best practices To improve worker safety, use the following best practices: • Stop, look, analyze, and manage (SLAM) each task. • Keep all guards securely in place except when testing or making adjustments which cannot be performed without the removal of the guard. • Align conveyor belts from a safe location where the moving parts can't grab you. • Clean up excessive spillage before repairing a conveyor belt. On July 21, 2005, a 31-year-old plant operator with two years of mining experience was fatally injured at a sand and gravel operation. He made a splice on a conveyor belt and was making adjustments to the belt. He was found entangled in the tail pulley of the conveyor. Administration. It is meant for general information purposes only. Sponsored by

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