Pit & Quarry, October 2017

Emergency pull stops are an essential safety feature on any belt conveyor system Guards that are hinged should take less than about 17 lb ft of force to open or close and hinge and latch designs should be corrosion and dirt resistant To allow inspection the open area in the guards mesh should be 50 percent or more Floating guard panels should be designed with a minimum of four mounting points preferably in the corners Where there are openings in the guard panel for example for lubrication access they should be bordered with frame material to eliminate sharp edges Guards utilizing electrical interlocks or remote noncontact sensing technology such as RFID tags should be tested for interference from other electrical signals CARRYBACK DUST AND SPILLAGE Fatality and injury rates in mining have dropped dramatically since the 1930s However Heitzler notes the decline has plateaued somewhat since the early 1990s He stresses the importance of making safety a priority and says the most effective way to keep workers safe around conveyors is to Mitigate cleanup and maintenance Mitigate carryback dust and spillage When you have carryback dust and spillage he says your risk of being hurt around a conveyor dramatically increases The following are identified as best practices for the cleanup of fugitive material around belt conveyors Install and properly inspect adjust and maintain the systems to prevent or minimize fugitive material Invest in systems to prevent the escape of fugitive materials such as carryback dust and spillage There is a prompt and significant return on investments for those systems that prevent the escape of fugitive material and thus reduce the expenditures for conveyor cleanup and component replacement New systems can be designed to allow safe cleaning under the conveyor in areas of anticipated high accumulation of fugitive materials In those areas the conveyor can be elevated and guarded to allow cleaning to be done safely and at less frequent intervals Employ available technologies to replace or supplement manual cleaning Use wash down systems skid steer loaders vacuum trucks and other equipment to meet cleaning requirements while minimizing labor When using powered equipment watch for other personnel working in the vicinity use a spotter when moving TRAINING The key to training is to get the trainee to modify his or her behavior to do things differently so you get the results you need Heitzler says Data does not support the need for hands on training Its more important to simply keep the trainee engaged he adds Some training best practices include A small class size encourages interaction A class of 25 individuals or fewer typically works best especially when incorporating activity based learning into the training program Instructors should be subject matter experts who can deliver content in a classroom setting To keep workers safe around conveyors employ available technologies to replace or supplement manual cleaning Some regulations require trainers to have special qualifications Draw on participants own knowledge and experience about safety and health issues Incorporate a variety of learning principles methods and activities to enhance learning for all Also Heitzler stresses that when it comes to belt conveyor safety it is important to go above and beyond satisfying the requirements of government agencies such as the Mine Safety Health Administration P Q Five safety points According to Jerad Heitzler Foundations training manager at Martin Engineering mining companies and their employees have a responsibility for each of the following 1 Personal protective equipment PPE 2 Policies procedures protocol 3 Safety equipment such as guarding 4 Training 5 Developing effective ways to keep workers safe pitandquarry com October 2017 PIT QUARRY S21 PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARTIN ENGINEERING