Tag Archives: equipment

Don’t Get Carried Away Working on Conveyor Belts

belts and loose clothingConveyor belts don’t seem like much. Compared to crushers and screening machines, belts seem rather harmless and easy. But in some industries, belt speeds range from 200 to 500 feet per minute, which can go more than eight feet per second. For the average person, the time needed to react is about one second.

Getting pulled up to eight feet is enough time to draw your hand, arm, or loose clothing into a pinch point before you can react. To avoid serious injury, here are some ways you can work safely on a conveyor belt.

Know the Rules
Before you touch heavy equipment like conveyor belts, make sure you are fully trained and educated on the proper safety procedures. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with deadlines and stressful work environments, which can lead to cutting corners on safety policies and processes. Also, before using a conveyor belt, be sure to know where the emergency shut-off is.

If you feel undertrained or unqualified to work near certain types of conveyor belts, notify your manager and request proper training. If you’re concerned with retaliation, consider weighing the importance of your health and safety with your job.

If the belt breaks down and you need to make a repair, be sure the belt is locked out. According to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), the belt should also have a sign reading “Do Not Operate” while the belt is under repair.

Protection is Pivotal
When operating or repairing a conveyor belt, loose clothing shouldn’t be worn. And remember never to lean over or across a conveyor to retrieve an item, because it increases the chance to be injured. Be sure to know your employer’s requirements for safety clothing before operating the conveyor belt.

Also, especially when repairing a conveyor belt, OSHA recommends that you should consider wearing safety equipment like hard hats and closed-toed shoes. Hard hats can protect a blow to the head when working below a conveyor belt. Safety glasses should also be worn to prevent pieces of debris from hitting your eyes.

Your employer is responsible for having all conveyor equipment carefully checked to ensure that guarding is provided for all exposed power transmission equipment and that guarding is maintained.

Don’t Make it a Hairy Situation
Loose clothing shouldn’t be the only thing kept away when working on conveyor belts. If you have long hair, make sure to keep it tied up and securely tightened on your head or in a safety hat. It’s best to keep it from hanging because it’s possible for hair to get caught in the belt, which can lead to head injuries. Accessories like jewelry or any item of clothing that could potentially be caught in the machinery shouldn’t be worn while working.

Being safe doesn’t have to interfere with your productivity and can actually improve it in the long run. Conveyor belts don’t have to be dangerous situations if you’re smart, follow safety procedures, and avoid wearing lose clothing and accessories.

Safety Squeeze – Identify and Avoid Pinch Points

Pinchpoint_march2012_webWith St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, most people will be sporting their favorite green attire to avoid getting pinched on March 17. To most of us, a pinch isn’t taken very seriously. We remember pinching the cute girl or boy growing up in school, getting our cheeks pinched by our relatives who came from out of town, or getting a “pinch to grow an inch” during a birthday celebration.

But, for many of those working today, getting pinched can become very serious injuries called pinch-points. A pinch-point is when a person or part of a person’s body is caught between moving parts of a machine, between the moving and stationary parts of a machine, or between material and any part of the machine. With these easy guides, you can know what a pinch-point is and how to keep them from happening.

You’re a Mean One, Mr. Pinch

Pinch-points can be as small as a pair of pliers slipping and pinching a hand causing a blood blister, to being crushed against a wall by a truck that was backing up. This hazard can happen at any time at the workplace.

A pinch-point injury on the job can be seriously disabling, even causing amputation or death. A serious pinch point injury can put a heavy emotional and financial burden on you or your family. If there is a place where equipment is transmitting energy, there is a potential pinch-point danger with that equipment.

There’s No Easy Way Out

Often pinch-point injuries are the result of improperly trained workers who don’t realize the dangers of machinery, or take shortcuts to get the work done more quickly. Work can be stressful with deadlines and training new people, but it’s important to keep in mind the safety rules and mechanisms that were put in place to keep you safe. Ignoring those procedures can put you at risk and cause more work for everyone else.

Never perform a task without proper training. It’s not uncommon for managers to place workers in front of a machine without proper training and expect them to perform their job, but it is up to the worker, for the sake of their health and life, to not work on equipment that they haven’t been properly trained for. The consequences could be serious.

Keep Your Guard Up

Pinch-point conditions are also one of the most difficult hazards to guard against. Improperly guarded punch presses, oscillating or reciprocating parts, heavy steel doors, heavy covers, and belt conveyors can inflict serious injuries.

Many pinch-point injuries occur when a ma­chine is stopped temporarily for service or cleaning, so it’s extremely important to follow necessary procedures for lockout and tagout (LOTO). Workers can follow guard policies for when the machine is running, but when it’s stopped and the guard is removed, if the equip­ment is not de-energized, a worker is not safe.

A little thought will bring to mind the many pinch points in your workplace. Take some time to review your work station and those around you to see if there could be potential pinch-point dangers. You could spare an injury, even your own.

Hands Are Our Tools: Grasping The Importance of Our Hands

Handtools_feb2012_webOur hands are one of the most versatile parts of our body. They can be tender and accurate enough to paint a picture, thread a needle, or play the harp. They can also be strong and powerful enough to swing an axe, move heavy objects, or clean floors. Our hands are also two of the most important tools we have. We use them in almost every aspect of our daily lives, and it’s important to keep them safe.

Keep in mind that your hands are also fearless. They will go to any place you send them and will act only as wisely as you want them. It’s a good thing to keep in mind where you put your hands and take proper care of the only two hands you’ll ever have. Here are some helpful hints to keep your hands safe and working properly.

A Little Foresight Can go a Long Way

Cuts and scrapes may not be a serious issue, but it can affect your productivity if you have to stop working to bandage a small scrape or cut. One of the best ways to do this is to take a proactive approach. Look at the area your hands will be working in and make sure there is nothing that can harm your hands. A good example would be if you were moving an object. Check to see if the doorways and aisles are wide enough to move through safely before lifting. You should also check if there is proper hand clearance when setting down the object.

In a Pinch

We’ve all been in a rush. We know the feeling of approaching deadlines and the stress of learning new things quickly. When we feel that kind of pressure, it can become tempting to cut corners.

Sometimes new employees are shoved into working with equipment without getting proper training and don’t realize some of the dangers when using the equipment. Veteran workers also get comfortable and skip procedures, which can lead to pinching your fingers or hand in machinery.

Small pinches can happen at home and they’re more of a nuisance than anything, but getting pinched while operating machinery can lead to severed fingers or broken bones. Make sure to have all safety guards in place, a clean area, and better attention to your hand positioning.

Rings of Doom

There are many jokes about how things were great for somebody until they put on a wedding ring, and that’s when the troubles began. Those kinds of jokes may not be far from the truth when it comes to our jobs.

Wearing a wedding ring or other types of hand jewelry can put your fingers in danger by making it easy for your hands to catch on machinery and other objects, which could result in injuries. If it isn’t an option to remove the jewelry, be sure to wear proper protective equipment like gloves to help prevent those items from interfering with your job.

Sometimes it’s the little things that we overlook that have major consequences. Your hands are no different. Such intricate and important tools shouldn’t be taken for granted. There are many little things you can do to keep your hands safe that don’t interfere with your day. Give yourself a hand and make sure they’re protected.