A recent safety alert from the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) on rotating conveyor rollers offers some good tips for working around conveyors in any industry.
MSHA released the safety alert following incidents involving rotating conveyor rollers that resulted in three miners becoming permanently disabled since the beginning of 2024.
These kinds of incidents occur when conveyor rollers, pulleys and idlers are being cleaned or adjusted while the conveyor belt is in motion. Injuries can vary from broken bones to the loss of appendages and some have even resulted in fatalities.
What to avoid
According to MSHA, the unsafe actions that lead to these incidents include:
- using aerial lifts to access elevated bend, snub and take-up pulleys
- removing or reaching around guards to work on moving conveyor components, and
- using scrapers, shovels, pry bars, hammers or torches to remove ice, mud or buildup because the tools can be caught in pinch points between the belt and rollers, pulling in hands along with the tools.
Best practices
To avoid injuries related to conveyors, MSHA suggests:
- keeping guards and protective systems in place
- having an effective lockout/tagout program
- establishing policies and procedures to ensure safe cleaning and maintenance of conveyor components
- providing task- and site-specific hazard training that prohibits cleaning or working on or around moving conveyor components, and
- ensuring that supervisors, workers and contractors are all following safe cleaning and maintenance policies and procedures.
