Enhancing Safety in Conveyor Operations: Guidelines for Effective Warning Systems and Hazard Mitigation
Safety stickers and warning labels should be securely placed at pinch points, service access doors, and other hazardous areas on conveyor equipment. It is the manufacturer's responsibility to provide and, whenever feasible, apply safety warnings to the equipment. These signs must remain clean and legible and should be reapplied as needed to accommodate changes in equipment or procedures. Operations management is accountable for replacing worn, damaged, or illegible safety warnings. Employees are obligated to adhere to safety signage.
Prominent signs should indicate equipment that can start remotely along the conveyor. Often, conveyor belts start automatically or upon activation by an operator in a remote control room, far from the conveyor itself.
Chutes equipped with flow aid devices like air cannons, which can cause serious injury upon discharge, must be clearly marked. These chutes must also be labeled with entry restrictions. Before entering, flow aids must be de-energized, securely locked out/tagged out/blocked out/tested out, and chutes cleaned.
Safety stickers and signs are available from reputable manufacturers of conveyors and related equipment, as well as from safety supply stores. In the United States, the Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association (CEMA) offers a variety of safety and precautionary labels for bulk material conveyors and common accessories.
In workplaces where multiple languages are spoken, signage incorporating pictograms may be necessary to protect all workers. If needed, local translation of safety signage messages should be conducted to ensure accurate understanding. The International Organization for Standardization aims to use signs that rely solely on pictures, eliminating the need for translation of words.