Safety Alert

Manriding conveyor 2

Circulation

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Safety Circular

A man received minor injuries when on a man riding conveyor. The man had been sitting on the stationary conveyor having boarded a stationary conveyor at the inbye getting on platform. The conveyor was started up but went in reverse direction causing the man to sustain minor injuries. The injuries could have been much more severe.

The problem was initiated by persons who had been carrying out maintenance work on the conveyor just prior to the incident. They had needed to operate the conveyor in reverse. They had correctly suspended man riding during this period. When the work was completed they reinstated man riding, but they failed to re-select the correct direction at the GEB isolator handle.

The potential consequences of inadvertent reverse running of man riding conveyor belts should be considered as part of risk assessment. This assessment should also include consideration of recoil or runback when a broken belt occurs. The risk of a person being drawn backwards into in line boarding platforms, or into equipment suspended over man riding conveyor belts, or into areas of converging clearance, or tail ends of conveyors, and the effect of gradients, must all be taken into account.

When a man riding conveyor needs to be operated in reverse strict management control measures must be in place to ensure that it is returned to its correct direction of operation prior to man riding again being allowed. Such control measures could include a written permit system, and good identification notices to indicate the correct direction of travel at the switchgear.

Yours sincerely

S P Wing
HM Principal District Inspector of Mines

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2012-11-27