Delft University of Technology
FACULTY MECHANICAL, MARITIME AND MATERIALS ENGINEERING
Department Marine and Transport Technology Mekelweg 2 2628 CD Delft the Netherlands Phone +31 (0)15-2782889 Fax +31 (0)15-2781397 www.mtt.tudelft.nl
This report consists of 61 pages and 2 appendices. It may only be reproduced literally and as a whole. For commercial purposes only with written authorization of Delft University of Technology. Requests for consult are only taken into consideration under the condition that the applicant denies all legal rights on liabilities concerning the contents of the advice.
Specialization: Transport Engineering and Logistics
Report number: 2014.TEL.7881
Title:
SHE aspects on the conveyor
systems in the Food and Beverage
industry
Author:
O.D. Plooij
Title (in Dutch) Aspecten van SHE op de transport systemen in voedsel en drank industrie
Assignment: literature Confidential: no
Supervisor: Dr. ir. Y. Pang
C
ONTENTS
Summary 1
1 Introduction 3
2 The food and beverage industry 7
2.1 The products . . . 7
2.2 Example companies and products . . . 10
3 The conveyor systems 11 3.1 Conveyor systems of interest . . . 11
3.1.1 Food. . . 11
3.1.2 Beverage. . . 12
3.1.3 Boxed or crated goods . . . 14
3.2 Effects of foods and beverages on conveying systems. . . 15
4 SHE management 17 4.1 SHE management summary . . . 17
4.1.1 Scope of SHE management . . . 17
4.1.2 Why SHE management system? . . . 18
4.1.3 Structure of SHE management. . . 18
4.2 Roche Group as an example company . . . 20
4.2.1 Management cycle at Roche . . . 20
4.2.2 Goals and KPI’s. . . 21
4.2.3 Organization of SHE. . . 21 4.2.4 SHE standards. . . 22 5 Safety 25 5.1 Safety definition . . . 25 5.2 Why safety?. . . 25 5.3 Standards. . . 25
5.4 User guide to safety of belt conveyors. . . 26
5.4.1 Guards surrounding the conveyor system . . . 29
5.5 Training. . . 31
5.6 Risk management. . . 32
5.7 How to measure Safety?. . . 33
6 Health 35 6.1 What is health and why focus on it?. . . 35
6.2 Hygiene of conveyor system . . . 36
6.2.1 Prior to production cleaning. . . 36
6.2.2 Types of material and belts. . . 37
6.2.3 Damaged belts. . . 37
6.2.4 Cleaning of conveyor systems . . . 39
6.3 Employee health . . . 41
6.3.1 Employee Hygiene. . . 41
6.3.2 Employee work environment . . . 41
6.4 How to measure Health? . . . 43
7 Environmental 45 7.1 Reason for environmental perspective . . . 45
7.2 Energy savings . . . 46
7.2.1 Per component . . . 47
7.2.2 Multiple belts . . . 47 iii
7.3 Sustainability in materials . . . 48
7.3.1 Belt material. . . 48
7.3.2 Contact surfaces. . . 49
7.4 Waste in motion. . . 49
7.5 Extra opportunities. . . 50
7.6 How to measure environment? . . . 50
8 Conclusion & recommendations 53
Bibliography 55
A Appendix A - Safety 63
S
UMMARY
In this report, a literature survey is conducted regarding the influences of SHE (Safety, Health and Environ-ment) on a selected group of conveyor systems in the food and beverage industry. The obtained information is summarized and stated in this document for each of the SHE aspects in regard to the conveyor systems. At times a lot of relevant information was found and sometimes very little to non at all. For all of the types of conveyor systems interesting information was found in the industry, but not always was there scientific data available. Interestingly enough when focusing on each of the aspects individually, the topics were very relevant. Safety for the employees whom are working with the equipment is of course a very hot topic as all companies focus on zero causalities in their production facility. Therefore the preventive measures are very interesting to ensure nothing can go wrong which can all be applied to the conveyor industry in general. The aspect of health, has a strong focus on the employees working with the conveying systems and the prevention of physical pains in their daily work. In addition a very interesting topic became hygiene, where the clean-liness of the conveyor system is extremely important for the quality of products and the health safety of the end-user. Dealing with food products, beverages, organic materials brings many aspects in the health cate-gory forward. Such as pest control, decontamination, infection prevention and the national or international regulations. Last of the three is the aspect of the environment which looks mainly at the sustainability of the conveying systems. How ’green’ are the systems and what other options are there to become more sustain-able? Methods of using different materials, or driving mechanism are discussed. Then the overhanging, SHE management is also discussed and how this has an impact on the company vision towards safety, health and environmental aspects. The survey strongly suggests that there is information and knowledge in these fields available but not always with a scientific background. Many companies invest a lot of time, effort and money in becoming safe, clean and sustainable, however these methods or improvements are not being documented in scientific journals in articles but in their own brochures or websites. Companies are aware of the potential in these three aspects and are working closely with it. Finally a conclusion is written with regard to the found information and some further potential research is mentioned.1
I
NTRODUCTION
In this chapter an introduction to the report of this literature assignment will be provided. First of all, the background information of the topic is discussed and how the selected topic came to be. After which the problems that are currently occurring will be outlined. With this information the scope is created with its boundaries to which the rest of the assignment will focus on. Finally the discoveries and conclusions are made, which are shortly described. The remainder of the report will go into more detail about the survey conducted in this area.
B
ACKGROUND
The literature assignment arose from a personal experience. After having completed two internships at two different companies, one food and one beverage, it occurred that both are not handling their supply chain at the highest energy efficiency level, in particular their production facilities. This sparked a personal interest to improve their methods of production. These production facilities were not handling their equipment in the most sustainable way. For example, running empty belts, or belts that were used for buffers, but still running a slipping belt when there was stock on top of it. Therefore the focus was placed on sustainability in the food and beverage industry with a focus on the conveyor systems. In addition, the teams that I joined on the production floor had a great focus on safety. There were strict regulations which had to be followed when operating the lines or when maintaining them. Everywhere there were signs reminding employees that the safety was in their own hands. Therefore the suggestion was made that the focus would be on SHE (sometimes known as HES), which is; Safety, Health and Environment. Here multiple perspectives come together and the link between them are made. Safety of employees, health towards the employees that work with equipment but also the consumers who are consuming the final product and finally, the environment in the aspect of sustainability. From top to bottom, the focus would be on the food and beverage industry, where the most used conveyor systems are of interest. After which the aspects of SHE and SHE management will be investigated in particular to these conveyor systems where the information was available.
A short description of SHE [1] is given below:
• Safety - The security of the employees, workers, visitors safety from the equipment. This means that explosions, fire, harmful substances, but also rotating parts, moving components, etc should be kept away or guarded from them.
• Health - The aspect of health focuses more on if the working environment is health and not dangerous towards the employees. Air pollutions can be an example of this, but also heavy lifting or bad operating conditions are a part of this. However as this industry is very sensitive to hygiene and the final consumer is to consumer these products, the aspect of hygiene is included in the topic Health.
• Environment - The reflection of the environment often comes back to the carbon footprint and other environmental hazards a company can produce. Therefore the environmental influences a company are measured and aimed to be as little as possible.
C
URRENT PROBLEMS
Currently there are already numerous different issues when looking at SHE. These issues need to be addressed to reduce the dangers when it comes to safety, hygiene when it comes to health and increase the sustainability when it comes to environment. The research has provided a few focus points for each of SHE aspects. The measures against these problems will be given in the section ’Discoveries’ & ’Conclusions’.
The safety is an issue which purely focuses on the employees. It is assumed in many documentation that the equipment is build with certified pieces and therefore cannot harm the employees. However it happens enough that employees are injured even up to a level where the injury can be fatal to the person, immediately or at a later stage. The issue is that employees who operate or maintain the equipment are hurt because moving parts grab a hold of the employee and pulls them in. This is big issue and affects companies at a high level as targets are set to a level of 0 injuries and deaths per year. It is a strong KPI nowadays and management needs to ensure they reach it, which is a difficult task.
When it comes to health, the problems occur in one main area are separated into two categories. First of all the hygiene of the final products is of a great importance as they are not allowed to make the consumers ill or spread bacteria. Large scale companies have such a strong influence on the health of consumers because of how many people buy their products and their are often made in the same facility. Therefore the issue is that the employees and then conveyor systems need to be of a correct and high health standard. Secondly is the health of the employees and keeping them healthy. This is mainly the focus of the work environment of the employees and how they conduct their daily jobs. There are strict regulations which provide the employers with information how a work environment should look for them to perform their physical tasks. As there can be a great risk of MSD(Musculoskeletal disorders) which harms someone forever and needs to be eliminated all together.
Finally there is the environment, the ’hot’ topic for a while now. Most importantly is the CO2 emission or carbon footprint of these companies. CO2 is a greenhouse gas and has a strong influence on the environment. Their aim is to reduce these levels of emission so far that they are considered green. Often these levels of emission can be calculated back from energy consumption and as most equipment is currently electrical, this what the key focus will be. This is good for the environment and provides a good image to their consumers.
S
COPE
This literature assignment is limited within the boundaries of the food and beverage industry. The focus is placed on the belt conveyor systems that are currently in place and/or are being designed. The scope allows the focus on all three aspects of SHE and their importance to each other as well. A list of conveyor systems will be provided, as sometimes slightly different mechanisms are also used which are interesting for the investigation.
C
ONVEYOR SYSTEMS
The conveyor systems that this assignment will focus on are selected from what was applicable to the food and beverage industry. Many of these are similar and have identical characteristics, however, small differ-ences in material or if they were fully plated or not made a difference. There is also a difference in the con-veyors used in the food industry compared to the bottling industry. Therefore the following list is created:
1. Modular belt conveyor (a) Aluminum (b) Plastic (c) Stainless steel
2. Plastic solid flexible belt conveyor 3. Timing screw
4. Star wheels 5. Chain conveyors 6. Roller conveyors
From the list above numbers 1 and 2 are applicable for both foods and beverages. Number 3 and 4 are only applicable to the beverage industry and numbers 5 and 6 are applicable in overlapping areas, but mainly used in the boxed goods.
5
they are enclosed in their packages and into their boxes. These boxes are considered to always be made of carton, however the crates that are used to transport the bottles in are also in the scope, which are made of plastic. The final step often includes the transport on pallets, however there are so many different methods, both automated and not, that this is left out of the scope. Chapter 2 will go into more detail on exactly what products are in the scope with a visualization, seeFigure 2.1.
T
HE INDUSTRIES
The types of industries that are in this investigation are very broad, but all have the similar core business: food and/or beverage production. The list [2] below gives a small overview of what kind of products these are. For food:
• Vegetable and fruit processing • Meat poultry processing • Fish and seafood processing • Dairy products
• Confectionery products • Bakery products
Important to note is that the type of products on the conveyor systems are not in the nature of being bulk material. There are no large quantities of particle sized bulk materials stacked upon each other in the system of this report. There is already a lot of research on the belt conveying methods done prior to this study, therefore its left out. The material of all these products are of such different qualities, textures, etc. That this will not be looked at in the scope. For beverages it is simple as there is only one type: liquids in a container. However the material [3] from the containers can be different:
• Plastic • Glass • Aluminum • Cardboard
For these different types of materials, different contact surfaces are a result and therefore the way they interact with the conveying system will be different. The relevant contact surfaces will be selected from the study and their results will be shown throughout the pages to come.
D
ISCOVERIES
A number of discoveries were made through the literature assignment, when looking at journals and articles online. In addition a large proportion of the information was found online through websites, brochures and standards in the industry. The discoveries range from very simplistic solutions to improve the levels of SHE to completely new products and a refocus on the design aspects.
For safety, the discovery was made that there are many preventive measurements a company can take to ensure that their employees are not hurt, injured or even threaten with fatal situations. These regulations, legislation and standards are designed in such a manner that the safety of the employees is always a top level priority. Correct fencing, correct handling of product pieces on the conveyors, etc.
The aspect of health was most interesting as there are two very important parts to it. First of all the employees working with the conveyor systems needed to make sure that their way of working and the working environ-ment is health towards them. MSD is a case that can quick be developed when the work environenviron-ment is not good for the employee. However one of the most interesting and important aspects of the food and beverage industry is the fact that contamination can take place and it could harm the end user, the consumer. There-fore the conveyor systems need to be thoroughly cleaned and decontaminated from potential hazards. The final aspect of environment, lead to an approach on sustainability. The key focus of the environmental aspect of SHE management is to reduce the energy consumption. A few areas can be explored in the energy consumption of conveyor systems. The driving mechanism is brought forward, the material uses and the areas where a lot of friction takes place. With these three areas of possible improvements the potential in sustainability for conveyor systems are explained.
S
TRUCTURE OF REPORT
The structure of this report is approached with a top-down aspect. First the food and beverage industry and their products will be introduced. After which the conveyor systems in these industries are selected. Then SHE management in general is introduced with an example of the SHE structure at a company. After which the focus will go onto aspects of SHE and their influences on the conveyor systems in the food and beverage industry. Here the safety, health and environment will be handled in three separate chapters with examples from companies when applicable. -Finally a conclusion on the obtained information is provided and a recommendations are made for further research.
The structure of the report is cut into these levels as explained in the image below, seeFigure 1.1.
2
T
HE FOOD AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRY
As this report takes a top-down approach on the food industry towards its conveyor systems and ultimately the SHE aspects of these conveyor systems that carry the goods. The first step is to take a look at what the food and beverage industry itself is. Therefore in this chapter the industry is presented with more detail regarding what type of products will be looked at, their materials and the weight range. The difference between foods and beverages is distinguished.
2.1.
T
HE PRODUCTS
The food and beverage industry consists of all the products that are consumed by the consumer/end-user. The industry runs from raw materials all the way up to finished, packed and boxed products. This means processing, manufacturing, distribution and most importantly for this report, internal transport through the means of conveyor systems are all part of the end-to-end supply chain.
There is a slight difference between food and beverage. The foods industry focus on semi-solid or solid foods, where as the beverage industry produces the products known as ’drinks’. These are often produced and packed/filled in bottling facilities with bottling lines in containers of different shapes and sizes. Only this bottling facility is relevant to this report, as here the conveyor systems are in use.
These are the types of foods by category [2]:
• Vegetable and fruit processing • Meat poultry processing • Fish and seafood processing • Dairy products
• Confectionery products • Bakery products
No particular distinction between these categories is made, because it is not always as relevant what type of food is on the conveying system, but the affect that food can have on the conveying system is relevant. The beverage industry does not have any particular different categories like the food industry does, this is because all the products in the beverage industry are of the liquid state. Some might be more viscous than others, but that does not affect the conveyor systems that this report focuses on. The reason for this is because all liquids are placed in containers and therefore the content of the container is no longer relevant in scope.Figure 2.1 illustrates the products that are used in this report.
Figure 2.1: Overview of products in scope
There are so many different types of products in this industry therefore, the boundaries have to be set for which products will be selected for this investigation. The reason why the following distinction in products is made is because these are the most relevant in the areas of SHE. The single piece food items can be a seriously difficult product when it comes to handling it without breaking, squashing, ripping, etc. them. Because when they do, hygiene hazards occur. The packaged foods are interesting, because the contact material with conveyor system changes to only a selected few, which is manageable. Finally the boxed products is the last in the scope for foods as, almost all food products go into this step and again the material from the box or cases is limited and therefore manageable. The same material decisions were made for the beverage industry only the raw products (liquid) has a completely different conveying method (through pipes), therefore left out of the scope.
The steps that are taken by the companies after the boxing process are not considered in the scope. The steps are often consist of stacking on pallets, storage in warehouses and transport by truck or other modality methods. This is left from the scope as the conveyor systems are very different from the beginning of the process and otherwise the range in conveyor methods is too broad.
The material contact surface of the conveyed products and the conveyor system is an important aspect for SHE. Therefore inFigure 2.2these materials are shown. Only the foods, single pieces material is difficult to distinguish as there are so many different products with so many different chemical structures. All that could be stated is that they are all carbon based chemical structures.
2.1.THE PRODUCTS 9
The selection of these materials was made because they are the most frequent occurring in these indus-tries. When looking at the products that originate and are producted from the the companies, which will be explained in the next chapter.
Finally the last relevant aspect of the products in the scope is their weight, because a large proportion of this report is dedicated to safety, the weight of the products could be a factor. To give an example, a plastic con-tainer with Unilever Unox sausages shooting of a belt conveyor at the same speed as a glass bottle filled with a liquid can have different danger aspects. In addition, the energy savings for the environment are also different at different weights. TheFigure 2.3provides a summarized overview of the weights of these products.
Figure 2.3: Weights in scope
These weight difference are based on a number of different products that range from small food pieces as nuts, to large fruits such as watermelons. For the beverage industry it is similar with small bottles, up to large bottles with multiple liters.
These weight have been categorized in the following manner. This is an estimation of the weights as they can be very different in all industries, these values can be perceived in a very wide range.
• light weight = < 0.5 kg • medium weight = 0.5 kg - 5kg • heavy weight = > 5 kg
2.2.
E
XAMPLE COMPANIES AND PRODUCTS
In the following paragraph a few companies are described which work with in the food and beverage indus-try. These companies provide relevant information on their conveyor systems and products online. Some companies do both food and beverage and some only one of the kind. A quick introduction of what kind of products they make and how they are relevant to this paper is provided to get a feel of the products. There are more companies which are not mentioned.
• Unilever [4]- An English and Dutch multinational company which products a wide range of products in the categories of food and beverages, such as Becel, Lipton, Unox, Ola. These products are produced in a wide range of factories.
• Heineken[5] - A Dutch multinational company, producing a wide range of beers. It is only in the busi-ness of beverages, such as Heineken, Amstel and Tiger beer.
• Royal FrieslandCampina [6]- A Dutch multinational company producing a wide range of dairy prod-ucts including foods and beverages, such as yogurts and milk.
• Nestle [7] - A Swiss multinational company producing a wide range of products in the food and bever-age industry such as Nestle and Nescafe.
• Coca Cola [8]- A well known company producing beverages in different containers, but also products such as Fanta and Sprite.
• Procter & Gamble [9]- An American company in similar business as Unilever and Nestle, producing a wide range of products in both food and beverage industries.
Figure 2.4: Unilever [10] Figure 2.5: Heineken [11]
Figure 2.6: Royal FrieslandCampina [12]
Figure 2.7: Nestle [13]
3
T
HE CONVEYOR SYSTEMS
In this chapter a selection of conveyor systems are described which are relevant to the literature assignment. A few are picked from the wide range of conveyor systems in the industries. In addition the effects of the conveyor systems on the foods products and beverage containers are described which will be taken further into the following chapters of SHE. The materials of the equipment are explored and their use in this system. Each system will be explained with relevant figures.
3.1.
C
ONVEYOR SYSTEMS OF INTEREST
There are numerous conveyor systems in the food and beverage industry, but to keep the assignment to a realistic level, only the main ones are selected. The selected few are the most common in the production facilities of these products and therefore will reveal the most interesting information as it touches upon most companies. Figure 3.1has an overview of all the types of conveyor systems and the materials of which they could be made. This matrix has been made by myself.
Figure 3.1: Conveyor systems and their materials
The selected conveyor methods apply to the five food product types and beverage containers that were discussed in the previous chapter. Each of these has at least two conveying systems which are explained in the sections below.
3.1.1.
F
OODIn the food industry, there are mainly two types of belt conveyors when it comes to moving the raw products about. These are the modular belt conveyor and the solid plastic (sometimes rubber) belt conveyors. In the following two paragraphs the difference between them are explained.
MODULAR BELT CONVEYOR
First of all, the modular belt conveyor [16] consist of many modular pieces and is most frequently used in this industry. The belt like in the figures below consists of tens and most of the time hundreds of single pieces which are all connected with hinges. This makes the belt flexible and easily able to move about the drums at each end of the system. There are different types, ones who are like the image very much closed (solid) or more like chains and are open, saving weight and allowing pieces/parts to fall through. So depending on the product that needs to be conveyed, there are different solutions. For the food industry, often plastic is used. However in the beverage industry, especially when dealing with glass bottles, the stainless steel is preferred. The reason for this is that when bottles break during the process, the glass piece do not embed themselves in the material. InFigure 3.2andFigure 3.3these modular belt conveyors are shown.
Figure 3.2: Modular plastic belt [17] Figure 3.3: Modular stainless steel belt [18]
SOLID PLASTIC BELT CONVEYOR
The alternative to a modular belt conveyor is the solid solution. The name already provides a clue that it does not contain any gaps like the modular does. It consists of a one long piece of plastic material which is of a thickness to allow bending around the drums. This solid piece is mainly used in the food industry and will not be found in the beverage industry. A large advantage, which will be described in further detail in chapter 6, is the fact that it is very easy to clean and monitor in terms of hygiene. TheFigure 3.4has an example of what a solid plastic belt looks like.
Figure 3.4: Solid plastic belt [19]
3.1.2.
B
EVERAGEThe beverage industry is slightly different from the foods as the liquids are transported in containers(bottles) of different materials and therefore there are only a limited number of possibilities. The same conveyors are used as in the food industry except two additional pieces are used frequently. First of all, the ’timing screw’ or ’time worm’ which is used when bottles are entering the filling equipment to separate them with the correct spacing from each other and with the correct time difference. Secondly, the ’Star wheel’ in which the bottle is placed when it is being filled. These two are very relevant because they are used at high speeds and continuously. In addition, when labeling, printing, capping/corking or boxing these two types of conveyor
3.1.CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OF INTEREST 13
systems are used too. TheFigure 3.5gives a small indication of where the timing screw and star wheel are placed in the overall process. In the red circle on the left the timing screw is shown, on the right is a star wheel show. Between these two conveyor pieces, the filling machine is often placed.
Figure 3.5: Timing screw and star wheel [20]
TIME SCREW
The timing screw is a very important piece of equipment because it allows the bottles to enter equipment at precisely the right moment. This allows the equipment to grab the bottle neck correctly. There are a number of different steps that are taken during the packaging process and all of them have this timing screw. The material of these timing screws are always of hard plastic. SeeFigure 3.6to get an idea of what it looks like.
Figure 3.6: Timing Screw [21]
STAR WHEEL
The same principle as the timing screw applies to the star wheel, except the star wheel keeps the timed space between the bottles.They move the bottles in a rotating motion in the equipment before it leaves back onto a conveyor belt. An example of a star wheel is shown inFigure 3.7and inFigure 3.8.
Figure 3.7: Star Wheel [22]
Figure 3.8: Star wheels in position [23]
Important to note is that these rotating conveyor systems turn at extremely high speeds and are protected behind plastic/glass windows from the employees.
3.1.3.
B
OXED OR CRATED GOODSFinally the last stage of the conveying of this report is when the products are either packed in their boxes, or crated in their crate. This means that there are only a limited type of materials left that are to be handled. First of all, there are companies who use modular conveyor belts to transport these boxes, but there are two ad-ditional methods. These are the chain conveyors and the roller conveyors and are explained in the following paragraphs.
CHAIN CONVEYOR
The chain conveyor is a simple and yet very effective method to move the boxes of crates with little precision but at high speeds and efficiently. It simple consist of chains that rotate on their wheels and gears. In addition to just their movement, they are able to elevate and lower themselves to ’pick up’ or ’drop off’ boxes/crates. This is also how 90 degree (or other angles) corners can be achieved.Figure 3.9andFigure 3.10provide two examples of chain conveyors.
Figure 3.9: Chain conveyor 1 [24]
Figure 3.10: Chain conveyor 2 [25]
ROLLER CONVEYOR
Finally, the last type of conveyor for this report is the roller conveyor, which consists of just rollers. Sometime all rollers are driven, sometimes only a few are skipped and then driven again. They seem very ’bumpy’ for boxes or crates, but the distance between the rollers can be adjusted and therefore specialized for the type/size of box that needs to be moved. TheFigure 3.11andFigure 3.12below provide the idea of a corner and straight roller conveyor belt.
3.2.EFFECTS OF FOODS AND BEVERAGES ON CONVEYING SYSTEMS 15
3.2.
E
FFECTS OF FOODS AND BEVERAGES ON CONVEYING SYSTEMS
The reason why there are so many different types of conveyor systems and materials used is because all the different foods and beverage containers have different contact surfaces. Some materials are a little more flex-ible and allow some compression, where as others are strong which result in cutting. With the large quantity of variables in material types, strengths, texture and other characteristics, a lot of solutions are created. To understand what these conveying systems are doing to the products a list is created which explains the possi-ble effects the conveyor systems can have on the products. Mainly The effects are given in the self made lists below. This is based on predicted results from general documentation.
Single food pieces:
• Deskinning • Peeling • Squashing Packed food: • Ripping • Stretching • Clogging Beverage in containers: • Explosion • Shattering • Breaking Boxed or crated: • Ripping • Shredding • Squashing
• Damaging (holes, texture damage)
Some other effects such as the loss of nutritional qualities can be an affect during the processing [28]. Additional effects can be added to these lists, but these are the main results. They are caused by many vari-ables, but the mainly it due to conveyor system itself. It is possible to investigate the different friction factors between different belts and different products, however this list can be extended to so many products. There-fore it is not created. The reasons for these effects will come back in the chapters on each of the aspects of SHE.
4
SHE
MANAGEMENT
In this chapter, SHE management will be explained as a tool to improve the three aspects of SHE [29]. There are methods and models used for the implementation and management of this system. First of all the the-ory will be explained, with the reasons why it is good to implement such a management system and the relationship between SHE and quality of products and work environment. An introduction to the common SHE procedures is given and finally these theories are reflected back to a company which works well with SHE management and has published their methods online. The safety, health and environmental matters are han-dled with the same sense of responsibility and just as methodically, as issues concerning quality, productivity and cost-efficiency.
4.1.
SHE
MANAGEMENT SUMMARY
A structured approach to managing an operations and encouraging continuous improvement whilst com-plying with the SHE legislation, this is SHE management. Standards such as ISO 14001 are examples which will certify companies within the SHE legislation. Simple and flexible models are designed to help install SHE management systems. Some companies decide to carry out their own projects on SHE, where as other get specialists to do this for them. Both have advantages and disadvantages and the selection for one or the other is different for every strategy. However it is important to note that it will require effort, resources and commit-ment for successful implecommit-mentation and operations. The EPSC [30] (European Process Safety Center) has a book with theories of this SHE management, which is summarized in the following paragraphs. The focus of it might sometimes be too much towards the process industry, however the approach that is taken in setting up a SHE management [31] system is applicable to the conveyor industry as well.
4.1.1.
S
COPE OFSHE
MANAGEMENTThe scope of SHE management [32] is purely on SHE, however the measuring of SHE is only possible when the standards are selected. Therefore, any SHE management system in the process industry has to comply with, for example according to EPSC, the following standards:
• ISO 14001 (Environmental management systems - Specification with guidance for use) • EMAS (Eco Management and Audit Scheme regarding environmental management systems) • BS 8800 (British Standard ’Guide to Occupational Health and Safety management systems’) • ICC’s (International Chamber of Commerce) 16-point program
• Scandinavian Regulations for Internal Control of the working environment
The standards that are applicable in the industry depends on the geographical location of the company and what type of products are manufactured and packed. The likelihood that all of the above (which is only a selected short list) belong to the program of a company is highly unlikely.
The SHE management system needs to be able to regulate the important factors of a company in its own operations. Therefore it is recommended that a company does its own internal assessment of the SHE hazards and analyze the risks within its organization. In return it will provided the scope applicable to that company. This will lead to a plan with an overall goal [33] and several sub-goals which can be analyzed with KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). It is important that the target goals are set so that they can be achieved. If the goals are set too high, it will lead to negative effects on organization instead of improving the aspect of SHE.
4.1.2.
W
HYSHE
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM?
The implementation of correct and well developed SHE management system can lead to improvements within the company. Not only quality of products, but also the work environment for workers and employees can be improved simply by the implementation of a structured SHE management system. Poor management can be the root cause of accidents on the production floor. The driving force for a SHE management system is due to the further development of these organizations. The standards are forcing companies to focus more on the environment and a zero-level of causalities [35] on the production floor [36]. In addition to this, there is a good chance that the production and maintenance becomes more efficient with fewer operational dis-turbances. When considering SHE at an early stage in projects, errors and mistakes can be prevented. The book [30] even claims that ’The implementation of a SHE management system can lead to better re-lationships, an improved reputation and credibility both within the company(among employees and union organizations) and externally (among neighbors, communities, the media, competitors and authorities)’. Of course for improvements to take place and to maintain that level, commitment is required. These three as-pects of SHE can be highly integrated [37]. For each of the safety, health and environment aspects a separate system can be set up but many procedure or results of procedures are identical. InFigure 4.1a small example of how they do overlap.
Figure 4.1: Integration of Safety, Health and environment [30]
In addition to the already previously mentioned benefits of a SHE management system, there are also improvements in the quality of the products or services produced by the company [38]. There is a relation-ship between SHE and quality. It is debatable that these two are always hand in hand, but they can have a significant effect on each other. Some companies that already have quality management may choose to integrate some of the SHE procedures in the existing system. Companies that have a quality management system such as ISO 9001/2 may choose to do so. However it can lead to the risk of losing focus on the is-sue which SHE addresses more correctly.The most effective procedure is when SHE and quality management are cross referenced. An example given in the book is for example when undergoing maintenance and cal-ibration procedures. Warnings are made that when keeping the two management systems separately, that duplication can occur and that this does not work in any favors. Therefore good communications between the two systems is important.
4.1.3.
S
TRUCTURE OFSHE
MANAGEMENTThe structure of such a system should be based on the normal activities of the company. A SHE management system should be structured according a hierarchical principles:
1. Policy 2. Procedures 3. Instructions
The policy gives the overall view and objectives within the area, the outline of the structure. Whereas the procedures will say what needs to be done, when, by whom, where and how. There are sometimes detailed instructions or step plans how to do so. It can sometimes be a manual or an assembly of procedures. The book[30] by CPSE provides 40 SHE procedures to regulate important activities within SHE. These will not be handled but can be found in the book. The structure of these procedures is as followed:
• Objectives • Scope
• Principles and methods • Responsibility
4.1.SHEMANAGEMENT SUMMARY 19
The great part about this SHE management system is that it can be implemented flexibly, not completely dominant and ruling within an old structure. It is able to blend with time and the changes within the regula-tions of SHE. If the strategy of a company is to change, it can change the SHE policy with it and continue on as the same company. The flexibility of the system is an excellent advantage.
The development of a SHE management system requires a number of principles to be followed. Some of the most important are described in the book as:
• To sell the concept to the top management, including the company managing director, and ask for active support and involvement.
• To appoint one person who works as the ’champion’ for the project. • To involve the whole organization in the work.
• To work through a project and/or a steering group. • To make a time schedule with targets and sub-targets.
• To build the system on any existing procedures, such as the company’s quality management system. Careful organization is needed to perform SHE management project effectively. The person in the project, who is overseeing this, is known as ’the project champion’. The project group should consist of a mixed group of people. Other companies have other terms, for example, a SHEPO (Safety, Health and Environment Pro-tection Officer) is assigned, who’s task is to monitor and control the desired quality levels according a certain number of KPIs within a department, a factory or a company.
The time schedule of a SHE project can range from short to longer (6 to 24 months), but it completely depends of the procedures. Some activities take a significant amount of time:
• The initial SHE assessment
• The development and construction of the system
• Training and participation of personnel from the whole organization • Detailed regulation and instructions at the department level
The implementation of a SHE management system is a very critical part of the project. Some questions that need to be asked can in the form of:
• How will the system be received? • How well will it be followed? • What training is needed?
• What control and follow-up is needed?
It is recommended that a stepwise implementation takes place. With this procedure, it can be quickly noticed where the issues are and how to solve them, also it allows people to slowly blend into the new or changed sys-tem which takes time. Often first as a pilot case and later further developed from the bugs and issues. The project manager can closely monitor the procedures and reflect on feedback from the people who are using it. This is achievable through surveys and interviews with employees at all levels with all tasks. The training of the people, managers, operators, technicians, contractors and transporters, is very important. This allows everyone to take part in the changes.
Figure 4.2: SHE management system model [30] It is important to keeping it running when it is
imple-mented. Therefore the SHE management system model is de-veloped. This is described in theFigure 4.2. The main idea behind this is, to ensure that all the work that has been done prior to this stage does not fall apart and people role into their old habits. The focus is that the new standard is held and that people start to realize what positive effects the changes have made. The main tool to ensure this does not happen lies in continuous monitoring of the changes. It is possible to com-pare the previous results to those of the changed system in place. When there is continuously positive effects showing, the system is working correctly. If otherwise, then control ad-justments are made to steer in the right direction.
There are three activities required for the management system to be successful:
• Continuous measurement of improvement
• Periodic control in the form of internal and external auditing • Continuous training and motivation of personnel
The champion of the system is responsible to make this happen and to continuously supervise, control and develop this system.
With all the previous mention information on the general SHE management methodology, tools and results, it is possible to state that it can be very successful for companies. However, keep in mind this is general SHE management and not yet applicable to conveyor industry in particular. The next step, for just implementation are the conveyor systems in particular, however no information on a company was found. But to be able to provide some concrete results from the SHE management system implementation, a different company (who do not work in the food and beverage industry) but work with a very successful SHE management system is presented in the following paragraphs.
4.2.
R
OCHE
G
ROUP AS AN EXAMPLE COMPANY
An example company for SHE management is ROCHE [39]. This company stands closely to all the aspects of SHE. The production of Healthcare, with a specialization in cancer treatments, and a large biotech company also striving for innovation, requires a strong focus on these SHE aspects. Therefore their SHE management is taken as an example for this literature assignment, which does not always apply directly to belt conveyors but more to the overall management of the matter. In short a description of the system that is in place at this company will be given. The example of the Roche Group is placed in this report to illustrate what SHE Management is in a company environment, the application is not directly on food industry and conveyor systems.
4.2.1.
M
ANAGEMENT CYCLE ATR
OCHEA framework was setup that includes all the basic steps for the management cycle of SHE. The goal of this is that clear communication stands at the heart of the organization to ensure that the three components of SHE are always touched on. For example the standards are used such as the ISO 14000. There are different alternatives to the cycles, but that of Roche is shown inFigure 4.3
Figure 4.3: SHE management cycle [39]
For the communication within the SHE management the image above applies, however the communi-cation through documentation also has its own hierarchy. This means that there is a structured system for which information flows within the system. InFigure 4.4the hierarchy of the documents and inFigure 4.4is provided at the company Roche.
4.2.ROCHEGROUP AS AN EXAMPLE COMPANY 21
Figure 4.4: SHE document hierarchy [39]
Figure 4.5: SHE Policy, Guidelines, Directives, Local Handbook [39]
4.2.2.
G
OALS ANDKPI’
STo give an understanding of the Goals [39] and KPI’s that are created by the Roche Group the list is copied. This list created according to the strategy of the company and their Policy on Safety, Health and Environment Protection in the Roche Group. This is the list below:
• Reduce accident rate - Roche Accident Rate, RAR
• Reduce general absence rate - Lost workdays per employee per year • Reduce energy consumption - GJ per employee per year
• Improve total eco-balance - Environmental impact value per employee per year • Reduce SHE risks - Total value of risk inventory
• Optimize SHE education - Hours per employee per year • Improve SHE efficiency - SHE cost compared to Group sales • No relevant SHE fines - No fines ¯bonus
There are quantitative measures assigned to the goals which correspond with a time line and are finally published in a Sustainability report which is accessible to all employees and consumers.
4.2.3.
O
RGANIZATION OFSHE
The organization of SHE plays a strong role in the quality of SHE for the company. Roche Group has a similar structure to that of a SHE organization. In theFigure 4.6the structure is compared to each other.
Figure 4.6: SHE Organization [39]
Clearly the structure is identical, if not the same. All members of this organization are to join in the goals and targets to push for them. The Corporate Executive Committee (CEC) are there to determine the SHE policy on the basis of the principles and charter created by the company. Then there is the assigned sub-committee of the Board of directors who are regularly informed of the development and status of SHE in the
company, looking at trends and KPI. The heads of divisions and general managers are there to implement these changes. Also they are often spoken to when the KPI’s are not meeting their required levels. The GM’s are often the ones responsible for the safety, health and environment of the people on the ground floor and therefore are closest to this.
4.2.4.
SHE
STANDARDSFinally the ROCHE group has developed a method for their standards. The aim is to set standards and reg-ulate them with help of this loop. Therefore the set standards and regreg-ulate SHE matters is supported by implementation of the five points described inFigure 4.7below:
Figure 4.7: SHE cycle [39]
There is a long list of tasks and duties that are included in this cycle, of which all can be found in the documentation by ROCHE Group. But to give a few examples:
• formulating the corporate SHE policy [40]on behalf of the Corporate Executive Committee, including periodic review and amendment as necessary.
• issuing Group-wide SHE documents.
• identifying, monitoring and assessing the general developments in SHE worldwide and initiating nec-essary actions in response to emerging trends or specific SHE problems.
• etc.
Last but not least, there is are a few other areas the ROCHE Group touches on which are important for them to run their SHE management system. This components consist of the following standards:
• Training • Documentation • Communication
• Goal setting, performance monitoring and key data collection • Legal aspects
• SHE management system • Prevention
From the list above, it can be stated that safety and health are similar. A list was obtained from the Good International Industry Practice (GIIP) which looks at the following aspects within SHE. The selection in bold are the ones which will be considered throughout this assignment. The others are not touched on, however it is important to note that there are many more aspects through which safety, health and environment can be measured and influenced [39].
1. Environment
(a) Air Emissions and Ambient Air Quality (b) Energy Conservation
(c) Waste water and Ambient Water Quality (d) Water Conservation
4.2.ROCHEGROUP AS AN EXAMPLE COMPANY 23
(f ) Waste Management (g) Noise
(h) Contaminated Land and Remediation (i) Releases to water
(j) Releases to land
(k) Use of raw materials and natural resources (l) Energy emitted, heat/radiation/vibration (m) Waste and by-products
2. Occupational Health and Safety
(a) General Facility Design and Operation (b) Communication and Training
(c) Physical Hazards (d) Chemical Hazards (e) Biological Hazards
(f ) Radiological Hazards
(g) Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) (h) Special Hazard Environments
(i) Monitoring
The GIIP [34] also has a category for ’Community Health and Safety’ and for ’Construction and Decom-missioning’. The list only gives an idea of how many aspects there are to that could be focused on, but also gives and image of how many different measures need to be taken for conveyor belts to comply to SHE regu-lations.
5
S
AFETY
Safety is a very important topic in production facilities. Employees are continuously around equipment that can harm them in many known and surprisingly many unknown ways [41]. In this chapter the overall aspect of safety regarding the previously mentioned conveyor systems will be discussed. The necessary steps to take to ensure that the pieces of equipment and the people/operators will remain in a safe working environment. First the definition of safety is given after which the safety is explained and what the regulations and legisla-tion state about it. Then literature informalegisla-tion is condensed from a number of hand guides, from companies who work closely with safety in their production facilities. Next is the assessment on risk and the manage-ment of the risks in the an environmanage-ment where a components are moving/rotating at high speeds. Finally, the measuring of the safety in a production facility is explained with KPIs in short term and long term.
5.1.
S
AFETY DEFINITION
The aspect of safety is defined [42]by:
the condition of being protected from or unlikely to cause danger, risk, or injury.
Exactly what the statement above says is a protective measure to prevent certain dangerous situations from happening. This means that it should be taken care of before the actual situation can happen and therefore analysis needs to be done of what is dangerous and when it is dangerous. This is not always so difficult but sometimes situations are not noticed in time and injuries can occur. These paragraph will describe the necessary measures that need to be taken to make a conveying system safe.
5.2.
W
HY SAFETY
?
Belt conveyors are used to transport materials or products horizontally, vertically, at an angle or around curves. The reason for using a belt conveyor is to reduce the manual handling tasks, it is often faster, it reduces costs and does not need be dangerous. This also reduces the dangers of handling this material and the health concerns around handling heavy or many materials or products. However the introduction of conveyors has also had an influence on the risks and hazards for those who use and/or maintain the equipment. Often the risks can be from injuries from for example, amputation by mechanical motion, up to fatal incidents of workers. Therefore the safety of such conveyors is of great importance and has strict regulations worldwide.
5.3.
S
TANDARDS
There are many standards worldwide and in different geographical locations these standards state different things. However the bottom line of most of these standards state the same or similar methods.
The CEMA [43] [44] [45], Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association, has established a list of standards which are used for package conveyors. The list contains 12 standards of which there are 2 described in the following paragraphs with images, the remaining 10 Standards can be found inAppendix A.
Figure 5.1: Safety - 1 [43] First of all, Do not climb, sit, stand, walk, ride, or touch the conveyor at any time.
This implies that the belt conveyor and the employees around it are at no time in contact. Of course the means when the system is in use. It could be on idle, or standby but the system is not to be touched, etc. If the equipment is not treated with this standard it can lead to injuries and it happens more often than one would think. Often occurrences take place when the worker things he/she can quickly reach for something in the conveying system and they are too ’stubborn’ to realize that this is not possible. It is important to know that you are not smarter than the system, because the system is just running at high speeds which can be misinterpreted. Also, there are sometimes multiple people working on the system at the same time and when the conveying system is very long, it is difficult
to keep contact with everyone. Therefore preventive standard measure are to be taken to eliminate these dangers from happening. SeeFigure 5.1.
Figure 5.2: Safety - 2 [43] Secondly, Do not perform maintenance on conveyor until electrical, air, hydraulic,
and gravity energy sources have been locked out or blocked. The reason for this is that if the equipment is not locked or blocked it could start itself. If cables touch each other or if there is a malfunction in the software then the equipment could injure and hurt the maintenance people. It is also important when turning a system off, the maintenance can only start when the equipment is at a complete standstill. Easy the power can shut off or the power source can be eliminated. Technicians who feel so confident with the equipment think they can do this as they know it well, this kind of thinking can lead to serious injuries. SeeFigure 5.2.
For more information on the other 10 Standards regarding the design and manufacturing of these conveyor systems, please seeAppendix A.
5.4.
U
SER GUIDE TO SAFETY OF BELT CONVEYORS
In this paragraph, a guide in the use of belt conveyors will be discussed. This guide is written by Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST) and Commission de la santé et de la sécu-rité du travail du Québec (CSST) [46] [47]who are in the business of safety of such equipment. The guide describes the safety of belt conveyors for both bulk loads and individual loads. Only the individual loads will be considered in this report. The majority of the accidents occur during the maintenance activities with con-veyor belts still in operation and unprotected danger zones. Preventive measure can be taken to should be implemented to eliminate such accidents from occurring. From the design phase these dangerous situations must be removed from even the possibility of occurring. The found information from a ’Guide to Conveyor Belt Safety’ will be described below, but was mainly directed to workers, technicians, supervisors, joint health and safety committee member s and other interested parties.
InFigure 5.3withFigure 5.4a typical conveyor belt is shown which can conveyor packages. The belt has the components as described in the image below it.
Figure 5.3: Individual loads [46] Figure 5.4: Table [46]
All these 10 components shown in the image can be a potential hazard for the employees around it. There are moving parts, rotating or sliding. This means things can get stuck as will be shown later on. However it is not possible to start removing parts from these belts as they all have an important function towards the
5.4.USER GUIDE TO SAFETY OF BELT CONVEYORS 27
overall system.Figure A.22provides a different view with similar information. This is information is applica-ble to the belt conveyors of the solid and modular type. Also the roller and chain conveyors fall under this information. It lacks the connection between the timing screw and the star wheel.
Functions of the components
Understanding the function of the conveyors and its components is essential. The necessity is to be able to state whether components are important to the equipment of not. Because if they are not, they can be removed and this reduces the chances of dangers. The list below shows the important pieces of the conveyors.
1. Belt/Chain/Roller- to convey the material or pieces (a) Upper strand - load carrying strand
(b) lower strand - return strand
2. Load carrying rollers/underplate - to support the belt and reduce its resistance to movement of the load 3. Return rollers - To support the returning belt and reduce resistance in movement
4. Drums: to drive the belt or re-orient the direction of travel (a) Live - drives belt by motor
(b) Head - returns the belt to the lower strand (c) Tail - returns the belt to the upper strand
(d) Snub - aligns the entering or exiting strand with the lower strand (e) Tensioning - maintains proper belt tension with a take-up system
Now it is important to understand what could all go wrong in this situation, as a good understanding of this will provide the correct solutions to prevent them from happening. From research based on 85 accidents (11 by CSST from 1981 to 2000, 42 by INRS from 1993 to 2000 and 32 by OSHA from 1984 1996) [46] a list is constructed which shows the possible hazardous situations. This is split up in the following two tables, see Figure 5.5, where first the area of occurrence and secondly the activity which the worker was instructed to do, are illustrated.
Figure 5.5: Hazardous situations [46]
The majority of the accidents occurred during cleaning, 30%, whereas during maintenance of just being near the belt conveyor has an accident occasion of 26%. The accidents that occurred when doing normal activities around the best was at a level of 12%. No direct conclusions can be drawn from these figures but the fact that there are so many different types of dangerous situations only illustrates that everything has to
be accounted for and the safety is at a priority level when doing any activity near it or with it. Interestingly enough from the table it can be stated that any dangerous situation occurs when something gets stuck and is forced to be pulled on by the machine. Therefore protecting moving parts with guards and eliminating lose parts near moving parts is first step.
The hazards are common to be in the same location as power transmissions parts between the motor and the drums. Components that are often in this area are couplings, shafts, pulley belts, chains and sprockets. The result when a hazard situation occurs can often be crushing, dragging or entanglement on contact with these moving parts. They can result in serious injuries, such as open wounds, cuts, broken body parts, am-putation, or worse case scenarios, death. InFigure 5.6the rotating parts of a powered belt conveyor system is shown and in the circled areas the most dangerous spots are given.
Figure 5.6: Dangerous areas with moveable parts [46]
Figure 5.7: Hands can get stuck [46]
Nearby belts, fingers can get stuck or hands can be injured and pulled in. Taking precautions to eliminated such places is essential. This is where protective guards come which will be explained in the next chapter. In Figure 5.7the possibility where a hand gets stuck is shown. It is as simple as that.
Often in the overall conveyor belt system, there are areas where products area being pushed of the belt. A mechanism is used for this. The image below provides a simple perspective of such mechanisms, but most importantly, when implementing such a piece of mechanism, a number of new hazard situations are added to the work environment. Simply fromFigure 5.8below, it can be stated that when implementing a piece of equipment, 4 or 5 new danger zones are created and the employees need to be aware of this. Therefore, the amount of unknown danger situations is very large and need to be made impossible to get into by the employees, or even visitors to the factory.
5.4.USER GUIDE TO SAFETY OF BELT CONVEYORS 29
5.4.1.
G
UARDS SURROUNDING THE CONVEYOR SYSTEMIn this section of the chapter on safety, the preventive measures will be discussed to eliminated the dangerous situations for employees around the equipment. The main use for this are guards [48]. There are three types of guards:
1. Fixed guards
• Surrounding fixed guards • Barrier guards (fixed distance) • Fixed in-running nip guards 2. Interlocking guards
3. Interlocked guards with guard locking
When guards are designed, they need to be done so with the operating conditions in mind. They are in place for protection of the surrounding area and people. Therefore the guards have to be capable of resiting the loads at which they will be subjected to. They are not to create additional hazards and they should be easily hand-able. In addition the guards are to be self-locking when placed back into their position. A guard can also be seen as a fence, however sometimes they are also in the format of glass or thick plastic see through sheet. When the guards are of the fence nature, there are strict regulations regarding the size of the hole in the fence and the distance from fence to belt. These regulations are given by the CSA Standard Z432-1994. Additional to this there is a Safety ruler which can be used to check if the guard and belt apply to this, which is published by CSST (DC 500-191). SeeFigure 5.9for more detail.
Figure 5.9: Guard dimensions and Safety ruler [46]
FromFigure 5.9it is very clear how the guards are to be placed around the belt conveyors to create their safety. On first thought this type of belt conveyor does not seem very realistic in the food industry, but in fact, there are often large belts that move large quantities of food into a facility. The size of the belt and therefore the amount of product on it can be dangerous when shoot off it. Therefore these type of belt conveyors are very relevant for the food industry.
The followingFigure 5.11is similar to the previous safety ruler image, but is regarding the reach distances of employees over the guards to the belt. It is important that in no possible way the employees are able to
touch the belt or material on it. This also includes the boxes or cases on the belt. It is often assumed that the equipment is designed for ’dumb’ people, so that even worse case scenarios are eliminated.
Figure 5.10: Fixed guards distances [46]
Many of these guards are of great importance to the employees working around it, but for the structure of this report not each and everyone of them will be discussed. However on the following page a image summary of all these different types of guards is placed. The standards such as NF EN294, CSA Z432, NF EN 292-1, etc are all there to explain these in detail. The document from which this summary is obtained provides a great structured method to find out which guards are applicable where and how they should be used. There I refer to the document ’A User’s guide to Conveyor Belt Safety’ for all the details. Refer to Appendix A to see more details regarding all the different types of guards around the conveyor systems.
Figure 5.11: Distance indication [46]
5.5.TRAINING 31
5.5.
T
RAINING
One thing these standards or hand guides do not mention in detail is the fact that the training of the oper-ators/mechanics/etc. up to the management level is a very important area to ensure the safety of the em-ployees. With proper acknowledgment of dangers and training sessions of the people whom work with the equipment many dangerous situations can be prevented. There is so much knowledge from experts that are able to share their experiences, their stories and their findings to create an aware mind of employees. Many companies have slogans/statements all around the factories to continuously motivate their employees to think about what they are doing:
’Safety is between your own ears’ - Heineken Zoeterwoude [49] ’Safety first’ - Shell [50]
’KISS = Keep It Simple, Stupid’ - US Navy (created to reduce errors and therefore dangerous situations) [51] Especially the multinationals, have strict safety policies and educate their employees in them. These are placed at the same level all around the world, to enforce the same level of safety and to create a competition between them to drive up their safety level. They try to motivate their employees to think in a preventative method, to be one step ahead of dangerous situations and create a safe environment to work in. The people who are working with the equipment know better when and where the dangerous areas are and therefore are better able to point them out. However, ’the way of thinking’ to prevent these situations can be trained. This is what companies are working towards.
OSHA(Occupational and Health Act) [52] is an American agency which oversees these types of trainings in the safety sector. They do not provide the exact training itself but the guidelines for it. There are many different topics and areas on which employers can focus. The list below is an indication of what type of areas there are to focus uppon:
• Accident prevention and safety promotion • Safety compliance
• Accident and emergency response • Personal protective equipment • Safety practices
• Equipment and machinery
• Chemical and hazardous materials safety • Workplace hazards
• Employee involvement
Within the management systems of quality or TPM, there are also safety tools embedded which allow the monitoring of such levels. The next step after having educated the personnel on safety, and keeping them motivated to be as safe as possible is to monitor the risks around the facilities. For this risk management can be placed within a company. This is explained in the next chapter.
5.6.
R
ISK MANAGEMENT
Risk management allows the users of risky environments to be handling equipment safely. There are numer-ous things that can go wrong in industrial environments. The belt conveyors are an example industry where there are a lot moving parts as seen in the past paragraphs. Now is it not always the case that the food indus-try uses these high speed conveyor belts everywhere, but there are definitely areas where the speeds are high enough they need to be assessed for risks. In the following image a flowchart is provided which can be used to reduce risks. The focus of this is between components that could be added to increase the safety, therefore reducing risks. The control measures [46] that need to be taken are:
1. Eliminate or reduce the hazard through design methods
2. Install safeguards or protective devices for each hazard that cannot be eliminated or reduced through design methods. Evaluate the need for additional controls (warnings, signs, work procedures, personal protective equipment, etc.)
3. Inform works of all hazards
TheFigure 5.12, below is the flowchart which provides the measures that can be taken.
Figure 5.12: Risk Management [46]
From the previous information on placement it is observed that it is recommended that safeguards im-plementation is rather done during the design stage [53], than by the user at a later stage. The paper goes into much more detail how to design such a conveyor, but it is clear that starting to understand the system in the design stage is important. The design state allows a safer understanding of the guards and the additional space required around these guards. Therefore taking them into account from the start is recommended. This can be partially backed up with a paper which refers to the design of hygienic design solutions [91], but will be referred to later in the topic Health.
