Ontario Ministry of Labour inspectors will focus on lockout and guarding hazards involving conveyor systems from November 1 to December 31 2010 during stepped-up activity at industrial workplaces across Ontario.
Conveyor-related injuries occur less often than other types of injuries in industrial workplaces. However, the injuries that do occur tend to be more severe.
The most common activities in which injuries and deaths occurred involved cleaning a drum or other part of a conveyor, conveyor maintenance, regular activities such as sorting or packing near a conveyor and recovering a jammed item from an unguarded pinch point hazard.
Inspectors will take a “zero tolerance” approach to any contraventions found under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and its regulations.
Blitz Focus
Inspectors will focus on sectors in which conveyors are used. These will include:
- Farming operations
- Large bakeries
- Food and beverage manufacturers
- Waste recycling
- Cement plants
- Auto sector
- Printing sector
- Soil screening operations for landscaping
- Saw mills
- Chemical plants
- Pharmaceutical plants
- Automotive plants
- Computer plants
- Electronic plants
In particular, inspectors will target establishments:
- Known to have conveyors
- Known to have hazardous processes and equipment;
- Where complaints have been received; and
- Where there is a poor compliance history
Priorities
Inspectors will focus on the following key priorities:
- Guarding: Inspectors will check for pinch points and other hazardous locations lacking guarding devices on conveyors. Guarding is typically required in locations such as power transmission interfaces, nip points, shear points (where a moving conveyor part meets or passes near a stationary point such as a wall) and spill points (where material could spill from a conveyor).
- Locking and Blocking: When it is necessary to open or remove guards, workers must follow lockout procedures to prevent injury from the conveyor starting. Lockout procedures typically involve bringing the machine to a complete stop and disconnecting all its power sources. Blocking is an extra step that must be carried out to prevent the conveyor belt from moving under its own power due to tension on the belt.
- Musculosketal Disorders (MSDs): Inspectors will check that workers are not exposed on an ongoing basis to things such as repetitive work, forceful exertions such as heavy lifting and carrying, awkward postures and vibrating equipment that can affect the bones, joints, ligaments and other soft tissues. These types of activities can result in MSDs, which are injuries and disorder of the muscles, tendons and nerves.
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