OSHA Requirements for the Safety Shutdown of Conveyors

Conveyor systems move materials from one point to another, along a short distance or over a large area that includes more than one level of conveyors. Manufacturing facilities, food processing plants and mining operations are some of the industries that use conveyors. OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration) has developed regulations for shutting down conveyors safely, remaining safe throughout a shutdown and safely restarting the moving system.

Emergency Stops

• Conveyors continue to move, even if a worker's clothing or body is caught in the machine. Emergency stop devices are required at certain points in the conveyor system. Emergency buttons or pull-cords are to be placed at the beginning and end of an entire conveyor system, as well as at other strategic places in the system. Another emergency stop situation is when a worker or some material has entered the space under an overhead conveyor that is monitored by an electronic-eye safety stop device.

Planned Stops

• Workers are generally alerted about any planned stoppages in the conveyor system, whether for maintenance or inspections, or for employee breaks and shift changes. A supervisor or line manager will stop the system and turn off the power. In addition, a loud horn should sound to alert workers along and close to the conveyor system.

Lock-Out Safety

• Lockout and tag-out procedures must be put into place when a conveyor is shut down for more than a short emergency stop. The conveyor start and stop mechanisms and the electrical or other power source are required to have locking devices such as padlocks. In addition, a tag with the identification of the person who turned off the system should be attached next to every locking device. The identified person is the only one who is allowed to unlock the system and turn the power and moving parts back on.

Other Safety Requirements

• Workers should take safety precautions while a conveyor system is shut down. Never stand or sit on a conveyor. Don't walk under an overhead conveyor. And avoid crawling around and under a floor-level conveyor, including conveyors with or without side guards to keep materials from falling off. For added protection, many facilities require that the conveyor must be emptied before sounding a shut-off signal and shutting down the conveyor.

Conveyor Start-Up Safety

• Before restarting a conveyor, certain safety procedures should be followed. Workers should be near their stations if any material remains on the conveyor. However, workers should stand back a few feet until the system is deemed to be working safely. Before the power source is turned on and the conveyor system is put into operation, a loud warning horn should sound. This will alert workers at the conveyor and those in the area in case of problems in the system's operation, falling materials or other risks.