Find every nip and drawing-in point.
A packaging conveyor is not safe merely because its belt moves slowly. End rollers, drives, return runs, tensioners, side transfers, guide mechanisms and accumulation devices can create trapping, crushing and drawing-in hazards.
We trace the conveyor above, below and between machine frames. Fixed guards, mesh panels, sheet covers and local access doors are then positioned around the reach routes that exist in the real installation.
- Drive chains, sprockets and end rollers
- Return runs and underside access
- Transfers, dead plates and side belts
- Powered guides, stops and accumulation devices
Control openings without blocking product flow.
Containers and packs need a clear path between safeguarded zones. Product openings are sized and positioned with the hazard distance in mind, and may use tunnels, side infills or additional protective devices where a simple aperture cannot provide adequate separation.
The design also considers rejected products, fallen containers and routine cleaning. If operators regularly reach through an opening to recover product, the intended recovery task needs a safer engineered method.
- Reach over, under, around and through openings
- Tunnels and side infills at line boundaries
- Reject and fallen-product recovery
- Cleaning access beneath and alongside conveyors
Define conveyor behaviour during access.
Conveyors often span several machines and stop zones. An interlocked gate may need to stop local drives, upstream feed and downstream accumulation while preventing an unexpected restart elsewhere on the line.
Whole-body access, hidden zones and long conveyor runs require particular attention to reset location, emergency stops, isolation and visibility. The controls scope is agreed before devices are selected.
- Local and line-wide stop zoning
- Reset position and visibility
- Whole-body access and trapped-person risk
- Isolation for cleaning and maintenance
