Machinery Precautions Fixed Plant/ Conveyors

• Find detailed advice in the Guidelines to the Quarries Regulations (97 pages)
• See the examples of good and bad practice in the videos
• A large proportion of serious and fatal accidents occur during maintenance operations

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Machinery Precautions

The operator shall ensure that any machinery is selected, designed, constructed, installed, equipped, commissioned, protected, operated and maintained safely Machinery located in an area with a potential/ actual risk of fire or explosion must be suitable for use in that area and have suitable protective devices and fail-safe systems Mechanical equipment and plant must be of adequate strength and free from patent defect and suitable for the intended purpose electrical equipment and plant must have sufficient capacity

• The operator shall
  • ensure that instructions and operating procedures are in place
  • ensure that copies of all instructions, rules and operating procedures are kept at the quarry and given to any person at work to whom they apply
  • take all reasonable measures to ensure each person understands the instructions, rules and operating procedures that apply to that person
• Reviews are likely to be required when equipment or working practices change significantly, when new technology is introduced and after accidents or 'near-misses'

The operator shall ensure that based on an assessment of risks, a system of permits to work is introduced for hazardous activities In some high-risk situations, simple systems of work such as isolation or locking off procedures are sufficient Suitable arrangements for monitoring the permit to work system are essential

• The operator shall prepare and keep up-to-date suitable inspection, maintenance and testing schemes for plant and equipment at the quarry, including signed inspection records
• The inspection, maintenance and testing scheme shall specify that on every working day all external parts of all machinery are inspected
• A daily inspection record must be prepared according to the operations at the quarry. A sample checklist and report form is shown at Page 28 of the Guidelines to the Quarries Regulations. It is a model which should be tailored to the needs of a particular quarry. It is not intended to be used exclusively as it is presented

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Fixed Plant/Conveyors

Cleaning or adjusting machinery while it is running and the unexpected start-up of equipment has caused many serious injuries and fatalities in quarries and ancillary factories. Many of these fatalities could have been prevented if the machines had been isolated, locked out and tagged. Without an isolation/lockout procedure, there is always the possibility that somebody will start up the machine while you are working on it.

Isolation/Lockout Procedure

1. Let all those who need to know that an isolation/lockout procedure is taking place
2. Identify all parts of any systems that need to be shut down and determine what switches need to be locked off and tagged or the fuses removed.
3. Shut down the equipment
4. Isolation switches are to be locked in the off position and tagged to prevent and warn people not to start the equipment
5. Each employee working on the machine must place his own lock and tag on the isolation switch
6. Test and verify that the equipment is isolated before starting work on the plant
7. On completion of the work each employee must remove his own isolation lock/tag

Checks

Do you know how to isolate/lockout the machines in your area? Have you read the isolation instructions? Do you have an isolation tag? Do you use it? If not - why not? Always isolate before carrying out maintenance / cleaning Always replace guards when work is complete

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