ROGERS GROUP, INC.

Rogers Group History Founded 1908, Bloomington, Indiana by Ralph Rogers Grew with nation’s interstate system, infrastructure growth Privately held by Ralph Rogers’ descendants

Rogers Group, Inc Sixth largest crushed stone producer in the US Operations in five states: IN, KY, TN, AL, AR 1600 employees Core businesses - crushed stone, asphalt & asphalt construction Other businesses - block & masonry Annual sales - $350,000,000

Maintenance and Guarding Programs Maintenance and Guarding Programs

“Effective Guarding” “Effective Guarding”

“ Why do we need guards?” “ Why do we need guards?”

Standard 56/ (a) Specifies: Moving machine parts shall be guarded to protect persons from contacting gears, sprockets, chains, drive, head, tail and takeup pulleys, flywheels, couplings, shafts, fan blades, and similar moving parts that can cause injury. Guards shall not be required where the exposed moving parts are at least seven feet away from walking or working surfaces.

An Effective Machine Guard Should: Be considered a permanent part of the machine or equipment. Afford optimum protection. Prevent access to the danger zone during operation.

Be designed for the specific job and specific machine, with provisions made for oiling, inspecting, adjusting and repairing machine parts. Be durable and constructed strongly enough to resist normal wear. Not present a hazard in itself.

Moving Machinery Protective guards placed around moving machinery should be positioned so that the moving equipment does not present a hazard.

What is wrong in this picture?

Other Options for Conveyors

Stop Cords Must be located so that it can be reached by a person who falls on or against the belt. Must be sufficiently taut to assure the conveyor drive motor will be deenergized when the cord is pulled.

Railing A railing can be installed along the conveyor instead of a stop cord. The railing must be placed away from and slightly above the belt to prevent contact with the moving belt. In cases where cables are used for railings, they must be kept tight and free of burrs.

Takeup Pulley The moving machine parts of takeup pulleys are normally located a sufficient distance above the ground to be “guarded by location. ”

Suspended Conveyor A suspended conveyor with the guides blocked by a bar to prevent the counterweight from dropping to ground level in case of belt breakage. For additional safety, cables are fastened to the structure.

When stop bars and adequate cables are utilized to prevent free fall of the counterweight, and the moving machine parts are located a minimum of seven feet above the ground, a guard is not required.

Guard Maintenance Assignment of competent employees to inspect areas requiring guards. Establish a checklist of points to be inspected. Inspections:

Mobile Equipment

Guard Maintenance Pre-operational inspection of equipment should include guards. Inspections:

The Future? Area Guarding

Area Guard

An advantage of the area guard is that it may be less expensive and provides easy access. A disadvantage is that both belts need to be locked-out and tagged-out before entering the guarded area.

The Future? New Technology

 Laser Beams may be effective at long range. They can monitor area perimeters and detect when entry into a hazardous area occurs.  Pulsed Infrared Light Curtain Systems may find use as area guards. They are particularly useful in dusty environments.  Pressure Plates can be equipped with sensors that detect changes in a radio frequency field or electrical capacitance. They can guard an area by sensing a person’s approach through contact with the plate.

New Technology  Mechanical Pressure Mats open electrical contacts to stop a motor when someone steps on the mat in a hazard area.  Interlock Systems are available with multiple contacts. Multiple contacts or zones can be used to trigger a warning alarm for entry into an area but shut a system down if the person continues past the warning and approaches a hazard too closely.

New Technology Does the system react quickly and at sufficient distance to prevent contact with the machine parts before their motion has stopped? Is the system redundant? Can it be easily by-passed, such as ducking under a laser beam? Is there regular and frequent testing?

Standard 56/ (a) Specifies: Moving machine parts shall be guarded to protect persons from contacting gears, sprockets, chains, drive, head, tail and takeup pulleys, flywheels, couplings, shafts, fan blades, and similar moving parts that can cause injury. Guards shall not be required where the exposed moving parts are at least seven feet away from walking or working surfaces.

Questions?