Shane

I found this for you. It is a course on AS1755

http://www.safetyline.wa.gov.au/inst...23/l12308.asp

The 2nd paragraph refers to your question.

This is the same as in Canada. We require the guard to be interlock (shuts down the equipment if opened or removed) or the guard requires a tool to be removed if not interlocked. It applies to mining and plant sites.

CSA (Canadian Standards Association) spells out the physical size of the guards and the distance that the pinch point or moving part must be from the edge of the guard. ie: "All pinch points must be guarded at least 1 meter in all directions."

Regards,

Gary Blenkhorn ■

Shane,

Gary is right and this is a compliance issue however the ultimate authority rests with Workcover and the like and your conveyor management plan. There are times when it is not practical to comply and if you don't then you have a manegement plan in place such that the implied risk is addressed through your management plan. The best person I know on AS1755 compliance is Paul Bryant and you can contact him on paul@riskfree.com.au.

Col Benjamin ■

Shane

The original requirement implies that either a tool is required to remove the guard or an interlocking system fitted.

Since the dispensation refers to interlocking system, for mine sites we design guards with additinal bolted joint that provides a lock preventing removal by hand only.

Cheers

Janusz Wala ■

If you run the safety pull wire such that removal of a guard with the conveyor operational trips the wire, you appear to have met AS1755 requirements. This might be an issue if the guard is in an area outside that designated for pull wires, but most guards should be ok. Fix the odd one or two.

When you need to remove guards, the conveyor is isolated and the pull wire can be easily dropped allowing hand removable guards.

My experience is that if the guards are not easily replaceable they won't be replaced correctly, especially on mines where time is of the essence. Even if you do put bolted guards, the fixture has to work without the bolts otherwise there is a good chance the guard will not be properly replaced.

Steve ■