Automating manual material handling tasks with vacuum conveyors can be the remedy.
Vacuum conveyors won’t solve every safety hazard, but they do eliminate a great number of hazards inherent during manual transfer of powders and bulk solids, such as work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD), fall, respiratory and dust explosions.
Until fairly recently, safety improvements often fell into the intangible financial category of cost avoidance—reducing the potential for direct and indirect costs of injury and the resultant increase of insurance rates—relegating them to the bottom of the list of capital expenditures.
That model of thinking has shifted to one that bonds automation to safety. Automation increases safety by eliminating tasks that can cause injury, and Liberty Mutual asserts, “an environment of increased safety due to automation can also boost the bottom line.”
Manpower and labor costs are eternally hot topics across all industries, and the acute manpower shortage plaguing manufacturing today exacerbates manufacturing’s already shrinking workforce. This acute shortage increases the likelihood of worker injury due to new and untrained workers being more prone to accidents and injury, according to Liberty Mutual, “leading to absences, sick days, and workers compensation claims.
Automating materials transfer with vacuum conveyors regularly produces savings through reduced manpower, reduced materials costs, increased uptime, improved product quality and a healthier, cleaner environment.
Available in a variety of sizes, types and materials of construction, including carbon steel, 304 or 316 stainless, basic vacuum conveying systems consist of a single pick-up point, a vacuum receiver, a vacuum producer, convey tubing and a control panel.
This article originally appeared in the May 2022 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.
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