Crushing Safety: How Better Design Can Reduce Risks

Crushing is inherently dangerous work. Each year, serious accidents occur on job sites—some with fatal consequences. Most of these accidents could be avoided with better safety practices.

Safety isn’t just about having instructions or guards in place; it’s about cultivating a culture of safety where everyone is constantly aware of risks and protective practices. Safety should become second nature in any workplace.

Safety Is a Numbers Game

The more risks your workers are exposed to, the higher the chances of accidents. Rather than just mitigating risk, the goal should be to eliminate it. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Safe Work Practices help reduce risk, but some level of danger may remain. The smart question to ask is, “Can we completely eliminate this risk?”

By addressing safety through thoughtful engineering and design, the risks associated with crushing equipment can be minimized. Understanding the key areas where accidents occur—repairs, maintenance, relocating equipment, and unplugging crushers—allows us to design solutions that make the work safer.

Key Safety Questions for Crushing Operations

  1. How can we reduce the amount of maintenance required? Reducing the number of moving parts and using higher-quality components can decrease the frequency of maintenance, minimizing workers’ exposure to risk.
  2. How can we make repairs and maintenance easier and safer? By designing equipment with maintenance in mind, you can make essential repairs safer and less cumbersome.
  3. How can we reduce the risk of plugging a crusher, and make unplugging safer? Preventing plugs not only improves productivity but also enhances safety. Solutions like hydraulic grizzlies can help prevent plugging, while design improvements can make unplugging less dangerous.
  4. How can we make moving a portable crushing spread safer? Reducing the number of loads, conveyors, and crane lifts during relocation minimizes risks and eases the moving process.

Design Features That Enhance Safety

Here are some examples of how design can significantly improve safety on the job site:

1. Common Level Design

Equipment with a common-level design minimizes the number of conveyors that need to be moved and maintained. This reduces worker exposure to conveyors and belts, lowering the risk of injury. Fewer conveyors also mean fewer crane lifts and loads to move, making relocation easier and safer.

2. Centralized Control

A centralized control system allows operators to stop the entire plant with a single button in the control tower, eliminating the need for workers to race between machines to shut them down in an emergency.

With centralized control, options like Emergency Radio Shutdown can be implemented. Workers with two-way radios can shut down the entire spread if they encounter a dangerous situation by pressing a dedicated emergency button.

3. Conveyor Safety Features

  • 0-Speed Switch: This feature shuts down the system if a belt stops moving, preventing material pileup and associated hazards.
  • Hydraulically Adjustable Conveyors: These allow adjustments without manual lifting, making operation safer.
  • Tag Lines: A pull cable along the full length of the conveyor stops the system when pulled, allowing workers to respond quickly to unsafe conditions.

4. Hydraulic Grizzly & Jaw Safety

Hydraulic grizzlies improve safety and efficiency by removing large material before it reaches the jaw crusher. This reduces the risk of plugging, which is a dangerous task to clear. By filtering out oversized material early on, the hydraulic grizzly prevents potential hazards before they even reach the jaw crusher.

5. Reduced Maintenance Requirements

Plants with centralized control and a single generator require less maintenance than those with multiple motors. Less maintenance means less time workers spend around the equipment, reducing their exposure to risk. Additionally, next-generation screen plants that only need greasing once or twice a year reduce maintenance time and the associated hazards of working near heavy machinery.

6. Safer Relocation of Crushing Spreads

A common-level design crushing spread simplifies the relocation process, eliminating the need for independent conveyors to connect machines. This reduces the number of loads and crane lifts, lowering the overall risk to workers and reducing transportation costs.

7. Air Quality & Noise Control

Air quality and noise are important safety considerations. Optional features like dust and noise control can improve the working environment:

  • Cone Dust Shield: Reduces silica dust in the air.
  • Pressurized Control Tower: Keeps airborne particles out, improving air quality for operators.

Safety by Design

By prioritizing design that reduces risk, you can create a safer work environment for your team. The right safety features and practices not only protect workers but also improve efficiency and productivity.