| Automated gravel bin doors |
Dump trucks are used to empty the site’s storage bins as they become full. The bins are 30 years old and their discharge doors have always been manually operated. The dump truck is driven under the bins and the driver has to get out of the cab and climb up onto an adjoining gantry to manually open the bin doors, using a long extension bar attached to a manual lever mechanism.
The mechanism is often stiff and awkward to operate and considerable force is required to open and close the doors. This practice is risky for several reasons and could cause:
- Hearing damage because noise levels under the bins are above 90 decibels;
- Manual handling injuries from operating the door; and
- Slips, trips and falls from continual access and egress from the dump truck onto the gantry.
To remove these concerns, the doors were replaced with automatic ones. The doors are controlled via a remote control handset that the drivers uses from his cab. The dump truck reverses under the storage bins and once in position the driver uses the handset to control the opening and closing of the bin doors. Each bin has a separate signal button and frequency. |