| Improving access to sand towers |
Climbing up a sand tower to change the chute position every day is a difficult and potentially dangerous task. Hanson Aggregates has developed a safe solution at this quarry on the Devon and Somerset border, working with the plant supplier Linatex to automate the process.
Access to the top of the tower is typically by a ladder from the centre of the tower base. During production, access to the ladder is often blocked by wet sand, which can be shifted for occasional maintenance, but presents a hazard for daily access.
The company decided that the best and safest solution would be to automate the process, allowing the operator to change the chute without leaving the plant. Hanson contacted Linatex and developed an automatic chute turner which could be retro-fitted to the sand tower, and driven by a valve actuating motor to move the chute remotely. The cost was around £15,000 for each tower. |