An original design by members of staff at Denton Marine Works in Gravesend has eliminated the most hazardous operation at the site – replacing the 18kg and 1.45 metre-long jetty return idlers from within the jetty latticework.
Deputy health and safety officer, Ian Rayner, made an initial sketch of a tool, acting as an extending arm, which can be used to move the idler from the safety of the walkway. This was then developed by other employees into a prototype and tested in the workshop.
The process now involves:
• raising the belt using a tool that straddles the conveyor
• hooking the idler tool onto the far-side idler support bracket
• sliding the new idler along the three props
• raising the new idler into position using the tool. |