Conveyor systems are the backbone of logistics operations in airports and industrial operations, including warehouses and manufacturing facilities. These transportation systems move baggage, packages, and materials throughout a facility across a range of elevations. However, their high speed, continuous movement can pose significant risks to personnel. Likewise, conveyor components and equipment can be vulnerable to impacts from motorized vehicles. To mitigate these risks, installing conveyor guarding solutions — including barriers and nets — helps protect both workers and equipment.

Among the potential dangers are:

• Falling Objects. Baggage, parcels, and goods can fall from elevated conveyor belts, potentially striking people or other equipment at ground level.
• Worker Injuries. Employees working near conveyors can suffer from pinch points or entanglements if proper guarding isn’t in place.
• Equipment Damage. Motorized vehicles moving or towing loads can accidentally collide with conveyors at ground level, or with the legs of elevated conveyors. This results in significant damage to components, extensive unplanned downtime, and costly repairs.

“It’s critical to protect an operation’s assets, whether that’s your people or the conveyor itself,” noted Tara Riggs, Head of Airport Sales at A-SAFE USA. The company is a member of the Protective Guarding Manufacturers Association (ProGMA). “Fortunately, there’s a large range of conveyor guarding solutions available to prevent these hazards and ensure smooth, uninterrupted operations.”

Protective Guarding Around Conveyors

Physical barrier conveyor guards prevent access to hazardous areas of a system. These guards come in different forms, depending on the conveyor’s layout and function.

Protective Guardrail and Bollards

Conveyor located near traffic zones is vulnerable to impacts from vehicles. To shield exposed conveyor or its legs against impacts from vehicles, Riggs recommended bollards, guardrail, or other upright protection devices. The design of these barriers allows them to either absorb or deflect the energy of a collision. That makes them vastly more effective than painted lines on the floor.

“When drivers feel the pressure to stay on a schedule, they are more likely to cut corners — literally. That can cause them to accidentally strike a conveyor with their vehicle or load,” she explained. “Installing stationary protective barriers or guardrails made of steel or polymer safeguards the conveyor from an impact.”

Ideal for high-risk areas like warehouse loading zones or baggage transfer points, physical barriers are often safety yellow. “That makes them highly visible to drivers. The bright color serves as a visual reminder that they need to be careful navigating through the area,” added Riggs.

An installation best practice is to leave space between the fixed guarding and the conveyor it protects. “The spacing prevents the guarding from making contact with the conveyor if it’s struck by a forklift or a tugger vehicle,” she continued.

Panel Guards

Made of steel mesh, these panels shield workers from conveyors while still allowing them to see its movement. They attach to posts anchored to the floor, forming a perimeter cage around the conveyor. The steel mesh panels feature secured entry doors or gates that permit workers or vehicles to access the conveyors. Securing the access points with padlocks, keypads, or other controls ensures that only authorized personnel can enter the area.

Removable Shields

Designed to be removable for maintenance, integrated metal shields attach directly to the conveyor. They cover pinch points and other moving parts during operation to protect personnel working close by. Removing them temporarily enables access to the conveyor’s components for service or adjustments. This type of conveyor guarding is typically found at transfer points, where baggage or parcels change direction.

Conveyor Safety Nets: Catching Falling Objects

While barrier guarding separates people and machinery, protective guard netting catches falling objects. Their installation prevents damage and injuries.

Typically, nets used for conveyor guarding are installed in two areas:

1. Underneath and alongside overhead conveyors. The positioning of these nets allows them to catch falling baggage or packages. This safeguards workers below from injury. The nets also reduce damage by preventing fragile items from breaking. Overhead conveyor nets are common in multi-level conveyor systems in warehouses or baggage handling areas.

   

2. Along the sides of incline conveyors. Angled conveyor belts are often part of high-speed automated sortation systems. Placing nets along the sloping sides of the conveyors prevents items from sliding or falling off the angled equipment.

   

Protective guard netting comes in a variety of materials, including polyester, nylon, polypropylene, and polyethylene. Manufacturers offer a range of opening sizes, from small to large. Installed with a variety of connectors, depending on the application, the nets are lightweight but can capture loads weighing up to 1,400 pounds per square foot. A netting supplier can help determine the optimal tensile strength and load capacity for a given application.

Best Practices for Implementing Conveyor Guarding

While ideally every exposed run of conveyor would have protective guarding, Riggs acknowledged that isn’t practical. Instead, she advised prioritizing implementation of conveyor guarding based on several factors.

“First, look at the high-traffic areas of the facility. It’s important to identify which portions of the conveyor system are at the highest risk of an impact. Also, determine where overhead conveyor is above spaces with a high concentration of workers, pedestrians, or equipment,” she said. “Assessing and mapping those areas will pinpoint where to deploy conveyor guarding first.”

Riggs also recommended conducting regular inspections of the conveyor guarding and nets. “Protective guarding is definitely not ‘set it and forget it,’” she added. “It’s critical to check the condition of the guarding. Inspect them routinely to ensure the barriers, guardrails, and nets and their connectors and anchors are intact. Address any damage promptly.”

Finally, train workers on how to work safely around conveyors as part of an overall safety program. “Conveyor guarding is only a part of a total safety program. Educate employees on why the guarding and nets are in place. Teach them not to reach into a conveyor unless they’re trained and authorized to do so — and then only when it’s locked out and tagged out for service. Train drivers to monitor their speed and pay attention to their surroundings. All of these measures will help keep people safe and an operation running smoothly,” Riggs concluded.

Find More Protective Guarding Solutions

To help operations managers further safeguard people and assets, ProGMA offers the Protective Guarding Search Tool. This comprehensive, searchable resource includes a broad range of guarding products. It lists multiple solutions for specific industrial areas, illustrated with descriptions and images. Users can also filter queries by category or supplier. The tool is free and available via ProGMA’s website.