Objective: To design and install barrier guarding on two (2) brand new wood chip conveyor systems.

Challenge: This operator wanted to increase the safety of their new wood chip conveyors by installing ASGCO^®’s Safe-Guard^® modular flat guard panels.  Since these panels would need to be integrated onto a new conveyor, they wanted the application to appear as if it was an original component, without any compromise to the conveyor structure.  Additional precautions were needed due to the presence of combustible material in the environment.  The guarding would need to be installed without any drilling, cutting or welding that could produce combustible material, leading to a fire risk in a confined space.

Solutions: ASGCO^® engineers performed an on-site Point Cloud Laser Scanning survey to provide accurate measurements of the conveyor. A 3D model was developed to check for any interference and obstacles.  Custom bracketry was designed to secure the guarding to the structure without the risk of ‘hot work’ activities that could produce spark, flame or heat combustion.

Results: The Point Cloud Laser Scan enabled the engineering team to fabricate a solution tailored to the plant’s safety and performance requirements. The installation was quickly completed exclusively by the plant’s own on-site maintenance crew, who had no prior experience installing barrier guarding.  The application was flawless, executed with utmost concern for safety and the existing structure was not compromised in any way.  The conveyor experienced very little down time and now functions efficiently with much higher safety standards.