Conveyors play major roles in agriculture, mining, transportation, construction, and the manufacturing industries. With proper application conveyors increase productivity, reduce cost, and improve working conditions including:
reducing worker fatigue
improving personnel comfort
upgrading employees to productive work
providing for safer working conditions
At the turn of the 20th Century grain and coal bulk handling conveyors were introduced to upgrade production, reduce worker fatigue, and improve personnel comfort, today's ergonomic issues. In this first half of the 20th Century both package and unit handling conveyors and conveyor systems were introduced for the same reasons. By the mid 20th Century most material handling equipment as we know it today, including conveyors, lift trucks, and cranes were readily available.
Conveyor safety issues were recognized at the turn of the 20th Century by a few individuals and associations. "Universal Safety Standards" issued by Carl M. Hansen in 1913 under the direction of the New York Workmen's Compensation Service Bureau is a notable example. However, it was not until 1947 that The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) issued a "Safety Code for Conveyors, Cableways, and Related Equipment" which specifically addressed conveyors. This code was reissued in 1957. In that same year of 1947, The National Safety Council began publication of their "Accident Prevention Manual for Industrial Operations" which included sections on conveyor, crane, and fork lift truck safety, and it is still being published.
In 1972 ASME issued "ANSI B20.1-Safety Standards for Conveyors and Related Equipment" as a "specification" standard. This standard in my opinion is the most complete conveyor safety standard available and a copy should be in every conveyor engineer's reference file. In 1970 the Williams-Steiger "Occupational Safety and Health Act" (OSHA) was adopted. In its initial preparation of 20CFR, Part 1910.186 was included to cover conveyor safety.
The then available ANSI B20.1-1972 Conveyor Safety Standard was rejected by OSHA as being "too specific." Per OSHA's request, it was rewritten by ASME as ANSI B20.1-1976 a "performance" standard. This format was also rejected by OSHA, and while work and discussions continued on 29CFR, Part 1910.186, all activities were stopped in 1981 by the Reagan administration.
No activity by OSHA on Part 1910.186 - Conveyor Safety has taken place to date. However, in a strange bureaucratic twist, OSHA's 29CFR 1926/1910 covering the Construction Industry in Part 1910.555 - Conveyors, references ANSI B29.1 - 1957 Safety Code for Conveyors, Cableways, and Related Equipment.
