2023

MATERIAL HANDLING AND

SAFETY

Material Handling and safety

Abdur Rehman Jan Awan
3/2/2023
 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY

MT-384 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY

Objectives:
After going through this subject the student will be able to know about the various types of
conventional material handling equipment’s along with modern and latest equipment and
devices e.g.: AGVs, Robots, Pallet trucks, different types of electronic sensor using devices
etc.

Course Outline:
1. The material-handling problem
Introduction, Material Handling Equipment Marketing, Principles of material handling,
factors affecting material handling

2. Bulk-Material-Handling Equipment
Belt Conveyers, Bucket Elevators and Bucket Conveyers, Screw Conveyers, Vibratory
Conveyers, Feeders and Screws, Vehicle Bulk Handling Systems, Marine Bulk-Material
handling.

3. Packaged-Material-Handling Equipment
Pallets and Palletizing Operations, Package and Unit Conveyer Systems, Belt Package
Conveyer Power Roller conveyer, Conveyer Turns and Switches, Conveyer Sortation and
Accumulation Systems, Pallet Conveyers.

4. Monorail conveyer Systems

Light Duty Chain and Cable System, Heavy Duty Systems, Power-and-Free Systems,
Powered-Carrier Monorail Systems

5. Counterbalanced Forklift Trucks.

Reach-Type Non-Aisle Forklift Trucks, Narrow-Aisle Turret-Type Forklift Trucks, Side-
Loading Forklift Trucks,

6. Miscellaneous Material Handling Equipment

Vehicular Unit Handling equipment, Pallet Transporters and Material Handling Tools.
Towline Systems, Tractor-Trailer Trains.

7. Integrated Material Handling Systems

Automated Guided Vehicles and Their Applications, Use of Robots.

8. Safety
Classification of Health hazards. Physical, chemical, biological. Sources of risk Machinery
Noise, Electrical failure, ventilation, lighting, radiation Dangerous substances Classification,
Entry & Exit routes, safe handling, Health & safety regulation & policy. Safety Machining &
Guarding, Preventing Machining accidents, Machine guarding Equipment & Machine
handling Mechanical & Manual Handling, Access Equipment, Transport, Electricity &
Electrical Equipment.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
Fire: - Classification, fire protection, means of Escape, Actions to be taken. Chemical
safety Personal protection. Safety Management Accident prevention, health & safety training,
communicating safety measures.
Reference:
1. Langford J. W. “LOGISTICS PRINCIPLES AND APPLICATIONS”.
McGraw Hill, UK. (Latest Edition)
Recommended Book:
1 Sims Jr. E.R. “planning and managing industrial logistics systems” Elseveir, Amsterdam.
(Latest Edition)
2. Maynard‟s „industrial engineering handbook” McGraw Hill, (Latest Edition)
3. Holt A.S.J Principle of Health & safety at work. The institution of occupational safety &
health. The caverdisk press Limited. UK 1999.
4. Patty F.A "Industrial Hygiene & Toxicology Vol-1 General Principles"
Inter science Publishers New York. (Latest Edition)

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
Chapter
01
The Material-Handling Problem

Material handling is loading, unloading,

movement and storing of material in a
Objectives OBJECTIVES;
production facility. It is not essentially required  TO LEARN ABOUT
because it consumes time but since without
THE MATERIAL
The objectives of this chapter are:
HANDLING
handling of material the operations can't be
CONCEPT.
performed, therefore a lot of investment is put
into it.  TO BE AWARE OF
PRINCIPLES USED
FOR MATERIAL
HANDLING.
 TO UNDERSTAND
FACTORS
AFFECTING
MATERIAL
HANDLING.

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1.1 Introduction

Material handling is loading, moving and unloading of materials. To do it safely, different types
of gadgets and equipment are used especially when the material handling is referred to as
mechanical handling of materials. Material handling is defined as it is the art and science
involving the moving, packaging, and storing of substances in any form..
Since primitive men discovered the use of wheels and levers, they have been moving the
materials mechanically. Any human activity involving materials needs material handling.
However in engineering and technology, this term means an industrial activity. In any industry
involving manufacturing or construction work, materials have to be handled as raw materials,
intermediate goods or finished products.
Storing and warehousing is very much a part
of material handling. Equipment used for this
purpose is called material handling
equipment.
1.2 Material handling equipment
marketing

Material handling help increase productivity and hence profitability of an industry. Many
enterprises go out of business due to inefficient material handling practices. In many instances it
is seen that competing industries are using the same or similar production equipment, and one
who uses improved materials handling systems stays ahead of their competitors.
The rising penetration of advanced technologies such as RFID (radio frequency identification) in
food and retail, and e-commerce industries is driving the material handling equipment market
growth. The incorporation of these technologies will help in saving time and costs in
manufacturing processes, leading to increased accuracy and enhanced customer satisfaction.
Players operating in the market are gradually adopting these technologies to maintain their
position and to gain a competitive edge.
Increasing labour costs couples with the inconvenience associated with providing benefits such
as health and safety compensation, insurances, paid leaves, benefit packages and promotions to
employees, are expected to drive the material handling equipment

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
market demand to rise.
1.3 Principles of material handling
Although there are no definite rules that can be followed
when designing an effective material handling system,
the following ten principles of material handling
represent the summary of experience and knowledge of
many practitioners of material handling.
1. Planning principle: all material handling activities
should be carefully planned.
The Material-Handling 2. Systems principle: integrate as many handling activities
as possible encompassing full scope of operations like
Problem receiving, storage, production, inspection, packaging,
Material handling is defined warehousing, and shipping/transportation.
as it is the art and science 3. Material flow principle: plan the operation sequence
and material flow carefully.
involving the moving,
4. Simplification principle: reduce, combine or eliminate
packaging, and storing of
un- necessary movement or equipment.
substances in any form. 5. Gravity principle: utilize gravity wherever applicable.
6. Space utilization principle: make optimum use of
building volume.
7. Unit size principle: increase quantity, size, weight of
loads handled in one go.
8. Safety principle: handling methods and equipment
must be safe.
9. Mechanization/automation principle: whenever
appropriate, use mechanized or automatic material
handling equipment.
10. Equipment selection principle: before selection of the
equipment, consider all aspects of materials handling,
e.g. material to be handled, moves to be made, methods
to be utilized etc.
11. Standardization principle: material handling methods
and equipment should be as close to the standards as
possible.
12. Flexibility principle: use methods and equipment that
are flexible in operation, which is they can perform
different tasks and applications.
13. Dead weight principle: reduce the dead weight
movement.
14. Motion principle: stoppage of mobile equipment
should be minimum.
15. Idle time principle: reduce the idle or non-productive
time for both material handling equipment and
manpower.
16. Maintenance principle: schedule maintenance of
material handling equipment to minimize the outage.

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17. Obsolescence principle: replace obsolete handling methods and equipment by new and
efficient one to improve operations.
18. Control principle: use material handling equipment for inventory control and order handling.
19. Capacity principle: use material handling in such a way that full production capacity can be
achieved.
20. Performance principle: select material handling equipment, the one with high performance
in terms of expenses per unit load.

1.1 Factors affecting material handling

Following factors can improve or disprove the performance of material handling.

1. Efficiency of equipment
2. Safety
3. Supply of material at desired rate
4. Storage of material utilizing minimum space
5. Cost

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
Chapter
02
Bulk-Material-Handling Equipment
Bulk material handling means handling of very. Large
quantities of material. This large quantity of material
brings its own challenges therefore very careful selection
Objectives
of equipment is required for handling of material in bulk
quantity. The objectives of this chapter
are:
The bulk handling means handling and storing very large
quantity of materials in the range of many tones.  To learn about
Handling of such a large quantities involve careful conveyors.
selection of material handling equipment and systems.  To learn about
Bulk handling is involved in following areas: feeders.
 To learn about vehicle
1. Open cast mining
bulk material handling
2. Ports and dockyards systems.
 To learn about marine
3. Storage areas of large process plants
bulk material
4. Rail road terminals handling.

2.1 Belt conveyors

These conveyors are also called flat belt conveyors as
shown . They and used for transporting light and medium
weight load between two specific point through a specific
route. They can be inclined as well. There is no smooth
accumulation of material on this kind of conveyors. The
belt is roller bed or slider bed supported.

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2.2 Bucket elevators and bucket conveyors

These conveyors are used for moving bulk material in a
vertical or inclined path. Buckets are attached to the belt as
shown .When in operation, the buckets are automatically
unloaded at the end of conveyor run.

2.3 Screw conveyors

The bulk material is conveyed using a trough having a
revolving screw shaft as shown. When the screw shaft turn,
it pushes all material in contact with the helix in forward (or
inclined) direction.

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2.4 Vibratory conveyors
These conveyors consist of trough, bed or a
tube to accumulate the bulk material as
shown. They are usually slightly inclined and
vibrate at a high frequency to move the
material. All types of granular and free
flowing materials can be handled by this
type of conveyor.

2.5 Feeders and screws

Feeders are components used for continuous and controlled flow
of bulk material from storage to material handling equipment (or
to a processing equipment). These can be horizontal or inclined
and are installed near the outlet of material hopper (a funnel
shaped pot in which bulk material is poured and received from its
outlet) as shown. Feeders serve to unload the hopper with a
controlled rate. There are different types of feeders that are
discussed below briefly.

1 Belt Feeder
These are actually small length flat belt conveyors as
shown. The working side is supported by idle rollers
and returning side is kept without support. Belt
speed is usually low. Hopper is equipped with a flow
control valve by which rate of material to be handled
is controlled. Belt feeders are for small granular and
not for lumped material.

2 Apron feeders
Apron feeders are for heavy medium and large
materials. These are similar to belt feeders but with
an apron to carry larger material. They are installed horizontal or
inclined as required. shows an apron feeder with its cross section.
The apron feeder is installed just below the hopper. Hopper is not
equipped with flow control valve but the apron speed is regulated
(from 0.05 to 0.25 m/s) to control the rate of material handling.

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3 Screw-feeders
Screw feeders are generally used where the material
is not affected by the forces of screw feeder. These
are small screw conveyors. Cemented and powdered
material is handled using these feeders

4 Oscillating feeders
Similar to the vibratory conveyors, these feeders
consist of an inclined table placed below the hopper
outlet as shown. The table is given a reciprocating
motion (50 mm to 175 mm) at a frequency of range
from 20 to 60 strokes per minute. Due to the
vibration the material moves forward in forward
stroke but doesn't return back in return stroke
because of lot of material placed under the hopper.

5 Vibrating feeders
Vibrating feeders consist of a trough and a stiff frame with springs
between the two. The trough is vibrated using a vibrating
mechanism, either by an electromagnetic vibration or mechanical
vibration. Inclination of the trough and stiffness of springs
determine the position of resonance where the maximum
vibration occurs. Feeding of material takes place by the micro-
throw principle.

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6 Disk feeders
These are consist of a disk shaped table that takes
drive through a motor, a telescopic spout, a
hopper, and a scraper as shown. The material fall
from the spout of the hopper on the rotary table.
The table rotates and material is scraped by the
scraper on one side of the table. The quantity of
material to be scraped can be adjusted by feeding
the scraper radially inward. Amount of material on
the disk is controlled by adjusting the height of
the telescopic spout attached with the hopper. More height of the
spout means more material will fall on the rotary disk.

7 Bowl feeders
These feeders are of bowl-shape as shown. A revolving hook
grabs the components during its rotation. Components are
pushed to the center of the hopper and transferred as required.

2.6 Vehicle bulk-handling systems

Handling equipment for bulk material using vehicles is known as
material transport equipment. There are five categories of
material transport equipment.

1. Industrial trucks

2. Automated guided vehicles

3. Monorail and other rail guided vehicles

4. Conveyors

5. Cranes and Hoists

Each one is discusses below briefly.

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1. Industrial trucks
There are two classifications
of industrial trucks. Non-
powered trucks and
powered trucks. Non
powered trucks are pushed
or pulled by human as
shown. Whereas powered
trucks are guided by human. For example forklift trucks as shown
in figure below, that are widely used in factories. These are used
for handling pallet loads. Since the factories handle pallets
frequently therefore forklift trucks are mostly seen there.
Capacities of forklift trucks are from 450 kg to 4500 kg. Internal
combustion engines and power batteries are used for their drive.
Another category of powered trucks is towing truck as shown.
These are used for pulling one or more trailing carts on airports.
Factories and warehouses.

2. Automated guided vehicles (AGV's)

These are the vehicles that are
programmed to self-propel
along defined paths in the
factory floor. Their types
include, drive-less trains, pallet
trucks and unit load AGV's. The
guided train is used for moving
heavy loads inside the factory
without any stops along the
route as shown. AGV pallet
trucks are used to move palletized load along predetermined
routes as shown below. The operator lifts the pallet load and
drives the truck to the predetermined path where from the
truck travels to the destination by itself and unloads
automatically when reached there.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
The unit load carrier is shown.
These are used for moving unit
loads from station to station,
usually equipped with automatic
loading and unloading of unit
loads using roller conveyors, belts
and lifting mechanisms. Vehicle management is crucial where
automated guided vehicles operate to minimize interference
between vehicles and prevent collisions. Two methods are used
for this purpose.

 Forward sensing:
Sensors are installed in front of AGV. When it senses an obstacle, it
stops and resume when obstacle is removed.
 Zone control:
No other vehicle is allowed to enter the operating zone when one
vehicle is operating inside it.

Vehicle safety is also an important aspect that cannot be ignored.

The travelling speed of AGV is kept slower than the normal walking
speed of workers. Automatic stopping of vehicle is programmed if
vehicle mistakenly crosses the guide path. On detection of an
obstacle the vehicle is automatically stopped. Emergency bumpers
are installed on vehicle that stop the vehicle at once if they get in
contact with something in front of them. And finally warning
sounds are produced by vehicles during operations for safety
purposes.

3. Rail guided vehicles

These are the vehicles that ride on a fixed rail system. Vehicles
operate independently and driven by motors that are powered by
electricity. Usually these systems are fixed rail systems but routes
can be changed by rail switches and turntables etc. The fixed rail
systems are classified as the overhead monorail system that
suspends from the ceiling and the on-floor parallel fixed rail
system like rails. Both are shown.

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4. Conveyors
These are used for moving bulk material over a fixed path. Both
powered and non-powered exist. Some types are discussed below.

Belt conveyors:
These conveyors are also called flat belt conveyors as shown.
They and used for transporting light and medium weight load.
Between two specific point through a specific route. They can be
inclined as well. There is no smooth accumulation of material on
this kind of conveyors. The belt is roller bed or slider bed
supported.

Bucket elevators and bucket conveyors:

These conveyors are used for moving bulk material in a vertical or
inclined path. Buckets are attached to the belt as show. When in
operation, the buckets are automatically unloaded at the end of
conveyor run.

Screw conveyors:
The bulk material is conveyed using a trough having a revolving
screw shaft as shown. When the screw shaft turn, it pushes all
material in contact with the helix in forward (or inclined) direction.

Vibratory conveyors:
These conveyors consist of trough, bed or a tube to accumulate
the bulk material as shown. They are usually slightly inclined and
vibrate at a high frequency to move the material. All types of
granular and free flowing materials can be handled by this type of
conveyor.

5. Cranes and Hoists

These are equipment for lifting and transporting heavy loads.
Cranes are used for horizontal movement of the material whereas
hoists are used for vertical movement of material. Usually cranes
are equipped with hoists so that both operations can be
performed simultaneously. A hoist is shown. Cranes are of
different types. For example bridge crane, gantry crane, jib crane.
Each one is shown sequentially.

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2.7 Marine bulk-material handling
Marine bulk material handling means the goods imported or
exported by ships through oceans across national or international
borders.

Marine bulk material handling is done by cargo ships or any vessels

that carry cargo, foods and materials from one port to another.
Thousands of these equipment each year handle and carry the
bulk of international trade. Cargo ships are specially designed for
this task. Those are equipped with cranes and other mechanisms
to load and unload the freight and are made in all sizes.

Marine bulk material handling cargo ships rely on the cargo

handling equipment because the large containers and bulk
materials are not the job of man power. Many ships are kept
equipped with the systems due to which those are labelled as self-
sufficient cargo carriers.

The major material handling equipment used at ports are

container handling cranes, stackers and reclaimers, ship loader,
ship un- loader, forklift, specially designed trucks, passenger
gangway. Each one is briefly discussed below.

1. Container handling crane

The container handling crane is a specially designed crane to
load and unload the containers from the ship and also to the
ship. The working of these cranes is shown.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
2. Stacker and Reclaimers
Stackers are the machines used for bulk
material handling applications. It
operates on a rail like structure but
works on a fixed place. A stacker is used
for stockpiling whereas the reclaimer is
used to transfer the stockpile from one
place to another.

3 Ship loader
A ship loader is a large machine used for loading bulk solid
materials like iron ores, coal, fertilizers, grains into marine
vessels for transportation by sea. These are very common
machines and can easily be seen at ports.

4 Forklift
A forklift is a truck with a fork in front to lift the unit loads. These
are used for handling pallet loads. Since the ports may require
handling pallets, therefore forklift trucks are mostly seen there.
Capacities of forklift trucks are from 450 kg to 4500 kg. Internal
combustion engines and power batteries are used for their drive.

5 Passenger gangway
During loading or unloading a ship,
movement/interaction is also necessary for which
passenger gangways are used. These are the
pathways for ship crew or passengers by which they
can walk through and enter the vessel.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
Chapter
03
Packaged-Material-Handling Equipment

Packaging of material performs two tasks. One is to

sort out the material systematically and Objectives
other is to protect the material from outdoor
environment. Right selection of packaged the
objectives of this chapter are: material handling  TO LEARN ABOUT
equipment can promote the sale of goods as well as PALLETS AND
maintain the condition of material within limits. PALLETIZING
OPERATIONS.
 TO UNDERSTAND
3.1 Pallets and palletizing operations PACKAGE AND UNIT
CONVEYOR SYSTEM.
Pallets, skids and containers are the most commonly used  TO LEARN ABOUT
unitization devices. Pallet is a double sided platform used for CONVEYOR TURNS
assembling, storing or handling of material as a unit load as AND SWITCHES.
shown.  TO UNDERSTAND
CONVEYOR
Main feature of pallets is that the forks of a lifting truck can SORTATION
be entered beneath it when the pallet is resting on the floor,  AND
and thus raise the pallet with load and move it to desired ACCUMULATION
place. When these are not in use, they can be stacked one SYSTEM.
above the other.

Skid on the other hand are single faced platforms with deck
on one side and legs on the other. It is used for the same
purpose as that of pallets but these are non-stackable. A
skid of one kind is shown .

Pallets and skids may be classified as flat, box or post type.

Post type have posts at the corners to help contain the load
inside. Pallets and skids are made of different materials such
as wood, plywood, chipboard, aluminum, plastic, rubber and
sometimes steel. Construction can be rigid or collapsible as
per requirement. Different types of pallets and skids are
used in different industries. These can be single or double
faced, reversible (both sides can be used as top surface) or

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non-reversible (only one side can be used as top surface),
two way entry or four way entry. Some are shown.

Non expandable pallets are used repeatedly whereas

expandable ones are used for only one time. Similar
items of regular size are put on pallets and skids. Items
are generally kept in layers in definite arrangement.
Placement of items in such arrangement is called pallet
pattern such as block pattern, brick pattern, row pattern
and pin- wheel pattern as shown.

The choice of pattern depends upon:

 pallet type and size ·
 dimension, shape, fragility and weight of the
item container
 dimensions, shape, strength and amount of
interlock
 handling equipment used

3.2 Package and unit conveyor systems

a) Packaging: The techniques used for enclosing

and protecting the products for storage,
distribution or sale is called packaging. It also
refers to the system of preparing goods for
transport, warehousing, logistics and end use.
There are three types of packaging.
- Primary packaging It is the packaging which
is in direct contact with the content inside it. It is
smallest unit that is delivered to the end user.
- Secondary packaging It is the packaging that holds
and protects the primary packaging.
- Tertiary packaging It is the packaging that contains
the bulk content and is used for warehousing,
storage, transportation and shipping. The most

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common form of this packaging is the palletized unit
loads that are kept in containers for transportation.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
b) Packaging system/Conveyor
system
It is a collection of activities for
production, sorting, combining and
transporting the product to the
end user as shown. These systems
use human, machines, plans,
software and computers to achieve
end goals. Packaging and unit loads
are handled through conveyor
systems. Different types of
conveyor systems are used that are
chute conveyors, wheel conveyor,
roller conveyor, chain conveyor,
flat belt conveyor, towline
conveyor, trolley conveyor.

I-Chute conveyor it is a simplest form of conveyor that work

on gravity. It is like a slider of a child being inexpensive, it can
handle material between two heights. Moreover it can be
used for bulk material handling too.

Ii-Wheel conveyor It is composed of series of skate wheels

mounted on a shaft as shown in Figure 3-8. The spacing
between the wheels and the shafts depends upon the load
that is to be handled by them but these are usually not for
heavy duty tasks. Gravity can also be utilized for inclined
floor levels. It is more economical than the roller conveyors
because of the difference of material utilized in rollers and
wheels.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY

Iii-Chain conveyor these

are the conveyors used for
pallets transportation
across short distances as
shown.
These are less costly and
maintained easily. Pallet is
directly carried on the
chains that transfer it
forward.

Iv-Towline conveyor It uses a towline to pull the wheeled

carriers such as manual trucks, dollies, or carts.
These are usually fixed routed and used for long distance
movements. Moreover the towline should be attached and
detached on every use. The towline position can be
overhead, flush with the floor or inside the floor.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
v-Trolley conveyor It uses a trolley that is supported
from overhead track as shown.
Trolleys are equally spaced and supported through
chain or strong rigid members. These are commonly
used in processing and assembly lines, packaging and
storing operations.

3.3 Belt package conveyor

It is used for transporting light-medium loads between
department, levels and buildings especially when an
inclination or declination is required. The belt is wrapped
around the rollers that take drive from electric motor and
perform the transport operation.

3.4 Power roller conveyor

It is similar to wheel conveyor, but has rollers mounted on as
in Figure 3-13. These can be powered (that uses electricity)
and non-powered (that uses gravity). The powered
conveyors take drive by electric motors and power is
transmitted through O-rings or chains as shown.
The material must have rigid surface to be handled on these
conveyors. It is interesting to know that at least three rollers
are required for any small load to be properly supported at
all times. For curvatures, tapered rollers are used on turns.
For powered roller conveyors one must adjust the height of
the platform so that material flow jamming could be avoided
as described.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
3.5 Conveyor turns and switches
To change the direction of products, the
conveyor turns and switches are used. In
conveyor turns as shown, the rollers on the turn
are arranged radially and in two or more rows to
reduce the sliding action of the product. If not
divided in two rows, then only one row can also
be used with tapered rollers. But it is relatively
more costly and seldom used. Switches are used
to change the direction of the product or divert it
from one conveyor to the other. Different types
of switches are used based on requirements.
Some are discussed below.

Turn table
It is a conveyor switching mechanism that consists of a
section of the roller conveyor separately attached in the
middle of the cross ways (where two conveyors intersect)
as shown. This middle-section can be rotated on vertical
axis. Whenever a product is required to switch from one
conveyor to the other at 90° of the first one, the turn
table switch rotates and rollers slide the product to the
other conveyor.

Hinged section
It is a set of rollers attached on a hinged frame connected
with the conveyor as shown. Whenever a conveyor needs to
be attached or detached to the conveyor line, this section
plays a vital role. Normally in horizontal position it makes the
product flow in one direction but when lifted up, the other
conveyor can be attached at desired angle at the end of the
first conveyor for changing the direction of the product.
Moreover array of independently moving wheels are also
attached in this section so that the product can be moved
left of right of the passage way for sortation purposes.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
Deflector
It is a flat plate typed section (an arm) angled from the
axis of the conveyor to move the product to one side
and hence deflecting it from conveyor to another
sortation lane as shown.

Manipulator
It consists of two mirrored deflectors to center the item on
the conveyor belt.

3.6 Conveyor sortation and accumulation systems

Sortation conveyors are used for merging, identifying,
inducting and separating the products to be conveyed to
specific destinations. The sortation system is composed of
three sub-systems as shown and explained briefly later.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
1. Merge sub-system
In this type of sub-system, the products are collected and
sorted for proper presentation to the induction sub-system.
2. Induction sub-system
In this sub-system the products are inspected visually or via
sensors for identified to be conveyed to their proper
destination. For example smaller boxes to be diverted at first
diversion and larger ones at later stages.
3. Sort sub-system
In this sub-system the products are conveyed at their
respective destinations. There are various components of
sortation systems that are discussed briefly below.

Diverters
These are the arms that deflect (called deflectors), push
or pull the product on the conveyor that can be
stationary or movable as shown.

Pop-up devices
These consist of one or more rows of powered rollers or
wheels that pop-up above the surface of the flat belt to
divert the item to the desired direction as shown.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
Sliding shoe sorter
These are the series of slats that are attached above the
rollers as shown. Whenever the product is needed to be
diverted the shoe move forward, pushing the product in
sidewise direction hence changing their direction and
making them off the track for further sortation.

Tilting devices
These devices are tilted to sort the product to desired
route as shown.

Cross belt transfer devices

These are the programmed small conveyors called cells that
travel forward and convey and drop the product where it
belongs as shown.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
3.7 Pallet conveyors
Pallet conveyors transfer discrete
products on carriers referred as pallets.
Those are typically transported by belt,
roller chain, and flat top chain or for
extremely high loads, the power rollers.
Pallet are lifted using pneumatic
cylinders and properly oriented by the
pins and slots in pneumatic cylinders
and pallet itself as shown.

The control of orientation makes the pallet conveyors

the ideal solution for precision in assembly, and
inspection tasks.
The pallets discussed here are different from the pallets
made of wood. Those are used to store unit load
whereas pallets discussed here are made of metals and
used for precise orientation controlling mechanism.

Sometimes pallets are configured in such a way that those

are recirculated again and again for continuous repeatability.
These kind of pallet conveyors are used in automated
industry where workstations.
Pallets are fixed to the flat chain, when a part is needed the
parts are to be continuously loaded and unloaded at
different to be transferred, one pallet accumulates one
component from the bottom of the chain and brings that to
the dispatch point where it is unloaded. The cycle continues
repeatedly.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
Chapter
04

Monorail Conveyor Systems

Monorail conveyors are overhead tracks or the network of

tracks in which loaded carriers travel Objectives with or
without the use of power. Load is placed in the carrier which
is a transported at various the objectives of this chapter are:  To learn about light
stations in a production facility. To learn about light duty duty chain and cable
chain and cable system. system.
 To learn about heavy
duty chain and cable
4.1 Monorail Conveyor Systems system.
 To understand power
A monorail system is a system consisting of one or more
and free monorail
independent trollies supported from or within an overhead
system.
tracks, from which hoists are suspended. The trollies are  To learn about
suspended through carriers which are the components to powered carrier
attach the trolley bucket with the overhead load bar or monorail system.
track. Hooks and trays are the most common carriers.

There are three types of monorail systems.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY

Hand operated monorail system

In these systems the material raised with hand-powered
hoist and trolley is propelled by hand too.

Semi-hand operated monorail system

In these systems the hoist is operated by power source
whereas the trolley is propelled by hand.

Power-operated monorail system

In these systems both the trolley and the hoist are operated
using power sources.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
4.2 Light duty chain and cable system
Chain conveyors are the conveyors in monorail systems
having single or multiple strands of endless chains that
travel entire conveyor path continuously and driven and
supported by one or more sprockets.
Material to be conveyed is carried directly by the links of
the chain or specially designed components attached to
the chain called carrier. Trolley conveyors are the most
versatile form of chain conveyors which have a trolley
mounted on the chain and can travel across turns,
inclined paths and vertical curves.
The tracks are made of I-beams, double angles and pipes and
are laid overhead, suspended from roof of building where
they have no interference with traffic at floor level. These are
used in light duty environments such as cleaning, washing,
painting, drying, baking, degreasing and sand blasting etc.

Cable conveyors on the other hand are the conveyors used to

transport people and bulk material in load carrying buckets
using overhead moving cables or wire ropes covering long
distances up to several kilometers. Some features of
these include:
1. Since these are mounted on substantial height
from the ground that's why shortest possible
straight paths can be designed for them.
2. Wide variety of materials can be transported over
long distances including people.
3. Cost of operation is less than other transportation
systems.

These are also of two types. Mono-cable system and bi-cable

system. In mono-cable system as in Figure 4-3, the load
carrying trolley is attached with only one cable. The same
cable supports the load and propels it. Whereas in bi-cable
system there are at least two cables. One supports the
trolley load and the other is used to propel the trolley along
its path.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
4.3 Heavy duty systems
For heavy duty applications the haulage conveyors are used.
These are special type of chain conveyors. The material is
dragged, pushed or towed by means of chains in haulages
conveyors. The weight of the material is generally carried by
the troughs, surfaces or wheeled truck and dollies on the
floor. In certain designs the chain may be replaced by the
cables too. These conveyors run at slow speed of up to 15 to
60 metre per minute and are built for heavy duty
applications that require little maintenance. However the
chain undergo high wear under high tension and work in one
direction only.

There are three types of haulage conveyors.

1. Drag chain conveyor

These conveyors consist of an endless chain which
slides in a track, resting at
bottom of a trough as in
Figure 4-5. The material rests
directly on top of the chain
and is carried by the chain
links. The chain tracks are
made up of steel channels
and chain troughs are of
steel, concrete or even wood.
The chain links are pushed by
the previous link that drag
chain conveyors. These
conveyor work in horizontal
plane with very little inclination. Bulk materials, hot
materials, abrasives, timbers, packages and even cars
are moved using these conveyors.

2. Flight conveyor
These conveyors comprise of endless strands of
chain with transverse flights or scrapers attached as
shown in Figure 4-6. These scraper can push granular
bulk material along a shaped trough. The material
can be loaded at any point along the trough and the

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
discharge can also be controlled by the sliding gates
at the discharge points. Both upper and lower strands
of flights or scrapers can be used for transporting the
material in opposite directions that is the material
can be moved from top to bottom or bottom to top
as per requirement. The speed of these conveyors is
generally 30 to 50 metre per minute to handle free
flowing materials of small to moderate size. Coal, ash,
sand, gravel, wood chips, saw dust, grains, cereals are
handled by these conveyor and loading of bunkers
and bins is carried out by them. These are also
configured under the floor to remove metal chips
from the ground.

3. Tow conveyor
These conveyors consist of single strand endless chain
which tows floor mounted or track mounted trucks or
dollies on which materials are placed. These are used
for handling unit loads such as boxes, barrels, crates
and cartons. These are also used in warehouses,
assembly lines and for intra plant movements.
Though the tow conveyors follow a fixed path, they
can be detached easily and be moved to other points.
These are classified into the following three groups.

a. Overhead tow conveyor:

These conveyors are also called towing trolley
conveyors. In this kind of conveyors a trolley is
permanently secured to a pulling member
especially designed hooks and rods from the
trolley engage and tow the floor mounted truck
carrying the load.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
b. Flush-floor tow conveyor:
In this type of conveyor the material is
transported by the rail bound carts (having wheels
on rails as in coal mines) and are pulled by hook
or pushed by the push-dog attached with chain. c.
Under-floor tow conveyor: in this type of
conveyor an endless chain is installed below floor
level sliding inside a channel.
The carts are attached with the chain by
retractable pin trough a narrow slot in the floor.
Underfloor tow conveyors work at higher speed
than overhead ones. These are used for moving
automobiles, wash-tracks, in manufacturing
assembly lines, warehouses and freight handling

terminals. Their major disadvantage is that the track get

clogged time to time. Moreover their installation requires
planning before the building construction as the slot have to
be cut in the floor.
4.4 Power and free systems
These conveyors are basically a special design of load
propelling or pusher trolley conveyors. In normal pusher
trolley conveyor the non-powered trolley supported by a
monorail carry the load and pushed by a pusher attached to

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
the trolley mounted on a separate track . But in power
and free conveyor there are two tracks. One is powered
and other is free. Powered track is above the free track
and gives it the drive.
This configuration gives flexibility to alter load spacing,
stopping the load for inspections and repair or storage.
Another advantage is that power conveyor remains away
from the working space (oven, painting or sand blasting
etc.) as it lies above the free conveyor. Thus powered
components remain safe.

4.5 Powered-carrier monorail system

Automated Electrified Monorail (AEM) system. They provide
These are also called Electrified Monorail (EM) system or
flexible conveying system comprising of individual powered
carriers running on an I-beam monorail system The power
supply for the power carrier trolley is provided by power rail.
Variable speed for each carrier is achieved by on board
programmable logic control circuits. Coded rail throughout
the system provides exact positioning of every carrier. The
carrier movement from station to station is set automatic or
through operators as required by the process. Each carrier
includes servomotor controlled lift and rotate features by the
operator. Safe movement of the carrier is achieved by optical
sensors mounted on the front and rear of the carrier.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
Chapter
05
Counterbalanced Forklift Trucks
Amongst the powered industrial vehicles, the most
versatile, useful and widely used equipment is a
OBJECTIVES
forklift truck (FLT). These are self-loading powered
and wheeled vehicles in  To learn about the
which the operator seats reach-type non- aisle
and controls its movement. forklift trucks.
These are designed to raise,  To learn about
lower and move the load narrow-aisle turret-
kept on its forks in type forklift trucks.
production facility.
 To learn about side-
loading forklift trucks.

Amongst the powered industrial vehicles family,

forklift trucks (FLT) are the most versatile and useful
equipment with their parts labelled.
These can be of many types with the operator
seating on the vehicle, designed to raise, move and
lower the load on forks or other attachments
attached to mast, fixed in front of the vehicle. This
makes them capable of lifting and stacking, loading
and unloading the medium to large weights
intermittently. However there exist few limitations
for their use.
1. They require pallets or skids for material handling.
2. Require skilled operator. 3. Need maintenance.
4. Capacity limits between 1 to 60 tons.
5. Slow travel speeds (10 to 15 km/h).
6. Suitable for shorter travel lengths.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
Other features of FLT are:
1. Source of power is petrol, diesel, LP gas engine or
battery driven motor.
2. The mast may be tilted forward or backward within a
range for facilitating loading and unloading.
3. The mast may be single mast type or telescoping type
which allows high lifting of the loads
4. In certain designs the forks are independently retractable
outboard and inboard through pantograph mechanism.
5. The operations of mast and forks are controlled by
hydraulic systems.
6. The body of the truck is intentionally built heavy to act
counter weight while lifting the loads.
7. Solid rubber tyres are provided for operation in different
floor conditions.
8. Rear wheels are steered for manipulation of load on forks.

There are few specifications related to forklift trucks that are

as follows.
1. Rated capacity (e.g. 1000 kg, 2000 kg etc.)
2. Power source
3. Turning radius
4. Physical dimensions
5. Mast height
6. Lifting height
7. Mast specifications (e.g. single mast, telescoping mast,
tilting or non-tilting mast, retractable or non-retractable
mast etc.)
8. Travel speed
9. Lifting speed

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
10. Floor clearance
11. Free lift (movement of fork without mast movement)
12. Fork size
13. Attachment provided
14. Motive power
15. Power transmission
16. Tire specifications
17. Battery and changing specifications
5.1 Reach-type non-aisle forklift trucks
Reach-type trucks are forklifts used in narrow aisle
applications such as warehouses. These are designed to have
two outer legs that help distribute the load, and a single set
of wheels in the back. The wheels are located beneath the
operator which help create a tighter turning radius. This
allows operator to navigate smaller spaces and still be able to
reach higher racking.
Aisle however refers to narrow path between warehouse
stocks such as it is between seating of the bus or aero plane.

5.2 Narrow-aisle turret-type forklift trucks

Turret type forklift trucks are also called VNA trucks
abbreviated as Very Narrow Aisle trucks.
These are designed to operate in very narrow aisles. They
operate through batteries or engines. The battery, engine
and operator compartment all together serve to
counterweight the heavy loads. The main mast lifts the
operator to some height. The operator sits in the carriage of
the turret truck having clear and accurate view of pallets
handling process. These trucks are more productive than
reach-type forklift trucks because the 180° turn of the turret
gives access to both sides of the aisle thus the operator can
handle material on both sides.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
5.3 Side-loading forklift trucks
A side-loading forklift truck loads and unloads from the side
of the machine. Instead of forks being located in front of the
equipment like on standard forklift, a side loader's forks are
located on its side.
The benefits of a side loader is that it does not require to
turn like standard forklifts, so they can drive up alongside the
rack, easily loading and unloading. Longer loads such as
timber, steel rods or pipes are easily handled because the
load faces the direction being travelled.
The flat bed allows the load to be stabilized. Because of load
at a side, the operator has clear visibility in front and rear
side of the vehicle.
Some disadvantages of side loading forklift trucks are that
they are not as maneuverable as standard forklifts. These are
specifically designed for handling long loads so they can't be
used for other desirable applications.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
Chapter
06
Miscellaneous Material Handling
Equipment
Industrial vehicles are one of the most common
group of material handling equipment used in OBJECTIVES
industry as well as day to day distribution of goods in  To understand
warehouses and stores. Powered and non-powered vehicular unit
trucks, towlines and tractor-trailer trains are used handling equipment..
for this purpose. The nature of industry,
manufacturing processes and plants in operations
help to decide which material handling equipment  To understand pallet
best suits the facility. transporters and
material handling
tools.

 .To learn about

towline systems.

 To learn about
tractor-trailer trains.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
6.1 Vehicular unit handling equipment
The range of industrial vehicles is generally sub-classified into
two groups that is non-powered trucks (called hand trucks)
and powered trucks. Powered trucks have already been
discussed in section "Vehicle- bulk handling systems". Hand
trucks are discussed below.

Hand trucks
They have no source of motive power and are moved
manually or are attached to other powered moving
equipment. These are classified into three sub-groups.

1. 2-wheel hand trucks: these are commonly used for

moving unit loads like nags, barrels, boxes and
cartons etc. by pushing the truck manually. Basically it
consists of two long handles fixed by number of
crossbars to carry the load.
Two wheels are fitted on far ends of the frame. Two short
legs are attached on the two handles at the other end to
allow the hand truck to stay in a horizontal position during
loading and unloading of the truck. Pry truck shown above is
used for too heavy loads. These are used in pairs by two men
to lift the load from both ends and sile away. The exploded
view of one of these trucks.
2. Multiple-wheel hand trucks: these trucks consist of a
platform mounted on 3 to 4 or more wheels. The
truck is generally provided with a handle of pushing
or pulling the platform. Certain trucks are provided
with no handle or detachable handle. Trucks under
this category are sub-classified into the following.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
Dollies: these contain a wooden or metallic platform or
frame of different shapes (rectangular, triangular or circular)
and sizes depend upon the load to be carried.
The frames are provided with different numbers of wheels,
fixed or swivel caster type. No handles are provided. These
are moved by pushing the load itself.

Platform trucks: these are basically larger version of dollies

in which metallic frames are generally of rectangular shape
and produced in many sizes in light, medium and heavy-duty
construction.
Handles at one or both ends are provided for pushing. There
are two types of chassis construction from point of view of
wheel arrangement.
I. Tilt or balanced type: these have rigid wheels at the
centre of the platform and set of swivel casters
located at both ends of the platform permitting tilt of
the platform standing at one position. These can spin
at one position.

II. Non-tilt type: these have rigid wheels at one end and
swivel casters on the other end of the platform.
Semi-live skid platform: these are basically flat platforms
with two load wheels on one end and two legs at the other.

The skid platform is activated by lift jack which is a long

handle with a pair of wheels and a hook. The hook engages
with the coupling at the leg end of the platform and gives
jacking or prying action to lift the legs from floor. The whole
unit thus becomes a three wheeled platform truck

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
iii. Hand lift trucks: these hand trucks are provided with a
mechanism of lifting its platform which can be rolled
under a pallet or skid and raised to lift the
Pallet or skid with load and move this load from one
place to another.

Depending on the lifting mechanism these are grouped into

hydraulic or mechanical type.

Hydraulic lifting mechanism: this consists of hydraulic ram (a

single acting cylinder), an oil storage vessel and a plunger
pump (see Figure 6-7). The handle of the truck is connected
to the plunger of the pump through suitable mechanism,
such that the handle is moved up and down, the pump forces
a certain quantity of oil into the ram which through suitable
linkage mechanism raises the platform with load. Their
capacity is in the range of half ton to 10 tons. The platform is
lowered by releasing a flow control valve to allow the
pressurized oil to go back to the tank.
Mechanical lifting mechanism: this mechanism is operated
by a system of levers. The platform is raised by actuating a
handle which in turn raises a pawl that falls into a slot.
There are single stroke and low lift mechanisms also. Their
capacity is generally limited to 1 ton only.

Hand pallet trucks; these are used to handle pallets. It

consists of two strongly built metallic fingers popularly called
forks connected at one end to give a U-shape (see Figure 6-
9). The lifting mechanism is housed at this end. At the outer
ends of the fork, a wheel is provided. Larger wheel on the
junction of fork is used for steering.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
I. Platform lift trucks: these are similar to pallet trucks
except that instead of two forks it has platform which
can be raised.
The platform can be solid or of open frame structure. These
trucks are generally used with skids. Load capacity ranged
between /½ tons to 3 tons.

II. Special hand lift trucks: other types of lifting trucks

that are designed for lifting specific material are
called special hand lift trucks. Reel handling hydraulic
lift truck.
III. Special hand lift trucks: other types of lifting trucks
that are designed for lifting specific material are
called special hand lift trucks. Reel handling hydraulic
lift truck.

6.2 Pallet transporters and material handling tools

Pallet transporters are the vehicles for the movement of
loaded pallets between an aircraft and the freight terminal
or truck dock.

When material over 20 kg to be handled then additional

tools and equipment should be used for material handling.
A variety of tools and equipment are available to assist in
handling of materials that fall into the following categories.

Manual material handling

equipment
These are used for a wide variety
of tasks such as dollies, jacks, two
wheel trucks.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
Powered industrial trucks
Powered industrial trucks are versatile and efficient
material handling equipment, which have eliminated many
high risk manual handling tasks. These are generally
classified in two types.
I. Rider operated (mostly forklifts)
II. Walker-operated (motorized hand trucks)
Hoists and rigging
These are used to raise, lower and transport heavy loads for
short distances. They usually range from 250 kg to 2 tons in
capacity.

6.3 Towline systems

These systems consist of single strand endless chain which
tows floor mounted or track mounted trucks or dollies on
which materials are placed. These are used for handling unit
loads such as boxes, barrels, crates and cartons. These are
also used in warehouses, assembly lines and for intra plant
movements. Though the tow conveyors follow a fixed path,
they can be detached easily and be moved to other points.
These are classified into the following three groups.

Overhead tow conveyor

These conveyors are also called towing trolley
conveyors. In this kind of conveyors a trolley is
permanently secured to a pulling member.
Especially designed hooks and rods from the trolley
engage and tow the floor mounted truck carrying the
load.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
Flush-floor tow conveyor
In this type of conveyor the material is transported by the rail
bound carts (having wheels on rails as in coal mines) and are
pulled by hook or pushed by the push-dog attached with
chain.
Under-floor tow conveyor
In this type of conveyor an endless chain is installed below
floor level sliding inside a channel.
The carts are attached with the chain by retractable pin
trough a narrow slot in the floor. Underfloor tow conveyors
work at higher speed than overhead ones. These are used for
moving automobiles, wash-tracks, in manufacturing
assembly lines, warehouses and freight handling terminals.
Their major disadvantage is that the track get clogged time to
time. Moreover their installation requires planning before
the building construction as the slot have to be cut in the
floor.

6.4 Tractor-trailer trains

Tractor is a vehicle, having its own source of motive
power, used as a prime mover to give motion to other
vehicles which do not have their own motive power such
as trailers.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
Chapter
07
Integrated Material Handling Systems

Integrated material handling systems refer to the

use of computer for preparation, feeding, Objectives OBJECTIVES
positioning, manipulating, removing and
 To understand automated-
transporting of components in a production the
guided vehicles and their
objectives of this chapter are: facility. Time saving applications.
from their use increases productivity of
manufacturing process. • To understand the use of
robots in material handling
systems.

7.1 Automated guided vehicles and their

applications
Automated guided vehicles (AGV's) are the
machines that do not require an operator to
function. These are good for the conditions such as
high labor cost, hazardous environment,
environmentally sensitive conditions (e.g. clean
rooms) etc. These are used for low to medium
volume and medium to large distance random
material flow operations such as transport between
work cells in a flexible manufacturing systems (FMS)
environments.
Vehicle management is crucial where automated
guided vehicles operate to minimize interference
between vehicles and prevent collisions. Two
methods are used for the management of the AGV's
in industry for their safe operation. Forward
sensing: sensors are installed in front of AGV. When
it senses an obstacle, it stops and resume when
obstacle is removed.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
Zone control: no other vehicle is allowed to enter the
operating zone when one vehicle is operating inside it.
There are two methods of guidance that can be used for
AGV's. Fixed path guidance: physical guide path (e.g. wire,
tape. paint) on the floor used for guidance.
Free-ranging guidance: no physical path is required. Thus
easier to change vehicle path through software. The absolute
position estimates are needed to correct the dead-reckoning
error (false distance error) by lasers.
There are various types of AGV's that are used in industry as
described below.

1. Tow AGV's
These are used to pull the train of trailers. These resemble
to automated version of tractor-trailers. The trailers are
usually loaded manually.

2. Unit load AGV’S

These have decks that can be loaded manually or
automatically .Deck can include conveyor or lifting
mechanism for automatic loading.
Typically have dimensions of 4 ft. x4 ft. the load capacity
ranges between 1 - 2000 lb. less than 10 AGV's are used at a
time in a system.

3. Assembly AGV's
These are used as assembly platforms e.g. car chassis,
engines and appliances.
These were developed in 1980s. Usually 50-100 vehicles
are included in AGV system at a time.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
4. Light load AGV's
These are used for small loads of less than 500 lbs., e.g.
small components and tools.
These are typically used in electronics assembly and
office environments such as mail and snack carriers.

5. Fork AGV's
These are counter balanced narrow-aisle straddle and
side-loading forklift trucks.
These include sensors on forks (e.g. infrared sensors) for
pallet interfacing and handling.
7.2 Use of robots
Robots are used in industries to provide variable
programmed motions of the loads. Intelligent industrial
robots use sensory information for complex controlling
actions as opposed to simple. Repetitive pick-and-place
motions. Those can take the decisions as per requirements of
the task. Industrial robots are also, used for parts fabrication,
inspection and assembly tasks. These are consisted of chain
of several rigid links connected in series by revolute or
prismatic joints with one end of the chain attached to a
supporting base and the other end free and equipped with
the end-effector.
Robot's end-effector can be equipped with mechanical
grippers, vacuum grippers, electromechanical grippers,
welding heads, paint spray heads, or any other tooling.
Although similar in construction with a manipulator, the
industrial robots is distinguished by use of programmable
logic control rather than manual controlling.

 Pick-and-place industrial robots are known as automatic

palletizers.
 Mobile robots are categorized as automated guided vehicles.
These robots can be powered manually, electrically or
pneumatically as per requirements.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
Chapter
08
Industrial safety and Precautions

 Prevent workplace injuries and illnesses

 Improve compliance with laws and
regulations OBJECTIVES
 Reduce costs, including significant
 The main goal of safety and
reductions in workers' compensation
health programs is to
premiums prevent workplace injuries,
 Engage workers illnesses, and deaths, as well
 Enhance their social responsibility goals as the suffering and financial
 Increase productivity and enhance overall hardship these events can
business operations cause for workers, their
families, and employers. The
Physical Hazards recommended practices use
Physical hazard are based on the intrinsic a proactive approach to
properties of the chemical. There are five managing workplace safety
and health.
main classes of physical hazard namely
Explosive, Flammable, Oxidising, Gases
under Pressure and Corrosive to metals.
These are then sub-divided into different
categories depending on the degree of
danger and these are assigned specific
hazard statements to identity them.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
Explosive
 May explode if exposed to fire, heat, shock, friction.
 Avoid ignition sources (sparks, flames, heat)
 Keep your distance
 Wear protective clothing

Flammable
Flammable if exposed to ignition sources, sparks,
heat. Some substances with this symbol may give off
flammable gases in contact with water.
 Avoid ignition sources (sparks, flames, heat)
 Keep your distance
 Wear protective clothing

Oxidizing
Can burn even without air, or can intensify fire in
combustible materials.
 Avoid ignition sources (sparks, flames, heat)
 Keep your distance
 Wear protective clothing

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
Gas under Pressure
Contains gas under pressure. Gas released may be
very cold. Gas container may explode if heated.
 Do not heat containers
 Avoid contact with skin and eyes

Corrosive
May corrode metals.
 Keep away from metals

Chemical and biological hazards in the workplace have the

potential to cause adverse health effects such as breathing
problems, burns, skin disease, and cancer. Workplace air
sampling data collected by L&I’s compliance officers and
workers’ compensation data are used to identify trends in
exposure, injury and illness. We work with employers,
workers, and trade associations to identify and test best
practices to eliminate or reduce harmful exposures.
Toxic Inhalation Surveillance
Toxic inhalation refers to an inhalation exposure of vapor,
gas, dust or fume that may result in an adverse health effect.
The exposure may be a one-time event or ongoing from daily
processes. The health effects may be immediate or they may
develop over time. Exposure to the following compounds are
tracked through SHARP’s surveillance system on an ongoing
systematic process: ammonia, beryllium, carbon

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 MATERIAL HANDLING AND SAFETY
monoxide, chlorine, chromium, metal fume, methylene
chloride, and wild land smoke. The data source for SHARP’s
toxic inhalation system is workers’ compensation claims,
beginning with the year 2017. Please see the Journal Article
and Technical Reports tab on this page for detailed technical
reports that summarize the toxic inhalation surveillance
system.

Health and Safety Legislation

Health and Safety is all about preventing
people from being harmed or becoming
ill through work.
There are two main pieces of legislation that deal with health
and safety in the workplace. Firstly, this includes:

Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

Also known as HASAWA or HSW, this health and safety

legislation forms the basis of workplace health and safety
laws.

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 states employers are
responsible for protecting the safety of their employees at
work, by preventing potential dangers in the workplace.

It places general duties on employers to ensure the health,

safety and welfare of all persons while at work.

Key duties for employers include:

 Creating a safe working environment for all, including

safe access and egress.
 Establishing and maintaining safe work systems.
 Providing employers with sufficient health and safety
induction and training.
 Providing and maintaining safe work equipment.
 Ensuring that all work equipment is used safely
 Making adequate welfare provisions

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 Ensuring that all materials are handled, transported, inspection and record
utilized and stored in a safe manner. keeping for all
 Communicating effectively with safety representatives. machine guarding
 Providing PPE or any other equipment required for equipment and
workplace health and safety. devices. Included are
guidelines for
It also bestows Health and Safety duties on the occupiers of identification and
buildings, contractors, manufacturers and employees to correction of locations
ensure their own safety in the workplace, along with that of with machine
their colleagues. Employees must cooperate with employers guarding
and be careful not tamper with health and safety equipment.

Adherence to this law is essential to proper Health and

Safety in the workplace. It is also the key piece of legislation
used in criminal prosecutions.

This is the fundamental piece of Health and Safety Law that

other legislation builds upon. Our health and safety
consultants can provide you with expert advice on adhering
to the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

Machine Guarding
Each piece of machinery has its own unique
mechanical and non-mechanical hazards.
Machines can cause a variety of injuries
ranging from minor abrasions, burns or
cuts to severe injuries such as fractures,
lacerations, crushing injuries or even
amputation. Machine guards are your
first line of defense against injuries
caused by machine operation. Each
machine must have adequate
safeguards to protect operators and
other employees in the immediate work
area from hazards created by ingoing
nip points, rotating parts, sparks and
flying debris.

EH&S/Industrial Safety staff developed

the campus Machine Guarding Safety
Program to manage the safe selection,
procurement, use of and safe work practices,

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hazards that may endanger faculty, staff, students,
and the public.

This Machine Guarding Safety Program applies to

any department on campus, at field stations, or on
leased property where any type of activities could
result in injuries from machine operation. The
campus Machine Guarding Safety written program
outlines roles and responsibilities for users of
machinery (including full-time employees, contract
employees and graduate students performing
research related activities in field stations and
remote research facilities) as well as those of
EH&S/Industrial Safety staff in managing this
program, and “Owner Departments” that
purchase, maintain and/or manage an inventory
of shop, scientific, maintenance or repair
machinery. Additionally, this document describes
all aspects of machine guarding use, inspection,
personnel accountability for the condition and use
of the equipment, safe work practices, training
requirements, and record keeping.
Having an understanding of how a machine works,
and how the guards can protect you, will result in a
reduced risk of injury. In order to be in compliance
with Cal/OSHA requirements, all guards must:

 Prevent contact – machine guards must

provide a physical barrier that prevents the
operator from having any part of his/her
body in the “danger zone” during the
machine’s operating cycle;
 Be secured in place or otherwise be tamper
proof – machine guards must be
secure and strong so that workers are not
able to bypass, remove, or tamper with
them. They must be attached to the
machine where possible. If the guard cannot
be physically attached to the machine it
must be attached elsewhere;
 Create no new hazard – A safeguard defeats
its own purpose if it creates a hazard of its

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 own such as a shear point, a jagged edge,
or an unfinished surface which can cause a
laceration. The edges of guards, for instance,
should be rolled or bolted in such a way that
they eliminate sharp edges. Machine guards
should not obstruct the operator’s view;
 Allow for lubrication with the guard still in
place - If possible, one
should be able to lubricate
the machine without
removing safeguards.
Locating oil reservoirs
outside the guard, with a
line leading to the
lubrication point, will reduce
the need for the operator or
maintenance worker to
enter the hazardous area.
 Not interfere with the
machine operation - Any
safeguard which impedes a
worker from performing the
job quickly and comfortably
might soon be overridden or disregarded.
Proper safeguarding can actually enhance
efficiency since it can relieve the worker’s
apprehensions about injury.

Types of Hazards

A wide variety of mechanical motions and actions

may present hazards to workers operating or

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working around machinery. The three basic types
of hazardous mechanical motions and actions are:

 Hazardous Motions – including rotating

machine parts, reciprocating motions (sliding
parts or up/down motions), and transverse
motions (materials moving in a continuous
line);
 Points of Operation – the areas where the
machine cuts, shapes, bores, or bends the
stock being fed through it;
 Pinch Points and Shear Points – the area
where a part of the body or clothing could
be caught between a moving part and a
stationary object. This would include power
transmission apparatuses such as flywheels,
pulleys, belts, chains, couplings, spindles,
cams, gears, connecting rods and other
machine components that transmit energy.
There are also non-mechanical hazards that can
injure machine operators or personnel working in
the vicinity of machinery. These hazards include
flying splinters, chips or debris; splashes, sparks or
sprays that are created when the machine is
operating. These hazards can be prevented
through the use of machine guarding and
wearing/use of required personal protective
equipment (PPE).
Methods of Safeguarding
There are five (5) general types of machine
safeguards that can be used to protect workers
and personnel in the immediate vicinity of
machinery. They are:

 Guards – these are physical barriers that

prevent contact. They can be fixed,
interlocked, adjustable, or self-adjusting.
 Devices – these limit or prevent access to the
hazardous area. These can be presence-
sensing devices, pullback or restraint straps,

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 safety trip controls, two-hand controls, or
gates.
 Automated Feeding and Ejection
Mechanisms – These eliminate the
operator’s exposure to the point of
operation while handling stock (materials).
 Machine Location or Distance – this
method removes the hazard from the
operator’s work area.
 Miscellaneous Aids – these methods can
be used to protect both operators and
people in the immediate vicinity of
operating machinery. Examples include
shields to contain chips, sparks, sprays or
other forms of flying debris; holding tools
that an operator can use to handle materials
going into the point of operation; and
awareness barriers to warn people about
hazards in the area.

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The 5 Different Classes of Fires
The 5 main classes of fires are categorized by what
caused the fire or what the fire uses as fuel, and are
as follows:

 Class A: solid materials such as wood or

paper, fabric, and some plastics
 Class B: liquids or gas such as alcohol, ether,
gasoline, or grease
 Class C: electrical failure from appliances,
electronic equipment, and wiring
 Class D: metallic substances such as sodium,
titanium, zirconium, or magnesium
 Class K: grease or oil fires specifically from
cooking

Understanding the 5 different classes of fires can

help you determine the biggest fire risks at your
facility, depending on the fuels and fire hazards
present as well as how best to prepare in case of a
fire emergency.

Let’s break down each of the 5 different classes of

fires more thoroughly.

Class A Fires: “Ordinary” Fires

Class A fires are the most common of the 5 different

classes of fires. They occur when common
combustible materials like wood, paper, fabric,
trash, and light plastics catch fire. These accidental
fires are ubiquitous across a variety of industries, so
it’s recommended to have adequate protection
against “ordinary” fires in addition to other
condition-specific fires.

Despite being “ordinary”, don’t rule this class of fire

as low-risk. If there’s an abundance of fuel present,
these fires can intensify quickly. It’s best to put out a

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Class A fire quickly before it spreads using water or
monoammonium phosphate.

Class B Fires: Liquids & Gases

Class B fires involve flammable liquids and gases,

especially fuels like petroleum or petroleum-based
products such as gasoline, paint, and kerosene.
Other gases that are highly flammable are propane
and butane, which are common causes of Class B
fires. The best way to deal with these types of fires is
by smothering them or removing oxygen using foam
or CO2 fire suppression equipment.

Be aware that Class B fires do not include grease

fires or cooking fires, which belong to their own class,
Class K.

Class C Fires: Electrical Fires

Electrical fires fall under Class C and are common in

facilities that make heavy use of electrical
equipment, but they can occur in a wide range of
industries. For example, data centers might be an
obvious risk area for Class C fires. They must have
safeguards in place to deal with electrical fires.

Construction sites are another common Class C fire

risk: electrical power tools or appliances used for
cooking can cause sparks to ignite combustible
materials and intensify rapidly. Old buildings with
bad wiring or space heaters present more concerns.

Electrical fires require non-conductive materials to

extinguish the flame, so water alone is not a good
solution. Facilities with sensitive equipment may
prefer clean agent suppression because it won’t
leave residue or damage electrical equipment.

Class D Fires: Metallic Fires

Class D fires are not as common as the other classes,

but they do require special attention because they

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can be especially difficult to extinguish. Metallic fires
involve flammable materials like titanium, aluminum,
magnesium, and potassium — all commonly
occurring in laboratories.

Class D fires cannot be addressed with water, as this

can exacerbate the fire and be potentially
dangerous. Dry powder agents are the best solution
for smothering the flames and limiting damage to
property or people.

Class K Fires: Grease Fires or Cooking Fires

Class K fires involve flammable liquids, similar to Class

B fires, but are specifically related to food service
and the restaurant industry. These common fires start
from the combustion of liquid cooking materials
including grease, oils, and vegetable and animal
fats.

Because they can spread quickly and be difficult to

manage, Class K fires are some of the most
dangerous. Water can make the situation worse, but
smothering the flames or using a wet agent fire
extinguisher is effective.

Now that we understand how each fire starts, we

can prepare for how to fight them — or better yet,
prevent them from happening in the first place.

How to Prepare for the 5 Different Classes of Fires

Being ready for whatever fire danger involves three

areas of focus: equipping yourself with the right fire
extinguisher for your corresponding fire classes,
committing to regular fire safety training, and
keeping all equipment in peak condition. If you can
maintain each of these, you should be able to react
appropriately in a fire emergency — no matter what
class of fire you face.

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Industrial Fire Protection

Systems
Industrial fire protection systems are essential for
preventing fires in industrial facilities. They provide a
variety of safety measures to protect both the
personnel and the equipment stored in the facility,
and often involve a combination of several
different elements.

Major Components of Industrial Fire Protection

Systems

1. Fire Alarm System: A fire alarm system is the main

component of an industrial fire protection system
that detects the presence of smoke or heat in a
building and sends out warning signals to
occupants, allowing them to take action
accordingly. It typically consists of a control panel,
emergency power supplies, sensors (such as smoke
detectors), and sounders (such as bells or horns).

2. Automatic Sprinkler System: An automatic

sprinkler system is designed to detect and respond
quickly to fires on site by releasing water at high
pressure through a network of pipes connected to
various outlets throughout the facility. This helps
contain fires before they can spread quickly and
cause extensive damage.

3. Portable Fire Extinguishers: Portable fire

extinguishers are another key component of
industrial fire protection systems as they allow
people on-site to tackle small fires safely from a
distance until firefighters arrive on scene. They
come in different sizes and classifications
depending on their intended use and chemicals
used for extinguishing purposes.

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4. Fire Doors & Barriers: Fire doors, walls, partitions,

curtains etc., help limit the spread of flames during
an outbreak by creating physical barriers between
areas which may be affected differently by any
given blaze e.g., stairwells, corridors, external walls
etc. This helps contain fires for longer periods of
time and limit the amount of damage caused to a
building’s structure as well as any persons or
objects inside it.

5. Fire & Smoke Detection: Fire and smoke

detection systems are designed to detect the
presence of smoke in an area before it can cause
any significant damage by setting off pre-
programmed warning signals such as alarms or
lights when detected. Sensors located throughout
a building can be connected to a control panel
which can then send out alerts to personnel on-site
when triggered.

Other fire protection systems

1. Emergency exit lighting helps to ensure safety in

the event of an emergency. It is important that the
lights are bright and placed strategically
throughout the building so that people can quickly
and easily identify their way out. This lighting should
be regularly checked to make sure it is functioning
properly.

2. Suppression systems help to prevent fires from

spreading and reduce property damage. Foams,
dry chemicals, and water mists are all types of
suppression systems used in commercial buildings
and factories. Each of these systems works
differently but they are designed to extinguish
flames immediately as soon as they are triggered.

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They can also reduce smoke and toxic gases,
helping to protect occupants from inhaling
hazardous substances.

3. Fire safety training for personnel is essential for

any workplace or facility with a risk of fire. The
training should cover basic fire safety principles
such as identifying potential hazards, proper
evacuation techniques, how to use fire suppression
systems, and how to use firefighting equipment.
Regular refresher courses should also be
conducted so employees remain up-to-date on
the latest changes in regulations and safety
procedures.

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