DESCRIPTION
Opening and closing the main kiln doors at Hanson’s Ketton Cement Plant has been made easier, quicker and safer following modifications introduced by the site team.
The two large refractory-lined steel doors, which each weigh over three tonnes, slide in from both sides to surround and seal the kiln burner pipe. They are hung on runners which sit in a frame at the top of the doors and were traditionally opened and closed by being pushed from each side.
Operators were exposed both to manual handling risks and the possibility of the doors falling off the runners and potentially causing a fatal or serious injury. Several ways were explored to see how this could be prevented. The initial improvement was to place a beam in front of the runners at the top of the door so that if they fell when being pushed from either side, they would be retained by the cross beam. This idea was enhanced by installing a hydraulic pack to push or pull the doors without any human intervention. The hydraulic pack is connected to the steel door during maintenance periods. Once the door is opened, or closed, the pack is disconnected.
BENEFITS
- The entire operation is significantly safer and a lot quicker
- All major risks from this operation removed.