Mould oil is delivered in 205ltr drums, poured into a smaller sprayer unit and carried up 2 flights of stairs to the mixer room where it is used to spray the mixer to prevent build-up before and after production. This activity was a manual handling hazard and could lead to personnel not utilising the stair handrails whilst carrying the sprayer. Additionally having to continually fill the sprayer unit and carry it upstairs, could have the negative effect of not spraying the mixer in line with maintenance schedules.
A ground storage unit to house 2 x 205 litre drums with a pump capable of pumping mould oil up to the mixer room was installed.
The plant operative is able to spray the mixer, with the pump automatically starting when the trigger is deployed on the sprayer.
Please see additional pdf for details of the design process
Benefits
- Reduced manual handling
- Decrease in number of visits to mixer room.
- As mould oil prevents concrete build-up it has eliminated the need to use a breaker to remove the build-up.
- Reduction of down-time of the mixer.
First trialled at Aston and following the successful trial, put in place at Oldbury. There are plans to roll this out to sites with a similar issue.