An original design by members of staff at Denton Marine Works in Gravesend has eliminated the most hazardous operation at the site – replacing the 18kg
and 1.45 metre-long jetty return idlers from within the jetty latticework. Deputy health and safety officer, Ian Rayner, made an initial sketch of a tool,
acting as an extending arm, which can be used to move the idler from the safety of the walkway.This was then developed by other employees into a
prototype and tested in the workshop.
The process now involves:
• raising the belt using a tool that straddles the conveyor
• hooking the idler tool onto the far-side idler support bracket
• sliding the new idler along the three props
• raising the new idler into position using the tool.
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