Safety around a transfer point is influenced long before the equipment reaches site. According to Weba Chute Systems, decisions made during engineering can have a lasting impact on how a transfer point is installed, operated, inspected and maintained throughout its working life.

Dewald Tintinger, Technical Director at Weba Chute Systems, says this is the principle behind the company’s Safety by Design approach.

“When we engineer a transfer point, we are not only looking at how the material needs to move through the chute,” Tintinger says. “We also need to consider the plant around it and the people who will eventually install, inspect and maintain that equipment.”

This starts with understanding the existing plant. Transfer points are often surrounded by conveyors, structural steel, walkways, piping and other equipment, particularly in retrofit applications where available space may be limited.

Site measurements and 3D scanning can provide engineers with accurate information about these structures and interfaces before a solution is developed.

“Technology gives us better information to work with, but it does not replace engineering experience,” Tintinger explains. “The important part is understanding what that information means for the actual installation, operation and maintenance of the transfer point.”

Installation is another important consideration. Available space, lifting requirements, surrounding structures, working at height and shutdown constraints can all influence how equipment needs to be manufactured and installed.

The engineering intent must then carry through into the workshop. Weba Chute Systems’ ISO 9001 compliant quality management processes support inspection and quality control throughout manufacturing, helping to ensure that the finished equipment reflects the engineering requirements.

Safety by Design also considers what happens once the transfer point is operating. Wear is unavoidable in bulk material handling, which means liners and other components will eventually require inspection and replacement.

Practical access doors, replaceable components and consideration of how wear parts will be removed can help maintenance teams carry out planned work more effectively.

“We know that someone will eventually have to inspect the chute and replace worn components,” Tintinger says. “Those practical requirements need to be considered before the equipment is manufactured, rather than becoming a problem for the maintenance team later.”

Material flow itself also plays an important role. Poorly controlled material can contribute to spillage, dust, material build up and excessive wear, creating additional cleaning and maintenance requirements around the transfer point.

Weba engineers transfer points around the characteristics, trajectory and velocity of the material being handled. DEM Simulation can be used where appropriate to investigate material behaviour and assess engineering concepts before fabrication.

Tintinger says recurring problems around a transfer point should also prompt a closer look at the underlying cause.

“If people are constantly cleaning spillage, dealing with buildup or responding to excessive wear, we should be asking why it keeps happening,” he says. “Where the cause can be addressed through engineering, we can potentially reduce the amount of unnecessary intervention required around that equipment.”

This is also where safety, reliability and maintenance begin to overlap. A transfer point that controls material effectively, allows wear to be monitored and supports planned maintenance creates very different operating conditions from equipment that requires constant attention.

For Weba Chute Systems, Safety by Design is therefore not a single feature added to a transfer chute. It is a practical engineering approach that considers the material, the equipment, the surrounding plant and the people who will work with it.

“Good transfer point engineering needs to consider the complete life of the equipment,” Tintinger concludes. “Safety starts with the design, but that thinking has to carry through manufacturing, installation, operation and maintenance.”