ASPHALT PLANT SAFETYYou must always be safety conscious and on thealert for potential dangers to personnel and property.Safety considerations cannot be overemphasized.Coal distillate, such as benzene or naphthalene inbenzol, are suspected carcinogens. Avoid all skincontact and do not inhale the vapors and gases fromthese distillates. Asphalt contains componentssuspected of causing cancer. Anyone handling asphaltmust be trained on the health hazards.Dust is particularly hazardous because of its threatto your lungs and eyes. Additionally, dust contributesgreatly to poor visibility when trucks, front-end loaders,or other equipment are being used around the stockpilesor cold bins. Reduced visibility in work traffic is a primecause of accidents.Noise can be a double hazard. Noise is not onlyharmful to your hearing but also distracts your attentionfrom moving equipment or other dangers.Moving belts transporting aggregates should be aconstant concern, as should belts to motors and sprocketand chain drives. All pulleys and belts and drivemechanisms should be covered or otherwise protected.Loose clothing that can get caught in machinery shouldnever be worn at an asphalt plant.Good housekeeping is essential for plant safety. Theplant and yard should be kept free of loose wire or lines,pipes, hoses, or other obstacles. High-voltage lines, fieldconnections, and wet ground surfaces are other hazards.Anyloose connections, grayed insulation, or improperlygrounded equipment should be reported immediately.Plant workers should not work on stockpiles whilethe plant is in operation. Personnel should NOT walk orstand on the stockpiles or on the bunkers over the feedergate openings. Many workers have been pulled downinto the material and buried alive so quickly that nothingcould have been done to save them.Burner flame and high temperatures around plantdryers are obvious hazards. Control valves that can beoperated from a safe distance should be installed on allfuel lines. Flame safety devices also should be installedon all fuel lines. Smoking should not be permitted nearasphalt or fuel storage tanks. Check frequently for leaksin oil heating lines and steam lines or jacketing on theasphalt distribution lines. Be sure safety valves areinstalled in all steam lines, and they are in working order.Make use of screens, barrier guards, and shields forprotection from steam, hot asphalt, hot surfaces, andsimilar dangers.When you are handling heated asphalt, use chemicalgoggles and a face shield. All shirt collars should beworn closed and cuffs buttoned at the wrist. Gloves withgauntlets that extend up the arm should be worn looselyso that they can be flipped off easily if they becomecovered with hot asphalt. Pants should remain bloused.Exercise extreme care when climbing around thescreen deck. All stairs and platforms should have securehandrails.Hard hats should be worn by all personnel.Truck traffic patterns should be planned with bothsafety and convenience in mind. Trucks entering theplant to pick up a load of hot mix should not have tocross the path of loaded trucks leaving the plant. If at allpossible, trucks should not have to back up.All operators should know the three horn signals.lllOne blast on the horn, STOP,Two blasts, GO FORWARD,Three blasts, BACKUP8-34
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