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OSHA/Grain Belt
Technical Notes from the NIBA Education Technical Committee
OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration) REGULATIONS
Per Federal Register, Thursday, December 31, 1987
29 CFR Parts 1910 and 1917
GRAIN HANDLING FACILITIES: FINAL RULE
Everyone involved in the handling of grain and/or feed should be aware of the new OSHA regulations as detailed in The Federal Register of December 31, 1987. You may obtain a copy of the OSHA regulations from your industry associations or from The Government Printing Office.
It is your legal and moral responsibility to abide by all aspects of this regulation... as a very minimum. We would further urge additional safety measures appropriate to your own installation.
BELTING
This OSHA regulation specifically says that in the case of inside bucket elevators all belts and lagging purchased after March 30, 1988 shall be conductive. Such belts shall have a surface electrical resistance not to exceed 300 megohms.
It further says: Employers should also consider purchasing new belts that are flame retardant or fire resistive. A flame resistance test for belt is contained in 30 CFR 18.65. (This flame resistance test is commonly known as MSHA-2G)
The NIBA Technical Committee strongly urges that:
- All grain belts (not just inside leg belts) be static conductive and have a surface electrical resistance not to exceed 300 megohms.
- All belts be flame retardant, per MSHA 2-G, as a minimum.
- Further safety precautions appropriate to your individual installation be taken. These should include slip detection devices, tracking switches, temperature sensors, and fire suppression equipment.