Posted By RBW100
Hi all,

I am having some trouble with tote bin hoists used at our site. The hoists are deigned to lift Stainless tote bins (aka euro bins) of food stuffs and tip them into hoppers. The units have been in use for around 4 years without incident until recently when a couple of incidents occurred where loaded bins (around 200kg) fell from the hoists. No-one was injured.

I have investigated the incidents fully and have made a detailed inspection of the hoists and have found no faults with the equipment.

In all cases it would appear that the bin had not been fully en-gauged in the hoist before being lifted and so was not properly secured.

I am considering the use of a proximity switch or similar which prevents movement of the hoist unless a bin is correctly in place, however such an installation would be technically difficult due to the range of movement of the tipping mechanism.

I have seen a number of similar hoists over the years and none had any type of interlock to prevent use of the hoist if the bin was incorrectly placed.

There is a detailed system of work in place for the use of the hoist which includes making sure the bin is correctly placed in the hoist. However despite repeated training of operators some are clearly not following the correct procedure.

Does anyone with experience on similar hoist think that this is OTT i.e. is this more an operator issue (the bins are secure when the hoist is operated correctly) or am I heading in the right direction.

Thanks,

RW

Posted By RBW100
Hi Ron,

I think you a referring to refuse bins (wheelie bins), I'm talking about stainless steel wheeled bins/tubs used in the food industry. See http://www.teknomek.co.u...uct/euro-tub-111c133.htm for the type of thing I mean. These are the hoists we use http://www.carsoe.com/default.aspx?m=2&i=71

I'm sure there are parallels however with refuse bins. We have a push to run control system and operators are specifically told not to rapidly use the controls to 'shake' the bin.

In the instances we have had the bin fell because it was not correctly inserted into the machine.

Thanks for your time in replying.

Posted By RBW100
Ron,

The 'forks' of the hoist have spring loaded catches that automatically lower when the hoist is raised from the floor. These work fine if the bin is in the correct position i.e. pushed in as far as it will go. I've added an additional locking mechanim to one of the hoists which requires the operators to lower a bar to further secure the bin, I hope this will prevent the need for eletrical interlocks. However this will only work if the operator actually locks it!

Rob