Avoid OSHA Fines & Keep Your Team Safe with These Conveyor Safety Essentials

Conveyors keep goods moving, but if they aren’t kept safe, they can bring production and profits to a sudden halt. OSHA’s 2024 database logged 370,000 employer injury-and-illness summaries—a stark reminder that every facility is under scrutiny. osha.gov

1. The Hidden Cost of an Unsafe Conveyor

• Downtime is expensive. Industry research shows that 98 % of manufacturers say that just one hour of unplanned downtime can cost over $100,000 in repairs, lost orders, and labour.
• Penalties keep rising. As of January 2025, OSHA can fine up to $165,514 per willful or repeat violation, an inflation-adjusted record high. ohsonline.com
• Safety citations are common. Lockout/Tag-out (LOTO) and Machine Guarding remained on OSHA’s Top 10 list in FY-2024, with 2,433 LOTO and 1,541 guarding citations, respectively. lion.comehssafetynews.com

A single incident can outstrip the annual cost of a proactive safety program.

2. Key Regulations at a Glance (bullet format)

• OSHA 29 CFR 1910.147 – Lockout/Tag-out (LOTO)
  • Controls hazardous energy during service; ranked #3 most-cited standard in 2024 (2,433 citations). lion.com
• OSHA 29 CFR 1910.212 – Machine Guarding
  • Requires guarding of pinch points, belts, and rollers; ranked #10 in 2024 (1,541 citations). ehssafetynews.com
• OSHA 29 CFR 1910.23 & 1910.28 – Walking/Working Surfaces & Fall Protection
  • Apply to elevated mezzanines, crossover bridges, and conveyor platforms.
• ASME B20.1-2024 – Safety Standard for Conveyors & Related Equipment
  • The 2024 edition adds a new dust-hazard section (5.17) and clarifies remote emergency-stop identification (5.11). blog.ansi.org
• NFPA 652 – Combustible Dust Standard
  • Requires dust-hazard analysis and a housekeeping plan for combustible materials.

The bottom line is that OSHA writes the enforcement cheques, and ASME and NFPA provide the engineering playbook—your program must satisfy both.

3. Six Conveyor Hazards Facilities Still Miss

1. Unguarded pinch-points between belts and pulleys
2. Emergency-stop buttons that are hidden, blocked, or bypassed
3. Clearing jams without proper LOTO procedures
4. Loose items on mezzanines falling onto lower belts
5. Dust build-up that can ignite or explode (targeted in ASME B20.1-2024)
6. Worn belts or rollers that grab suddenly and pull in clothing

4. Five-Step Conveyor Safety Program (bullet format)

1. Audit & Benchmark – Schedule annual system audits against OSHA, ASME, and NFPA standards; rank hazards by risk and cost. (Affordable Conveyor Services provides on-site safety inspections with written recommendations.)
2. Guard & Label—Install fixed or interlocked guards on all pinch points and clearly mark emergency-stop buttons and pedestrian walk paths.
3. Lockout/Tag-out Discipline – Create written LOTO procedures for every conveyor zone, train staff, and post laminated cards at control panels.
4. Preventative Maintenance Calendar – Adopt quarterly or bi-annual PM checks (belt tension, roller wear, vibration, sensor tests) scheduled around production; ACS offers PM programs 24/7.
5. Train, Record, Repeat – Hold toolbox talks, log each inspection, and review near-misses monthly to drive continuous improvement and provide documentation during OSHA visits.

5. Why Partner with Affordable Conveyor Services (ACS)

• 30+ years of national experience installing, modifying, and repairing every major conveyor type.
• The comprehensive service menu—electrical controls to pneumatic piping—means one vendor with zero finger-pointing.
• 24/7 emergency response minimizes downtime during unexpected failures.
• Dedicated safety audits aligned to OSHA, ASME, and NFPA standards with actionable, budget-ranked fix lists.

Conclusion & Call-to-Action

Conveyor safety isn’t a one-time project—it’s a continuous improvement loop. You protect people, profits, and production by aligning your facility with OSHA’s enforcement focus and ASME’s latest engineering guidance.

Ready to close the compliance gap?
Schedule a complimentary safety audit or preventative maintenance walk-through with Affordable Conveyor Services today. Call (860) 342-8753 or request a quote—your team and your bottom line will thank you.