Winter safety is paramount as it can be dangerous to work outside in cold weather. Apart from an increased risk of conditions like frostbite, hypothermia, and dehydration, you will also more prone to slipping and other accidents. Fortunately, the dangers can be curbed with the right precautions.

Here are tips on how to keep yourself safe this winter:

• Wear the right clothing

Dressing in layers will prevent your body from losing heat and will protect your skin from cold outside air. The right clothes include jackets, shirts, innerwear, and footwear. Make sure that your gloves and socks are comfortable and do a good job at warming your fingers and toes respectively. The toes and fingers are prone to the side effects of frostbite, so they need a lot of protection. For your headgear, winter safety gear requires that you choose something that covers both your head and your ears.

• Keep yourself properly nourished

Fats and carbohydrates are burned by your body to produce heat, so consuming them will be very helpful during cold weather. It may not seem like it, but cold weather also causes your body to lose fluids fast, increasing your risk of dehydration. It is, therefore, important that you drink enough fluids before working outside.

• Take a break

Continuous exposure to the cold can be harmful, so do take occasional breaks. Perform warm-up activities when you can to help your body produce heat. Winter safety best practices also require you to rest to keep you alert and ready to face the dangers outside.

• Keep a safety kit nearby

In case of emergencies, make sure you have a safety kit made for cold weather. This is especially ideal if you work on the road. The kit should contain essentials like blankets, matches, and candles. These items should help you keep warm for a set period of time.

Working outside during the cold can be dangerous, so it’s important that you’re prepared for it. Dress properly, eat healthy, and have the right items close to you to ensure that you are always safe .

There have been numerous accidents in recent times that call for grain bin training. Case in point: this farmer from Pennsylvania. According to a report from AG Daily, the farmer was working on a truck when he noticed something amiss. So, he entered the grain bin. Thankfully, a colleague immediately found him and called for help.

Cases such as this are becoming more common in farming. Thankfully, there are classes that teach the basics of grain bin safety, but not all workers are given the opportunity to learn them. However, your workers need to be familiar with the dangers of working near or in a grain bin, so they never find themselves in a dangerous situation.

Here are some of the pointers of grain bin training:

• Only enter the bin when necessary. If you must, practice precautions: ask for permission, tell someone you’re going in, and make sure this observer is someone you can trust with your life. After all, it only takes 90 seconds for you to die in case you are engulfed. This is why you need someone experienced watching guard over you as you enter the grain bin.
• Next, make sure you have prepared accordingly before going in. Grain bin training dictates that the unloading equipment are locked out prior to entering the bin so that they can’t be accidentally turned on. Next, the oxygen level must be at a minimum of 19.5% before you enter. There should be a secure lifeline (such as a harness or a ladder) for everyone who is going to come in.
• Finally, have a plan. Your management should talk about lifesaving tips, such as crossing your arms in front of your chest—as well as a plan for training and rescue in case something goes amiss. You should also train and practice often to make sure everyone can perform their role in case of a crisis.

With grain bin training, your workers will know how to proceed in case of an emergency. Of course, this can be prevented by using high-quality products such as the ones that are offered by KC Supply. Click here to know more about our products.

Your workers who normally use conveyors—such as workers and other employees—know how to act around these powerful machines. However, the safety of those who are unfamiliar with them may be compromised. These people are your sales personnel, inspectors, drivers, and customers. For this reason, conveyor safety for plant visitors cannot be understated. You must always instill a culture of safety within your facility.

Here is how you can do so:

• Safety Briefing

You must assess if guests are wearing appropriate clothing before they are allowed into the facility. Anyone with loose clothes or accessories that may be caught in the conveyor must be instructed to change or fix their clothes. Safety gear such as helmets or vests must also be handed to them before they are allowed into the operations area.

Then, conduct a briefing for conveyor safety for plant visitors. Inform them of what the conveyor belt does, and the hazards of being too near the equipment. Once they understand the potential hazards and are mindful of their safety, allow them to enter your operations area. Those who have no business approaching your equipment must stay in the safe buffer zone.

• Enforcement

You must always escort your visitors inside your facility. Doing so would ensure that they have someone to ask should they have questions and they would be guided to act with safety in mind.

Also, train your employees to be more mindful of their jobs when you have visitors over. They should keep an eye out on visitors should they appear to be too near the conveyor, and to call out the attention of anyone who is disregarding conveyor safety for plant visitors. They should also be authorized to interrupt a tour if they think safety is being compromised.

At the end of the day, the safety of your visitors would rely on how well you prepared both the guests and your employees. Make sure that you do a good job to avoid any mishaps with your conveyor belt and other equipment. 

A bucket elevator, also known as a grain leg, is important to your farming needs. It is oftentimes used to vertically haul flowable bulk materials such as fertilizer or grain. While it can carry heavy loads that range from fine to large lumps, and from light to heavy materials, it goes without saying that a faulty grain leg can disrupt your processes and set you back.

For this reason, you should ensure that your grain leg is maintained properly so it can function at optimum levels. Here are a couple of things you can do to ensure that your bucket elevator works when you need it to:

• Follow the manufacturer’s preventive maintenance schedule and activities

Some would contest that preventive maintenance is unnecessary only to find themselves losing significant manhours due to a faulty grain leg. Bucket elevators tend to be used extensively and without break in most facilities, so it’s no wonder that it often breaks down if it is not properly maintained. If you religiously maintain your equipment, then you will be able to see if certain parts and components are already ripe for replacement before they break.

• Maintain regular equipment inspections

Does your bucket elevator jam frequently? You should routinely inspect your equipment to ensure that there are no blockages or foreign bodies within the housing of your grain leg. You should also check that there are no moving products that can damage your equipment, and that there are no loose, missing, or broken fasteners.

Aside from guaranteeing that your equipment won’t jam, regular inspections would also give you peace of mind that there is no material accumulation in the infeed area or elevator sections. Your grain leg would therefore be in the best shape that it needs to be so you can focus on your business rather than on fixing equipment.

You should take care of your bucket elevator and your other equipment as they are the ones that are going to make you successful. If you’re ready to know more about agricultural equipment, look no further than KC Supply Co. We have everything you need when it comes to conveying and elevating equipment, as well as safety supplies. Call us today at 800KCSUPPLY to know more.

As one of the biggest suppliers in the United States, we at KC Supply have been asked numerous times about the benefits of using a grain vac. While grain vacs have been used for a long time, some are still hesitant to use them because of old myths. We’re here to set them straight.

1. It’s common to see farmers wearing dust masks. Using traditional farming materials can kick up unhealthy dust – particularly if you’re moving grain around. This puts workers at risk of being exposed to allergens, molds pores, and the dust. Now, this in itself can cause a host of health problems that can be easily avoided by using a vac. In fact, a popular comment we hear from our clients is that it is cheaper than a heart attack.
2. Using a grain vac minimizes labor. Labor that usually takes three days to finish gets done in just a day if you use a vac. It is easier to use, and it also requires less physical exertion. This is also perfect if you do not have enough people to scoop loads, and if you want to finish harvesting in no time. So all in all, you’ll have quicker loading and unloading time – which both equal to less labor.
3. You can sell more loads. One of the good things about using a vac is that it can remove bugs easily, so your harvest is not likely to be rejected. You can also maintain superior grain quality.
4. A grain vac is generally safer than an open sweep auger. Using the latter is prohibited now to be used in bins since they can pose as safety hazards. Using a vac also reduces the risk that the auger will become entangled with an overhead power line.

Check out www.kcsupply.com for our grain vac selection or call us today at 800-KC-SUPPLY.

What kind of conveyor is most efficient for bulk material handling? Well, that all depends on your needs, and your definition of “efficient.”

Tubular drag conveyors might work best if equipment size and space utilization is a critical factor for you. On the other hand, bucket conveyors are a more efficient choice if you have more space and need to move large amounts of materials.

So first, you have to determine what factors you need and want in a conveyor system. Then you can assess some of the efficiencies and inefficiencies of each. Here are some commonly used conveyor technologies to consider:

Aeromechanical conveyors. These conveyors are best for handling bulk powders. They move products on a fluidized air stream and are efficient in terms of their ratio of energy consumption to capacity. Another advantage is that moving products on a fluidized air stream may help product flow in downstream processes. However, the drawback to aeromechanical conveyors is their moderate- to-high maintenance requirements, and they require regular adjustment and inspection of the rope assembly.

Belt conveyors. Belt conveyors can move large amounts of materials over long distances. However, they have one huge drawback: They take up more floor space than any other conveying system.

Bucket conveyors. Bucket conveyors can also move large amounts of material effectively and efficiently but, depending on their design, they may not be good for fragile materials. These conveyor systems also require a lot of floor space.

Flexible screw conveyors. These conveyors are simpler, lower cost and require a smaller space than other systems. They also work well for moving a wide range of materials. But they are notorious for their poor ratio of energy consumption to equipment capacity. And they have a tendency to degrade or damage materials that crumble or break apart easily. This can result in losses.

Pneumatic conveyors. Pneumatic conveyors come in dense and dilute phase technologies. Both types have a higher ratio of horsepower to capacity, which means that they are less energy-efficient then mechanical conveyor systems. Pneumatic conveyors also have a higher rate of wear and tear and high maintenance requirements. These conveyors also require larger dust collection systems than mechanical conveyors because the material to be moved must be separated from the air used within the system.

Tubular drag conveyors. These conveyors have lower energy requirements as well as a lower rate of wear and decreased maintenance requirements. This means cost savings that more than offset the higher price normally associated with these types of conveyors.

Each conveying technology has its strengths and weaknesses.You should choose the best conveyor system for you based on your needs and the materials you need to move.

Trust KC Supply Co. for all your conveyor belting needs. To find out more about which conveyor system might work best for you, call us at 800.KC.SUPPLY or visit www.kcsupply.com.