In a modern business environment driven by a desire to work ever smarter, it’s no surprise that criteria such as throughputs, uptime and capacity are high on the agenda when procuring a new shredder. But where does this leave safety? Chris Oldfield, chairman of UNTHA UK, recently shared his thoughts on this subject, with industry journal MRW. If you missed the write up, you can read it in full here…
“The economic downturn may be a distant memory for some. But even organisations that emerged stronger from the recession have naturally formed an in-built desire to work smarter and achieve more, to protect their robustness moving forward.
When it comes to investing in shredding technology, we therefore hear organisations naturally prioritise factors such as throughputs, capacity and uptime. The shredder has to be a value adding asset within their plant. It has to pay for itself within only a couple of years. It has to be tough enough to withstand an array of operational challenges without even flinching.
Thankfully, rigorous research and development, modern engineering prowess and decades of experience, make it possible to achieve these demands.
But where does this leave safety?
We have to remember that shredding has the potential to be a hazardous operation. Of course, if the risks are understood and negated, shredding is no more dangerous than the use of any other machinery. But do heightened safety mechanisms reduce performance in other respects? Will a quieter shredder that better protects’ operator wellbeing, be slower? Will this result in reduce throughputs? Do customers have to sacrifice tonnage per hour if they want to reduce the risk of fire? And do all these in-built safety features mean the shredder now costs the earth?
No.
I don’t think any manufacturer could justifiably say they’ve achieved the Holy Grail of shredding technology. Design and engineering capabilities are evolving all the time, as are extraneous factors such as legislation and fuel specifications. So, what is a true feat of manufacturing today is likely to be surpassed by even smarter technology in years to come – and any shredding supplier who doesn’t maintain this continuous improvement philosophy will soon be left behind.
But I do praise waste management, recycling and alternative fuel production firms who want everything from their shredder because I do think it’s possible to achieve excellent throughputs, uptime, capacity and bottom line benefits, with utmost consideration for safety too. And all of this without compromising the environment.
The solution lies in the design. A slow speed shredder, for example, might sound like it would be…sluggish. But if the technology has high torque, throughputs will remain just as impressive as a high speed equivalent. The added benefit, however, is that a slower speed shredder will create less dust and the potential for a spark is reduced, which significantly lessens the machine’s susceptibility to fire.
A slower speed shredder, especially one with an electric drive, will also result in a quieter operation. This is particularly important as continued exposure to noise can have a debilitating and incurable effect on operators’ hearing. Of course hearing protection can be worn, but if it is possible for a shredder to run below the first dB(A) action point, shouldn’t this be the priority? If average exposure levels are below 80 decibels, hearing protection is not required and staff are significantly better protected from the risk of hearing damage. There’s also no need to spend money on ear defenders and the chances are the plant could extend its operating hours – two results that will impact positively on the bottom line.
There are additional ways to protect the operator during the shredding process. Purposefully engineering a machine so that it requires minimal maintenance, reduces the need for operator ingress. A shredder with long-lasting, low-wear parts, and no pulleys or belt drive, means there is less chance of a breakdown. Shredders with touch screen control panels also enable the operator to diagnose a fault without entering the machine itself. Where maintenance is required, it is crucial that comprehensive operator training has been provided and where possible, if the machine has been ergonomically designed, the activity should be undertaken in an upright position to prevent strain.
The number of features within modern shredding technology, that have performance as well as safety benefits, just goes on and on. Water-cooled synchronous motors can work tirelessly, without overheating, to guarantee the machine’s uptime. Foreign object protection mechanisms can protect the shredder whilst minimising downtime. And added components such as UV, infrared and spark detectors can help suppress a fire if one breaks out.
In some instances, a shredder designed with both performance and safety in mind, may come with a higher price tag. But this initial capital outlay will soon be recouped thanks to the return on investment benefits outlined here.