On a bottling line, the conveyor often sits between a maintenance technician and the machine they need to reach. At Asahi’s bottling plant in Papakura, that meant walking all the way around the conveyor, and sometimes crawling underneath it.
SafeSmart was approached by the maintenance contractors who look after the plant, and designed custom conveyor stepovers and a step-up platform to give staff a direct, safe route.
THE PROBLEM: A LONG WAY ROUND
Without a crossing, staff had to walk right around the conveyors to get from one side to the other. That took longer, and some people would clamber under the conveyor instead, which risks knocks to the head and awkward crouching.
what safesmart supplied
- Two custom stepovers, each taking people up and over the conveyors at a different point on the line
- One step-up platform at the conveyor, giving workers extra height so they can work at a comfortable level
- A compliant solution from concept to completion in one point of contact. No multiple parties, individual engineers/designers/fabricators/installers, just one team completing it all.
All three are fixed in place and are a permanent part of the plant, making this a permanent access system, not a temporary one. Asahi did not want anything moveable, so fixed units were the right fit.
DESIGNING INDUSTRIAL STEPOVER PLATFORMS AROUND A BOTTLING PLANT
A custom stepover starts with a site visit to measure up and check clearances. SafeSmart developed a concept with the site team, then produced drawings once the purchase order was raised. SafeSmart and the site team refined those drawings together until everyone was happy the stepovers suited the plant.
Most of the back and forth was about heights and clearances. The plant runs two or three different sizes of bottle and can on the same conveyor, and the stepovers had to allow for all of them, as well as the clearances around the surrounding machinery.
INSTALLED IN HALF A DAY
The stepovers were made in SafeSmart’s workshop to our normal manufacturing timeframes. Installation took half a day, during the plant’s Friday maintenance window. The pieces were lifted into place and fixed, with a little assembly.
Aluminium made this quick. It is light enough that no heavy machinery was needed to position the platforms, so the install was efficient and caused no disruption to production.
THE RESULT
The stepovers and step-up platform give staff a direct route from A to B, saving time and removing the need to climb under the conveyors. Feedback from Asahi was very positive.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is a conveyor stepover?
A conveyor stepover is a fixed walkway platform that takes people up and over a conveyor, so they can cross a production line without walking around it or going underneath.
Why use a permanent stepover instead of a moveable platform?
A fixed unit becomes part of the plant. At Asahi’s bottling plant, the stepovers are fixed in place because the site wanted a permanent solution, not something moveable.
What does a stepover design need to allow for on a bottling line?
Heights and clearances around the conveyor and surrounding machinery. On this project, the conveyor ran two or three different sizes of bottle and can, so the design had to allow for all of them.
How long does a custom stepover take to install?
On this project, installation took about half a day.
Talk to SafeSmart about access over your production line
SafeSmart designs, manufactures and installs custom access platforms, including industrial stepover platforms, for food and beverage and other industrial sites across New Zealand. Get in touch to talk through the access route your team needs.
