IOSH Food & Drink H&S Awards

‘Reducing Work at Height’

Fox’s Biscuits - Batley

Agenda:

1. Introduction to Fox’s Biscuits - Batley

2. What was the challenge?

3. How we tackled it?

4. Implementing the solution

5. Video of improvement

6. What was the impact?

7. Great! What next?

‘Reducing Work at Height’

Fox’s Biscuits - Batley

•David O’Brien – Fox’s Biscuits Divisional H&S Manager

•Gordon Hargreaves – Shift Engineering team leader

Fox’s Biscuits Batley - Built around 1930’s, with factory built on a pitched gradient, spread across 4 levels.

We manufacture 50% branded, 50% ROB, with our biggest ROB customer being M&S.

Products include biscuits, cookies and assortments

Introduction to Fox’s Biscuits - Batley

Working at height:

• There was a working at height hazard relating to cleaning and maintenance of an overhead web.

• This issue was further compounded when jam products were transferred on the web leading to:

• Additional cleaning at height

• Additional maintenance challenges with webs tracking over

Other issues

• No warning that it was going to lower, fell under own speed, no interlocks, swinging in mid-air, citing of the pins – not always true

What was the challenge?

Views from the factory

The following statements are from the team who had to complete the task at height...

“It was the worst cleaning job in the factory know one wanted to do it – back breaking

and dirty.”

“ Before we even started the cleaning we had to build the Lobo platform which wasn’t easy “

“ We were on our knees scrubbing over our heads to remove the toffee and jam off the web and rollers”

“ We couldn’t clean all the jam and toffee from the unit as we couldn’t get in there properly”

Scoping the project:

• The production and engineering team discussed the options that were available, and following the ‘work at height’ hierarchy of control, they sort to eliminate the risk completely

• It was agreed that the solution should allow the task to be completed at ground level

• Therefore a proposal was developed to lower the web safely to the floor

• They gained approval for money – approx £2500 for materials

Resource and support:

• Engineers took ownership (Ken Rowe, David Brown) for the project

• Worked around production, at weekends – to allow the engineering team to see it through

• Apprentices supported the project, writing the software and chosing to come off shift on a weekend to support!

Implementing the solution

Engineering Solution

Completed in stages (over three months) 1. Fitting the rails and setting them correctly

2. Determined the electrical controls (and acoustic monitoring)

3. Interlocked whilst in the resting position

4. Designing the safe method of lifting up and citing itself

5. Audio warning whilst lowering and raising

Video – solution in action!

• Elimination of working at height for cleaning and maintenance of the web

• Payback for production – reduced downtime, reduced cleaning and maintenance time, no longer avoided as a task, and improved food safety

• Reduces manning for cleaning and maintenance

• Controlled, monitored operation – fully automated – deliberate operation

• Interlocked to prevent accidental lowering

• Interlocked to prevent operation whilst in production

• Lifted morale on shop floor

• Supports teamwork and team dynamic (things get done!)

• More confidence for the team involved including the apprentices.

What was the impact?

Views from the factory...

These are statements from the team after the improvements…

“ We can now work at waist height as normal and therefore we no longer have to

work at height on our knees, it’s much easier “

“The wire web can be removed and washed in the sink giving so it’s easier to get in there ”

“It only takes 40min to clean the unit now and it’s much cleaner when we have finished”

“ We don’t get stuck up with Jam everywhere now, can’t believe the difference from before”

Great! What next?

• We are looking at other opportunities on site and across Fox’s

• Other engineering crews have seen the improvements and have taken the leaning and benefits and applied to other webs

• Work at Height workshop for the site led by 2SFG H&S

Any questions?