Materials handling Diacon has developed a new facility in Queensland to meet growing demand for its products.
Australian-made products strengthen industry safety DIACON AUSTRALIA IS EXPANDING ITS AUSTRALIAN PRESENCE WITH A NEW PURPOSE-BUILT FACILITY WHICH OFFERS MORE ACCESS TO ITS LOCALLY-MADE CONVEYOR GUARDING AND DUST CONTROL SOLUTIONS.
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he COVID-19 pandemic has affected the ability of mining companies to efficiently source products from international manufacturers due to supply chain constraints. This environment has put pressure on the industry’s safety performance as companies wait to receive products vital to their operations. At the same time, Australian-based companies that manufacture and supply these products are thriving. Diacon Australia offers dust suppression systems and plastic conveyor guards that are made locally in Queensland. The company first delivered its innovative plastic conveyor guards to the Australian market in 1988 and has since become a market leader as a supplier of the unique product. Unlike traditional steel guarding solutions, the plastic conveyor guards are a lightweight and easyto-install alternative, which also offer a longer lifespan.
“We look after the industry through the supply of our guarding solutions for conveyors. We also provide spillage control and dust control with our systems as well,” Diacon general manager Matt Kennett tells Safe to Work. All mineral processing operations require some form of conveyor system, and conveyor guarding is essential to ensure there is no spillage on site. Diacon’s conveyor guards are made with a plastic mesh to ensure they are lightweight to prevent injury from any accidental drops that could fall on workers below. The plastic also prevents corrosion issues with a guaranteed 15-year lifespan compared with the average five-year lifespan of steel alternatives. “The biggest safety benefit of the plastic guarding is the manual handling,” Kennett says. “Being a lightweight guard makes it literally a one-person operation; we have also designed it to hang on the railing to avoid an issue with otherwise
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storing bulky steel guards. “The lifecycle of the guard is a lot longer than a steel guard, so you avoid the issue of regular changeouts. A lot of manpower is required to change the guarding out, so it prevents any risks involved with frequent maintenance.” In addition to the conveyor guards, Diacon offers the Hungry Board and its plastic safety panel for materials handling operations. Like the conveyor guard, the safety panel is made from lightweight plastic to ensure easy and safe installation. The Hungry Board is an aluminiumreinforced plastic panel that helps keep products within conveyor belts to reduce spillage and prevent dust. This reduces the accumulation of dust across a mine site, which helps prevent any lung-related issues with workers or environmental concerns. “Dust control keeps a safer environment by stopping it from flowing over everything,” Kennett says. “If you can reduce the spillage there’s less of a need for clean-up and it prevents any
