Slips, trips and falls continue to pose significant workplace safety issues. It is plain to see how this creates additional risk. Safety equipment is only ever as good as the last time it was tested, and best-practice guidelines state that silo pressure safety equipment must be tested prior to every pneumatic filling operation, which has often required a member of staff to climb the silo to manually test the equipment, regardless of weather conditions or visibility. Whilst this equipment is essential for site safety, mounting it at height creates a whole new set of problems. Indeed, recent incidents at sites around the world have highlighted just how important this is.

These systems may vary somewhat in design, but as highlighted in best-practice guidance from the Mineral Products Association (MPA), all the above-listed items are essential for maintaining site safety due to the risks posed by over-pressurizing or overfilling silos. Together, these pieces of safety equipment form the basis of a silo-protection system. These vessels can be up to 50m (164ft) or more in height and require a number of essential safety devices to be mounted on top, such as the pressure-relief valve (PRV), pressure sensor, high-level alarm and the air-venting dust-filtration unit. Silos for the storage of powdered products are commonplace in a wide range of industries, including cement and quarrying.

Silo-top equipment means working-at-height risks

Ocillating corn silo rescue equipment