Gates BIRD belt maintenance safety solution

The Gates BIRD (Belt Installation and Rotation Device) minimises the risks to workers during routine belt maintenance.

While a belt drive is shut down, locked out and tagged out, the BIRD reduces the risk of finger and hand injuries due to hands getting caught in pinch points during belt installation and maintenance, by safely facilitating a rotational inspection of a drive.

Previously, to inspect or install a drive, personnel would pull on the belt or grab the edges of the pulley or sprocket to turn the drive. Regardless of the care taken, this procedure is inherently dangerous: a split second can see a hand or finger pulled into a pinch point, causing injury. This leads to direct medical expenses, legal expenses and increased insurance premiums, and has flow-on effects including loss of production and downtime.

The BIRD is easy-to-use tool featuring a pair of powerful permanent magnets that are attached to the belt sprocket. Once fully engaged, the comfortable aluminium handles allow operators to safely and easily rotate the drive, facilitating safe maintenance and installation.