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FEATURE

it can also harm employees, contaminate
7. ABB IEC/Russellstoll® 60309 goods and damage machinery. Selecting
plugs and connectors are IP69K electrical system components that are
rated, which is the highest designed to withstand the conditions
dust and liquid ingress rating of the food and beverage processing
attainable, making the connectors plants in which they are installed will
ideal for applications requiring not only save costs, but also protect the
liquid ingress protection. safety of workers and consumers alike.
7 8. Food and beverage processing
plants must ensure the safety of Dan Michaelis is product marketing
their workers and the goods they manager of installation products at
produce, while protecting and ABB Electrification Products.
enhancing brand equity.
SOURCES
9. MKey mechanical safety switches
are available with full stainless 1. Committee for Economic Development
steel housing, suitable for most (CED), “Economic Contribution of
applications in food processing; the Food and Beverage Industry,”
8 they can be high-pressure March 2017, https://www.ced.org/
hosed with detergent at high pdf/Economic_Contribution_of_the_
temperature. Food_and_Beverage_Industry.pdf
2. Statista, “Food & Beverages,” Revenue
in million US$, https://www.statista.
com/outlook/253/109/food-beverages/
united-states#market-revenue
3. United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA), “Economic Research Service,”
Food processing plants, https://www.ers.
9 usda.gov/topics/food-markets-prices/
processing-marketing/manufacturing/

4. Valdez Salas, Benjamin, et al., Food
Industrial Processes – Methods and
Equipment, Chapter: “Corrosion in
the food industry and its control,”
combustible dust, classified as NEC® device and component capabilities
Class II. Typical hazardous locations can lead to additional costs, InTech, February 2012, p. 367,
https://www.researchgate.net/
include grain elevators and flour and noncompliance with specified safety publication/258222714_Corrosion_in_
feed mills. Hazardous locations also standards and unsafe conditions. the_Food_Industry_and_Its_Control
occur where starch and candy are
produced; at spice-grinding, sugar and 5. Grocery Manufacturers Association
cocoa plants; in chemical storage areas; Conclusion (GMA), et al., “Recall Execution
and where gas-fired ovens are used. Effectiveness: Collaborative Approaches
to Improving Consumer Safety and
Confidence,” 2010, p. 9, https://www.
In industries where the demands for Providing protection to workers, gmaonline.org/downloads/research-
cleanliness, traceability, operational products and equipment from hazards and-reports/WP_RecallExecution.pdf
reliability and productivity are high, it encountered in food and beverage
is especially important that machine processing plants must consider the risks 6. Newman, Kira L, Juan S. Leon and Lee S.
safety for the protection of employees posed to the plant’s electrical system. Newman, “Estimating occupational illness,
is effectively integrated. Not limited An environment with high-pressure and injury, and mortality in food production
to the individual components to be caustic cleaning methods, corrosive in the United States: A farm-to-table
purchased, machine safety focuses on agents, liquid ingress and extreme analysis,” Journal of Occupational and
Environmental Medicine, July 2015,
the overall system design. Failure to temperatures affects the condition of Abstract (Results), https://www.ncbi.nlm.
consider the overall system capabilities the electrical system. Electrical system nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4494896/
and focusing instead on the individual failure can not only halt production, but

18 Insights Magazine | May/June 2019 | www.ieci.org