For decades, some manufacturers saw workplace safety as a barrier to profitability. Today, nearly every manufacturer agrees that safe, clean production environments are essential for protecting employees while supporting efficiency, product quality, and long-term profitability. Although total workers compensation claims have declined over time, serious explosive incidents involving ignitable powders and combustible dust still occur throughout industry at rate of more than 25 incidents per year, according to United States Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Beyond the human cost, unsafe production environments can also lead to higher insurance premiums, regulatory scrutiny, operational downtime, and substantial financial penalties. The cost to American employers tops $103 billion per year in workers compensation claims, according to a recent National Academy of Social Insurance study. Manufacturers face an average OSHA fine of $16,550.00 per violation as of 2025 and total penalties in significant enforcement cases potentially reach hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Many manufacturers now recognize that operating safe, clean facilities is not a barrier to profitability but, rather, it directly translates to operating at peak efficiency and with improved productivity and profitability.

Volkmann Conveyors Support Safe Material Handling

Food, chemical, pharmaceutical, and other manufacturers considering safety as a profit center often identify manual bulk material handling as a significant source of concern. Handling heavy bags and containers of flour, sugar, salt, metal powders for 3D printing, and other bulk materials can increase the risk of:

• spills and product loss
• airborne dust exposure
• ergonomic injuries
• housekeeping issues
• contamination concerns
• combustible dust hazards

Volkmann pneumatic vacuum conveyors replace labor-intensive, manual powder handling with a safer approach. Materials move automatically from bulk bags, drums, containers, or other feed points through enclosed, sealed hose or tubing directly into mixers, hoppers, tanks, tablet presses, and other downstream equipment.

By reducing the need to manually pick up, carry, and dump heavy bags, Volkmann conveying systems help eliminate the root causes of many injuries, workers compensation claims, and OSHA fines. The result is a cleaner production environment with less dust and reduced housekeeping demands where workers can focus on higher value tasks elsewhere in the plant that better support bottom line results.

Automated Conveying Helps Speed Changeovers

Automating material transfer with a pneumatic vacuum conveyor does not eliminate the need to clean equipment for contamination control but it can significantly reduce the mess associated with manual powder handling for faster, less labor-intensive changeovers. Hygienic Volkmann conveying systems are designed for quick, tool-free disassembly and easy access to the interior to permit complete cleaning. Saving time on cleaning helps reduce line downtime and boost productivity for lasting improvements that compound over time.

Conveyors Help Reduce Material Loss

As input costs for materials and ingredients continue to rise, operating a safe, clean facility with an enclosed bulk material handling system also offers quantifiable material savings. By eliminating spillage and loss upstream and transferring the proper amount of material into the process per the recipe or formula, Volkmann vacuum conveyors help maximize the value of precious materials and save on purchasing costs. With materials moving consistently on a preset, predictable schedule, product quality and process reliability improve as waste is reduced.

Clean Facilities Help Attract and Retain Employees

Clean, safe, automated facilities may also help manufacturers in hiring and retaining employees. Dusty workplace environments that require repetitive lifting and bag handling can be physically demanding. With employee turnover in American manufacturing topping 24% annually, according to the Manufacturers Alliance 2024 Workforce Trends Report, and the cost to replace an entry level production worker averaging $20,000.00 in recruitment, training, overtime, and lost productivity, according to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), maintaining a safe, clean production environment may help promote employee satisfaction. Automating the labor-intensive lifting and handling tasks with a Volkmann conveying system can reduce ergonomic strain while also supporting product quality, contamination control, and operational consistency. Maintaining an experienced workforce also helps address concerns with allergens, cross-contamination, quality variations, and regulatory compliance.

Would your powder handling process benefit from improved safety, sanitation, and profitability? Contact us here.