Transcript Slide 1

Much of the information in the following slides was made
available from the
Fluid Power Safety Institute.
Rory McLaren, the founder of the organization, has dedicated his life to
researching and preventing accidents related to Fluid Power.
There is a wealth of information on the website as well as links to other
resources.
Take a few minutes and look at
www.fluidpowersafety.com
Fluid Power Safety
What in the world is Fluid Power, anyway?
Well, a Fluid is something that flows.
So, Water is a fluid; Oil is a fluid; Air is a fluid;
Grease is a fluid; you get the idea.
So, what is Fluid Power?
Well, when we take something that flows and
direct it for some useful function, we call it
Fluid Power.
We will need something to make the fluid flow,
and something to direct the flow to where it is
useful.
What causes the fluid flow is a displacement device.
What directs the flow is the series of channels,
connections and valves that limit the direction and
force with which the fluid flows.
What is a displacement device?
It is something that forces the fluid to move from
dis-place
to
dat-place.
Actually, Fluid Power is a method of transferring energy.
It is a way to take rotary mechanical power produced by an
electric motor or a combustion engine and transfer it to a
work site.
Rotary motion is converted into fluid flow and then converted
back into either rotary or linear motion at the work site.
What we need to understand is that, while the fluid is
transferring the energy to the work site, it has the potential to
release its energy in an uncontrolled manner.
The uncontrolled release of energy is the thing that
concerns us.
Fluid Power Safety
Why do we need to be concerned about Fluid Power Safety?
After all, I take a shower and wash my hands.
I water my lawn.
I had squirt-gun fights when I was a kid.
What’s the big deal?
IfIfyou
youlive
liveininthe
thecity,
country,
the water
the water
pressure
pressure
at your
at home
your home
may be
is probably
about 110
about
psi.
60 psi.
When you water your lawn, the water leaves the nozzle at about 60 miles
per hour.
Our Pneumatic Systems release high pressure air travelling at supersonic
speeds; 12.8 times faster than your lawn sprinkler.
Our Hydraulic systems operate at up to 3,000 psi.
Mobile Hydraulic equipment operates at up to 6,000 psi.
Some grease systems operate at up to 10,000 psi. This is about 100 times
greater than your water pressure at home.
A pinhole leak in a pressurized hydraulic or grease line will discharge
fluid at about 400 miles per hour.
Fluid Power Safety
What are some of the areas
where we need to be aware
Fluid Injection
of the Safety Hazards
related to Fluid Power?
Stored Energy
High Velocity Particles
Whipping Hoses
Hose / Fitting Failure
Fire
Toxic Fluids
Lock out / Tag Out
Apathy
Familiarity
Ignorance
Hose and Fittings / Conductors and Connectors
An injury occurred to an EMT responding to an accident where he was required to
use the “Jaws of Life”.
He was wearing leather gloves and had been trained on the use of the equipment.
Part of his training was that he was supposed to hold the high pressure hose over
his shoulder and guide it with his left hand while he attempted to use the device.
The system is very compact and uses a 10,000 psi supply pressure.
While dragging the hose end over his shoulder, he felt a sharp sting in his left
hand.
The pain was momentary and he tried to continue working but then saw the tear in
the leather glove.
A fitting on the hose had begun to separate and caused a fine spray to escape
from the hose. It sliced open his glove and nearly cut off his hand.
Improper installation of the hose and fitting nearly cost him his life. The Fluid
injection injury turned out to be very serious.
A major cause of Fluid Power accidents or near accidents are caused by the
improper assembly of conductors and connectors.
One report stated that 90% of the lawsuits against Parker where determined to be
the result of improper application and/or assembly of conductors and connectors.
There is a disturbing story of a mining accident where the investigation
showed that the problem had occurred because of an improperly
assembled hydraulic hose.
To prevent future accidents, the report stated that there was no way to be
certain that anyone assembling the hoses and fittings was competent,
and so preventative measures were put in place to allow for the failure.
As of this presentation, there are very few people assembling hoses and
fittings that are internationally certified to do so.
This is true for both suppliers and consumers of Fluid Power equipment.
The fact is that Certification exists and it is possible to be certain that
those who assemble hoses and fittings are properly trained and
Certified.
Do not put your people or your customers at risk.
Be certain that everyone who assembles hoses and fittings has the
proper certification from the International Fluid Power Society.
For more information go to:
http://www.ifps.org/DocumentFiles/IFPS-CCbrochure.pdf
High Pressure Injection Injuries
While all evidence indicates that high-pressure injection injuries are few and
far between, there is certainly no reason to believe that the evidence
accurately reflects the situation.
According to an extensive study conducted by the FPSI, over 99% of the
people who service, repair, and troubleshoot hydraulic systems have been
subjected to the exact dynamics that trigger a high-pressure injection
injury.
However, the “liquid bullet” either missed or deflected off its target.
In other words, if “hydraulics” was a recognized occupational hazard,
and thus fell into a category for near miss reporting, the statistics on
high-pressure injection injuries might differ substantially from current
data.
In short, with respect to hydraulic “accidents,” if a person does not suffer
a lost-time injury, that person simply did not have an accident!
Ignorance and Oversight – the Ingredients for a High-Pressure
Injection Injury –
The potential for high-pressure injection injuries to occur is elevated
due to three factors:
1) The vast majority of people who work on and around hydraulic
systems are not properly trained in hydraulics to avoid the hazard.
2) Less than 1% of hydraulic systems can be safely de-energized after
lockout, which leaves people susceptible to injection injuries while
performing minor service and repair tasks.
3) A high percentage of systems that are supposed to be “self deenergizing,” have no way of verifying when they have been de-energized.
A Perspective on High-Pressure Injection Injuries
It is reported that 1 in 600 injuries treated in emergency facilities is caused by
high-pressure injection. Not all are associated with hydraulic systems.
In one study of 25 patients that were injected, 8 were injected with hydraulic fluid,
and 5 were injected with grease. The other commonly injected materials are paint
and paint thinners.
In a separate 10-year review of high-pressure injection injuries to the hand, which
studied 28 cases, 17 of the victims were injected with hydraulic fluid.
However, every person who works on and around hydraulic systems or operates a
grease gun is susceptible to this type of injury. Accordingly, they should be
acutely aware of the physics associated with hydraulics so they know what set of
conditions must exist for this type of injury to occur.
It is important to avoid an injection injury. However, it is equally as important to
know precisely what to do if one gets injected.
Most doctors agree that high-pressure injection injuries should be considered a
potential surgical emergency.
The reason why a person may overlook the gravity of this type of injury is that,
due to the innocuous appearance of the wound, it may hide the severity of the
injury.
Management of a High-Pressure Injection Injury
This is a picture of an injection injury. As you can see,
it has the appearance of a minor superficial wound,
and that’s why its severity is oftentimes undermined.
According to most doctors, surgical exploration
should be the benchmark of management for an
injection injury.
Usually, a hand-surgeon will plan surgical incisions
that will allow proximal (situated toward the point of
origin or attachment of the bone), and distal
(situated away from the point of origin or attachment
of the bone) exploration.
The entry wound should be excised and all areas
permeated by the injected materials must be
exposed to decompress the affected tissue and
perform extensive exploration.
Don’t Overlook the Collateral Hazards Associated with Oil Escaping to
Atmosphere Oil escaping to atmosphere presents a considerable burning hazard. In addition, it
can cause severe eye injury or total eye loss.
Case Study
A 33-year-old, right-handed industrial painter injected an amount of oil-based
paint, with his paint gun, in his left index finger by accident. He was immediately
referred to a specialized hand center.
The composition of the paint was analyzed to value the risk of a systemic
intoxication. Also a tetanus prophylaxis was given in the emergency department.
Clinical examination showed only a small entry port at the palmar MP level of the
index finger (MCP II) (Fig. 1a).
A decreased capillary refill and hypersensibility of the hand was observed. On the
X-ray of the left hand a large amount of radio dense material on the dorsal side
from the MCP II joint to the DIP II joint and from the entry port until the carpal
tunnel level, was present (Fig. 1b, c).
It was decided that surgical exploration under tourniquet and general anesthesia
would be necessary. A palmar incision was made from the PIP joint, along the skin
fold of the thenar muscle. Subsequently, the paint was removed and a
debridement of all the ischemic tissue was performed, followed by a complete
synovectomy and microsurgical neurolysis and arteriolysis of the second finger
and open carpal tunnel release (Fig. 1d–f).
By means of a second straight dorsal approach starting from P1 and going up to the MP
level, the paint around the extensor tendons of digit II was removed (Fig. 1g, h).
A suction drain was placed before closing the wound.
The point of this display is to show that what appeared to be a relatively superficial wound;
Turned out to be this:
To avoid this type of injury there are a few basic
rules we MUST follow:
1. NEVER "crack" a hydraulic connector to search for pressure, flow, or, to deenergize a hydraulic system.
2. NEVER "test" a hydraulic system or component to atmosphere, partially open a
transmission line, or completely vent a transmission line to atmosphere!
3. NEVER air-bleed a hydraulic component or system to atmosphere - "crack" a
connector!
4. Specify a mechanism on ALL hydraulic systems that will allow us to deenergize a hydraulic system, verify that the system is de-energized, and air-purge
a hydraulic component or system, without discharging oil to atmosphere.
The following slide shows a medical
protocol for handling High Pressure
Injection Injuries. It was developed by
an Australian Hospital and has been
adopted by emergency medical facilities
in the US.
Location of Accident
High Pressure Injection Injury
Keep Warm
Identify the Fluid
Immediate Transport to Hospital
Tetanus Prophylaxis
A B Prophylaxis
Fluid Characteristics
Clinical OK
Grease, Oil
Paint Solvents
Function / Rubor / Calor
/Dolor/
Vascularization
Excluding General Intoxication
Emergency Room
Water, Air, Veterinary Vaccine
Observation and Conservative Treatment
Adequate Debridement
Ev. Second look within 24 hours
Palmer Splint in intrinsic plus position: 5 days
Passive Mobilization: 5 days
Active en Passive Mobilization
Intensive Physiotherapy
6-12 Months
Strength Exercises
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2291478
Post-Operative
Flexion/Extension Splint
Operating Room
Surgical
Emergency