The Fluid Power Safety Institute, West Valley City, Utah, has released the first in a series of DVDs aimed at hydraulic safety. According to Rory S. McLaren, FPSI’s founder and director, hydraulic safety cannot be ignored while accidents related to hydraulics reach “epidemic proportions.”
According to McLaren, “Hydraulics safety is a top-down problem. System design engineers, safety officials, managers, and governmental safety organizations generally aren’t exposed to hydraulic safety issues. The net result is that operators and technicians, who routinely work on hydraulic systems, rely on trial-and-error, techniques, so accidents are inevitable! The industry’s most urgent problem is preventing debilitating oil injection injuries, so we made this our first priority.”
McLaren reports that injection injuries from high-pressure hydraulic fluid are becoming increasingly prevalent. “Their innocuous appearance leads to underestimation of their severity and results in significant morbidity. An early referral to a hand surgeon can help reduce morbidity.“
The nature of the injected fluid (volume, viscosity, and toxicity), the site of injection and its dispersal, fluid pressure, and the time before surgical treatment are believed to have a profound effect on the outcome of injection injuries. McLaren says, “Most patients will require extensive post-operative therapy, prolonged healing time, and will usually be left with long-term motor and sensory deficits.”
The Lethal Strike DVD focuses on the correct pre-hospitalization management of oil injection injuries and is intended as a must-see for everyone working in the hydraulics industry. Additional groundbreaking DVDs are in production for future release, including:
Quit Screwing Around: Hazards associated with the haphazard adjustment of pressurecontrol valves,
Don’t do Crack! How to safely bleed air from a hydraulic system or component,
Lured into an Accident: A leaking hydraulic connector is inviting, especially if it only leaks under pressure, and
Dynamite Comes in Small Packages: A porta-power is a small, unassuming tool but can quickly become a lethal weapon if used incorrectly.
For information about obtaining a copy of The Lethal Strike DVD, visit www.fluidpowersafety.com
