15 Nov Safeguarding hose: How much whip can a whipcheck check?
As BSC’s Michael Rowe explains, “Measuring the potential risk of an on-site injury occurring from a high-pressure hose is mainly a matter of measuring the frequency of their usage — which is high.”
“To put it bluntly, a quick change in pressure behind a flexible hose application can be life-threatening,” cautions Michael. “If a pressurized hose experiences a sudden spike or release in pressure, the hose can whip or flail around in similarly unpredictable movements at very high speeds. This creates an extremely dangerous situation that is hard to contain.”
Following several injuries and fatalities where the cause was determined to be a malfunctioning pressure hose, the Australian federal government published a safety alert on July 1, 2020, reminding employers of the importance of installing a safety whipcheck on pressurized air hoses, in order to safeguard employees from the dangerous threat of hose whip.
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