Let’s Talk Safety: The Safe Use of Compressed Air

This column addresses safety issues of interest to water and wastewater personnel, and will appear monthly in the magazine. The Journal is also interested in receiving any articles on the subject of safety that it can share with readers in the “Spotlight on Safety” column.

The Safe Use of Compressed Air

When we think of pressure, we think of power. And with the use of power, inherent dangers are often present. Such is the case when we work with one of the most useful tools of the workplace—compressed air.

We use compressed air at work around the clock, performing countless jobs, from filling tires, lubricating trucks, and operating lifts, to the breaking, jacking, auguring, and tamping of earth and rock on construction projects. Compressed air helps us complete our jobs better and faster. Misuse of compressed air, however, can be very dangerous.

Compressed-Air Hazards

The majority of injuries from compressed air are caused by either carelessness or lack of training.

Using a compressed-air hose as a toy is particularly hazardous, especially if the airstream is brought into close or direct contact with any portion of a worker’s body or clothing. If this occurs and there is a break in the skin, air may be forced into the bloodstream, often with fatal results.

Using compressed air to clean clothing, tools, or workbenches can result in foreign bodies entering a worker’s eyes, nose, or throat. Using compressed air for cleaning is not only an unsafe practice, but more of a hindrance than a help because it spreads dust and debris around, which eventually results in a larger cleanup area.

Unfastened safety chains on air-hose lines account for more injuries than any other type of compressed-air accident. Hose couplings can be handled pretty roughly on construction jobs— dragged over the ground or streets—and can lead to the disconnection of couplings. That’s why a safety chain must be connected from one hose to the other at each connection. Once an unchained hose is accidentally disconnected, escaping high-pressure air can whip the hose around with terrific force, causing the hose to strike anything in its path.

Safety Tips for Using Compressed Air

Learn and heed these safety tips in the workplace: S Wear eye protection (googles or face shields) whenever using compressed air. S Check the hose carefully to see that it’s in good shape, and free from cuts and abrasions, before you open a valve leading to an air hose. S All pipes, hoses, and fittings must have a rating of the maximum pressure of the compressor. Compressed-air pipelines should be identified by pounds per square inch (psi) as to the maximum working pressure.

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