Are America's Technical College’s Teaching Students How to Injure or Kill Themselves?

I am going to ask you to answer the question. According to global giants Caterpillar©, John Deere©, and others, discharging oil to atmosphere, under any circumstances, is extremely hazardous. Here’s a warning from a John Deere© service manual:

“Escaping fluid under pressure can penetrate the skin causing serious injury. Avoid the hazard by relieving pressure before disconnecting hydraulic or other lines. Tighten all connections before applying pressure. Search for leaks with a piece of cardboard. Protect hands and body from high-pressure fluids. If an accident occurs see a doctor immediately. Any fluid injected into the skin must be surgically removed within a few hours or gangrene may result. Doctors unfamiliar with this type of injury should reference a knowledgeable medical source.”

Here’s a similar warning from a Caterpillar service manual:

 "Escaping fluid under pressure, even a pinhole size leak, can penetrate body tissue, causing serious injury, and possible death. If fluid is injected into your skin, it must be treated immediately by a doctor familiar with this type of injury.” 

 Now let’s turn to a training document that was given to me by a student that attended my hydraulic safety workshop. The document titled “Troubleshooting” was allegedly taken from a textbook published by Womack Educational Publications. The document contains test procedures for finding internal leaks in numerous hydraulic components. Incidentally, Womack Educational Publications is not alone when it comes to recommending hazardous hydraulic component test procedures. You will find similar test procedures in 99% of college textbooks. Regrettably, over 95% of college instructors teach their students these procedures.

WARNING – DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TEST ANY HYDRAULIC COMPONENT USING THE TECHNIQUES RECOMMENDED BY WOMACK EDUCATIONAL PUBLICATIONS, OR OTHER AUTHORS. DISCHARGING HIGH-PRESSURE OIL TO ATMOSPHERE, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, CAN CAUSE SEVERE INJURY, DEATH AND/OR SUBSTANTIAL PROPERTY DAMAGE.” 

Pressure relief valve test procedure: “Disconnect the transmission line from the relief valve’s discharge port, and attach a hose to it. Hold the hose over the filler opening in the tank then run the pump while observing whether or not a full stream of oil is being discharged from the relief valve. While making this test run the relief valve setting up and down. If a flow meter is available the flow should be measured and compared with the pump rating. Sometimes the discharge can be run into a bucket and the volume measure while timing the flow.”

Cylinder test procedure: “The cylinder should be tested under pressure. A satisfactory test which is not too difficult is shown an illustration. To make the test run the cylinder piston to one end of its stroke and stall it. Disconnect the line on the opposite side of the piston. If the system is hydraulic, the disconnected line must be capped to prevent back pressure from spilling oil during the test. Start the power supply and observe for leakage coming out of the opened end of the cylinder. Make a similar test by running the cylinder to the other end of its stroke.”

Test directional control valve: “A sure test for a directional control valve is to disconnect the cylinder lines and plug the cylinder connections to the valve. Operate the valve under pressure, shifting it to various positions, while observing any leakage coming out of the exhaust.” The illustration shows the discharge port open to atmosphere."

A message to instructors: Your most important job is to teach your students how the think safety and work safely. It is your duty of care to censor the textbooks you recommend for your students. I am willing to help. You can attend my safety-based workshops free of charge (tax-payer funded colleges). Moreover, I am prepared to send you a free copy of my book (Continental USA), which from cover-to-cover shows technicians how to test every hydraulic component safely, effectively and efficiently. I am also prepared to help you develop a “safety-based” curriculum. That too is free.

I share because I care.