I Received The Highest Level Of Recognition Ever Granted In The Fluid Power Industry - "The King Of Hydraulics."
Rory McLaren
Founder/Director/Teacher/Author/Red Seal
I was about to start my workshop last Wednesday morning when one of the students came up to the front of the class. He made a short but very moving speech and handed me a crown. I will wear it with pride!
I conducted my final on-site training workshop for the year with a group of oil-field service mechanics. Of all the industries I work in I expect oil-field workers to have received intensive training in how to work safely with fluids under pressure.
I don't believe there is a single industry that exposes workers to a wider range of pressures than the oil-field service industry. People that work on oil-field service equipment routinely use paint-spray guns, grease guns, hydraulic bolt-torque devices, pressure washers, pneumatic tools, compressed gas cylinders, and port-powers. The pressures in these devices range from 120-PSI (8 bar) to 8000-PSI (552 bar).
When they are testing power ends and other equipment at work and setting up frac jobs they routinely face pressures up to 15000-PSI (1034 bar). When frac machines, blenders, coil tubing machines, nitrogen pumpers, and support equipment are operating workers come face to face with hydraulic pressures up to 5000-PSI (345 bar) and pumping pressures up to 15000-PSI (1034 bar).
All people that operate oil-field service equipment, service, repair and tests oil-field equipment, and all supervisors managers and supervisors, should receive intensive training in all types of pressurized systems.
Most oil-field safety supervisors have some training in hazards related to pressurized fluids. However, as I learned recently, there is a reason to be deeply concerned that some safety personnel only identify the hazard by visualization and do not understand the underlying physics associated with pressurized fluids.
Case in point - The heavy steel pipes that transport fluids from the various service equipment to wells come in sections. They are joined together with threaded flanges. The flanges have a unique way of being tightened. There are usually three ears that are cast into the flange. The ears protrude from the outer diameter of the flange. To tighten a flange the assembler strikes an ear with a hammer. When the pipes are assembled they undergo pressure testing.
It is my understanding that when the testing is complete and the pumping is underway if a flange leaks personnel are forbidden to tighten the flange while there is pressure in the pipe. Tightening a flange while there is pressure in the pipe is recognized by oil-field safety personnel as being so dangerous that any person that is caught doing so is likely to be terminated.
I was recently told by an oil-field service mechanic that a hydraulic fitting on a frac machine was leaking while it was pumping fluids. While the safety supervisor looked on a mechanic tightened the leaking fitting with an impact wrench. This while the pressure in the system hovered around 4,000-PSI.
This incident proved that the only knowledge the site safety supervisor had that tightening a flange while it is under pressure is extremely dangerous is that he or she read it in a book or learned it at a seminar. Ironically, in the three decades, I have been conducting hydraulic safety workshops only one safety supervisor attended the entire workshop.
Over the past three decades, I have done an extensive amount of training in the oil-field. Moreover, I have worked with almost every notable oil-field service company. Whenever I conduct a workshop I begin by asking my students two questions:
- Have you ever received training that focuses on safety with ALL pressurized systems?
- Have you ever attended a course in fundamental hydraulics?
Oil-field safety supervisors and managers should be alarmed with the fact that over 99% of the students say they have never received focused training in pressurized systems. Moreover, over 85% have never received formal training in hydraulics. Ironically, all of the respondents perform service and repair work on pressurized systems.
I conducted my final on-site training workshop for the one oil-field service company that never gives up on hydraulic safety training - Calfrac. I have had the pleasure of conducting Calfrac's hydraulic safety training for eight years. It's obvious that Calfrac's management team takes its safety mission very seriously.
We shipped four of our flagship Model MF102D-TSE hydraulic training simulators and a Model MF200-CAV cavitation training simulator to Calfrac's training centre in San Antonio, Texas.
Here are the student's responses to last week's post-workshop survey:
- By what percentage did the workshop improve your knowledge of hydraulic safety?
The workshop improved 91% of the students' knowledge of hydraulic safety by 100%. Two other students reported improvements of 150% and 900%.
- Based on what you learned from the workshop have you ever put yourself or others in harm's way because of your lack of knowledge about hydraulics.
The answers revealed that 91% of the students had put their lives or the lives of others at risk.
- Based on the knowledge you gained from this workshop have you ever removed hydraulic components that were not defective?
91% of the students revealed they had replaced hydraulic components that were not defective. One student opined that he removed components that were in good working condition 90% of the time.
General Comments-
"I had no clue about working safely with hydraulics prior to the class."
"I will stop the practice of bleeding lines and loosening fittings."
"Will not do the things I did before. Will be safer."
"Instructors passion and expertise in hydraulic safety is phenomenal."
"I learned that I should be more cautious when removing hydraulic lines."
Takeaway-
The aim of my articles is to emphasize the state of safety in the fluid power industry. As you can see from the numerous surveys I have conducted hydraulic safety is sorely lacking in all corners of the industry.
Bear in mind the answers would be no different if I held a workshop in almost any company in America.
Escaping pressurized fluids whether by design (paint gun) or due to a leak in a hydraulic system represent a major hazard that has caused workers to suffer serious and fatal injuries.
I am about to publish a new book titled "Working Safely With Fluids Under Pressure." It is a MUST READ for safety personnel, supervisors, all people that operate machines, which employ fluid power, and especially people that perform service and repair work on fluid power systems. The book is also aimed at people that are at the highest risk of suffering debilitating fluid injection injuries - painters, lubricators/oilers, high-pressure washers, injection moulding, water jets, etc.
On behalf of FPTI, I wish you all a safe and happy Thanksgiving. While being thankful for what we have let's give thought to the families that will have a vacant seat at the Thanksgiving table because a loved one never returned home from work.
Thanks also to all the men and women around the world that keep us safe and well - soldiers, law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMT's, security guards, crossing guards, airport security, nurses and doctors.
