A worker was struck on the head by a compressed air hose which blew off its fitting on a piece of equipment. He received serious head injuries which proved fatal. The air hose was held by a hose clamp on the fitting with no keeper or restraining chain or sling to prevent the hose from thrashing around.
CAUSE
The primary cause of this accident was the failure to secure the hose and hose clamp by means of keeper or sling and chain respectively.
COMMENTS AND PREVENTATIVE ACTION
Although routine tasks don’t require a formal written JSA, the destructive potential of “unrestrained” compressed air hoses should be highlighted to all personnel and be included in toolbox talks and safety training.
Restraining devices such as keepers, chains, slings, proprietary special couplings and whip-checks should be installed on all diameter or high pressure compressed air hoses to prevent them thrashing about in the event of a hose or coupling failure.
Regular inspections of all compressed air powered equipment, including hoses, should be carried out to assess the integrity of the couplings, clamps, keepers and hoses and corrective action taken where necessary.
Anti-Whip System Update
