As your leading Gardner Denver distributor and air solutions provider, we nominated March to be Air Compressor Safety Awareness Month. It is our responsibility to make sure your business is aware of potential hazards and safety concerns.
- Shut off the compressor and bleed the pressure from the system before performing any sort of maintenance.
- Inspect your compressed air piping, tanks and hoses periodically to ensure that there are no leaks or potential failure points.
- Ensure that your compressed air piping system has shut off valves near the source in order to reduce pressure quickly in case of equipment failures.
- Do not use air directly from a compressor for breathing purposes unless the system has been specifically designed for such purpose and suitable breathing air filters and regulators are in place.
- Inspect your safety relief valves and ensure that it is correctly sized for the pressure vessel it is installed on
- Never use frayed, damaged or deteriorated hoses. Always store hoses properly and away from heat sources or direct sunlight. A hose failure can cause serious injury. Hose Reels can decrease your chances of injury, as well as help hoses last longer.
- Make sure that all components, including hoses, pipes and fittings, are rated for the maximum pressure of the air compressor.
- If your air compressor doesn’t have an automatic drain, be sure to drain the air receiver regularly so liquid does not build up inside of it.
- Ensure that your air receiver has a pressure gauge and a safety valve that meets the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) standards.
- Make sure all hoses exceeding 1/2 inch ID have a safety device at the source of supply or branch line to reduce the pressure in case of hose failure (per OSHA regulations).
If you have safety concerns, please contact ESA’s service department.
Reference Links
https://www.quincycompressor.com/tips-for-working-safely-with-compressed-air/
https://www.thecompressedairblog.com/general-7-tips-for-safe-use-of-compressed-ai
