With heavy equipment, the most potent threat comes from high pressure hydraulic leaks. A tiny break or pin hole in a hydraulic line or a failure of a fitting can release hydraulic fluid in an almost invisible stream at over 200 bar (3,000 psi). If technicians or operators are searching for a leak with their hands or investigating some unrelated problem, they might feel a sting similar to an insect bite or a sharp wire cut and not consider it serious at first.

 The fluid itself can cause serious damage to tissue depending on the type, but just the pressure alone can rapidly cause swelling of enclosed compartments within the limb leading to painful damage to tendons, arteries, nerves and muscles.

The wound may not even appear that severe – just a cut or red mark like an insect bite. Mechanics get bumps and scrapes on their hands all the time, after all, and wasps can nest in machinery that lives in the woods. However, within a few hours, the injury will cause excruciating pain and require immediate and specialized surgery. The longer emergency treatment is delayed, the higher the risk of permanent injuries such as losing fingers, the whole hand or even death.

A technician checking for hydraulic leaks using a sheet of cardboard.

What happens is that high pressure fluid is injected deep under the skin into the blood stream, muscles and tendons. The fluid itself can cause serious damage to tissue depending on the type, but just the pressure alone can rapidly cause swelling of enclosed compartments within the limb leading to painful damage to tendons, arteries, nerves and muscles. Hydraulic fluid or fuel entering the bloodstream can quickly result in death since the human body has no defence against it. If that weren’t serious enough, bacteria can be driven deeply into the wound causing dangerous infections. Only specialized surgery performed very soon after the injury prevents permanent disability.

Anyone working around hydraulic machines needs to be aware of the following precautions:

• Always wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as safety glasses and gloves, but be aware that high pressure fluid can penetrate even heavy welding gloves.
• Never assume a machine’s hydraulic system is depressurized just because the machine is turned off. Lines or accumulators can hold residual pressure for weeks or even months with the engine turned off. Consult the operator’s manual for the specific depressurization procedure for the machine. Remember, however, that there is no definitive way to tell if a system is fully depressurized so always be cautious.
• Never use your hand – even wearing a heavy glove – to grab a hydraulic line or search for leaks. Always place the far end of a long object such as a piece of cardboard, wood or steel in the suspected path of any fluid stream to localize a leak.

Besides training technicians and operators, companies and dealers working with heavy equipment should put plans in place for dealing with injection injuries. Local medical facilities should be alerted that they may see these kinds of injuries (which require specialist treatment) and there should be evacuation plans in place for crews working in remote locations. Make sure the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for any fluids in use (hydraulic fluid, fuel, paint and so on) are readily available and provided to emergency personnel. If an incident does occur, injured workers must be transported to hospital as quickly as possible since time is of the essence. Surgery must be immediate to relieve pressure and remove injectate from the wound. Both victims and emergency room personnel can sometimes be reluctant to proceed to this step because the outside appearance of the wound can seem very minor, but it is essential that these kinds of injuries be treated as immediate surgical emergencies.

While this article has focused on the dangers of hydraulic fluid injuries, it is also important to remember that injection injuries can happen with any substance under as little as 7 bar (100 psi) pressure – even water or air. Many common maintenance shop activities such as pressure washing, painting, clearing debris with compressed air and use of a high pressure grease gun can also result in injection injuries.

Always wear the proper protective equipment for the job and take responsibility for your safety and the safety of your coworkers. Beware of the bite!

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Engine exhaust temperature often exceeds 425ºC (800ºF). Remember Fahrenheit 451, the dystopian Ray Bradbury novel? Well, like banned books, forest debris will ignite and burn at temperatures of 200-260ºC (400- 500ºF). Consequently, if forest debris makes contact with high temperature engine exhaust components like the manifold, turbocharger or muffler, then the risk of a machine fire is greatly increased.

Once a wood debris fire ignites inside the machine enclosure, many other flammable materials on the machine could interact, rapidly turning a small, localized fire into a raging machine inferno.

These other materials include:

• rubber and plastic hoses
• electrical wiring insulation
• engine oil
• hydraulic oil
• diesel fuel
• engine anti-freeze

The prevention of a logging equipment fire is an ongoing effort. Cleaning, washing and removal of accumulations of forest debris within the machine are important responsibilities and tasks to be completed frequently.

Equally important is the ongoing inspection and maintenance of engine exhaust system components to ensure that all exhaust gases exit the machine only from the exhaust pipe after the muffler. If exhaust leakage occurs anywhere inside the engine compartment, all of the above components and materials are exposed to the high temperature gases. At best, this leads to premature component failure. At worst, it significantly increases the risk of machine fire.

Examination of all engine exhaust components for leaks must be conducted frequently. Always thoroughly inspect for:

• cracked manifolds
• loose or missing bolts
• loose clamps
• leaking gaskets
• loose or missing debris guards and shields
• broken mounting brackets
• rusted or cracked pipes and mufflers

This inspection work should be incorporated into morning warm-up procedures, daily lubrication and maintenance schedules or end-of- shift cool-down checks.

Be proactive

If any exhaust system components appear to be nearing the end of their useful service life, repair or replace the parts before they fail. If an exhaust leak is found, the machine must be shut down immediately and not put back to work until the necessary repairs have been completed.

Listen

A change or increase in the engine exhaust noise level is usually a sign of an exhaust leak. This audible warning cannot be ignored; immediate action is required.

Planned downtime

As machine operating hours accumulate, major service work or engine replacement may be undertaken. Use these opportunities to conduct a thorough examination of the complete engine exhaust system, replacing any marginal components. Machine fires are expensive – more expensive than the time it takes to clean out the machine and inspect the exhaust system on a daily basis and far more expensive than replacement parts.

Machine fires are also largely preventable. So think ahead, be proactive and avoid the long list of associated financial, human and environmental costs. For more information, refer to the Fire Prevention pages in Section 1 of any current Mackolines Machines & Hire Operator’s Manual.

Machine design to reduce fire risk

Mackolines Machines & Hire designers plan machine layouts with fire safety in mind. Compartmentalization separates the cooling system, engine, and hydraulic components. This reduces the risk of hydraulic oil coming into contact with hot engine and exhaust components in the event of a hydraulic system leak.

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The thickness of the material used in a particular cab window is determined by a number of factors including the size of the window opening, the proximity to a safety hazard, the type and severity of the hazard and the requirements of applicable safety standards such as Falling Object Protection (FOPS) or Operator Protection (OPS). Polycarbonate windows used in Mackolines Machines & Hire operator’s cabs range in thickness from 9-32 mm (0.375-1.25 in). Properly designed and installed, polycarbonate windows do not require external steel mesh safety guards. This results in enhanced operator visibility.

Polycarbonate manufacturers provide very detailed procedures for suppliers to follow when cutting the material into the required window shapes. A high quality of workmanship s necessary to avoid scratches, nicks or notches both on the window edge and surface. Small defects can lead to cracking in the polycarbonate if the window is highly stressed during impact.

The manufacturers of polycarbonate material also provide guidance in the proper mounting of the windows to the cab structure. Each polycarbonate window in a Mackolines Machines & Hire machine is fully supported around the edges by smooth, flat surfaces. The window is cushioned with rubber edge moldings and secured along all sides with bolted steel retaining strips. Careful design and quality control of the manufacture and installation of polycarbonate windows ensures good, long term performance in forestry and logging applications.

Polycarbonate material is expected to resist heavy impact from large branches and falling tree tops and to absorb high levels of energy when contacted by high velocity thrown objects such as wood chips, disc saw blade teeth or broken harvester head saw chain. The outer surfaces of Mackolines Machines & Hire polycarbonate cab windows are specially treated with a hard coating to provide enhanced resistance to abrasion and ultra-violet (UV) radiation. The extreme operating environment seen in logging applications heightens the need to regularly inspect and properly maintain polycarbonate cab windows as an essential piece of operator protective equipment.

Inspection and Maintenance

Daily inspection and maintenance is essential to confirm that the window’s ability to protect the operator has not been compromised.

• Inspect all windows daily and immediately after any impacts.
• Check for any damage to the window material or steel structure in the area of the window mounting.
• The edges of the polycarbonate window must be evenly and fully supported on a flat surface around the entire window opening at all times. Bent or dented skylight structures must be replaced immediately. Bent or dented cab structures must be evaluated immediately for possible repair or replacement.

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