The Importance of Safety

At Power Product Technologies, we are experts at making hose assemblies all of your needs. While we make your custom hose assemblies one of our biggest priorities is that we do so in a safe manner and provide you, our consumers, with a safe product. Safety for our employees and yours is always in the forefront of our minds when we are creating your custom hose assemblies. 

NAHAD Hose Safety Institute Proper hose assembly management & the importance of visual inspections Edited by Debbie Mitchell, NAHAD Standards Manager

The Association for Hose and Accessories Distribution’s (NAHAD’s) Hose Safety Institute© provides a forum for distributors, manufacturers, suppliers, end users and industry organizations to support and promote hose assembly safety, quality and reliability.

This article represents an ongoing effort to document best practices for ensuring the safety and reliability of hose assembly applications. Many applications have the potential of being “high risk” if not managed properly, with resultant environmental and safety considerations. It is necessary to ensure worker safety and environmental stewardship, in part through the use of a comprehensive hose management policy, one portion of which focuses on in-service considerations. The recommended service life of a hose assembly is dependent on the care it receives, the application it is being used in, the material being transferred, cleaning processes and a thorough inspection program. This article focuses on in-service hose assembly inspection programs and provides guidance for companies wishing to better manage the hose assemblies in their operations.

Recommendations for proper hose use and care: Inspections
A Hose and Fitting Maintenance Program is critical to maintaining a safe functional hose system and will reduce equipment down time and maintain peak operating performance. Hoses should be inspected and pressure-tested in-house or by a third party, prior to placement into service and whenever a defect is suspected. For high risk applications, inspections and pressure testing should be conducted annually, at a minimum. A visual inspection should be conducted prior to each use and at the end of job use. Frequent hose re-testing is also a recommended procedure to ensure the safe continued serviceability of hose assemblies.

The inspection process should include:
• Visual inspection
• Pressure testing
- New hoses and hoses meant for re-certification should be pressure tested at 1.5 times the maximum allowable working pressure, for a minimum of 5 minutes, or in accordance with manufacturer requirements. It is important to note that the maximum allowable working pressure for a hose assembly is dictated by the component of the assembly (hose, fitting, etc.) with the LOWEST pressure rating.
- Hose assemblies should be inspected and tested immediately after the hose is subjected to abnormal abuse. Such abuse can include severe end pull, flattening, crushing or sharp kinking. Any hose that has been recoupled should be proof-tested and inspected before being placed in service.
• Inspection results documentation
- Documentation including date, hose specifications, pressure test results and visual inspection observations should be maintained
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