Jetting safely off into the sunset
April 1st 2009

The water speed of a waterjet can be potentially hazardous if equipment is not correctly used.Roy Dykes of Jetmasters asks if your employees know what they are doing

Most pressure washers can reach pressures of between 200 and 1000psi.At 1000psi a waterjet can reach a speed of 110mph.When harnessed correctly, the speed can be used to accomplish many tasks including drain cleaning, floor and wall cleaning and graffiti removal – all of which carry a risk of serious injury to the operators and third parties.The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 lays responsibility upon employers to ensure that their undertakings are safe and without risks to health.

Consider what affect the waterjet – possibly hot and containing chemicals – would have by striking the body at 110mph or more. Outer clothing is pierced and clothing fibres entrained in the jet.The skin would also be pierced allowing the waterjet, containing fibres, dirt and bacteria to enter the body at speed.The jet, once inside,would fan out and potentially causing extensive damage such as severing blood vessels, ligaments and bones – even though the wound itself may look insignificant.

Do your operators know how to use this equipment correctly? They may have been shown which buttons to press and which levers to pull but have they been given, by you the employer, a Safe System of Work? Are they aware of all the hazards that they will possibly encounter, and what to do? Have you, their employer, carried out a Risk Assessment with the results recorded? If not you may be in breach of the legislation.

The penalties for breaches of legislation are increasingly draconian with unlimited fines, criminal records and a prison sentence becoming more common.This may be followed by a civil action from the injured parties seeking compensation which in itself may run into tens of thousands of pounds. It is vital that with such potentially lethal equipment users are made aware of all of the hazards, and that they receive the appropriate information and training to enable them to carry out their operations with due regard to the safety of themselves and others.

The Water Jetting Association has recognised the importance of suitably informed and trained operators, managers and supervisors and has issued an HSE approved Code of Practice.This is supplemented with HSE recognised training courses, delivered through accredited providers, by suitably qualified and experienced trainers such as Jetmasters. Please contact the company for details.

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