The Remote Grease Pressure Release System is an innovative piece of tech from Australian Diversified Engineering (ADE) that helps prevent high-pressure injection injuries for workers on mine sites.
In January 2013 an operator working for Australian mining company Downer sustained a serious eye injury while greasing the blade assembly on a dozer. The grease line had become blocked, causing the grease gun to become stuck on the grease nipple. As he wriggled the line to try and break the gun free, the nipple sheared off and grease shot up under extreme pressure, knocking off his safety glasses and hard hat, striking him near the right eye. The injury required emergency medical attention.
Downer saw the incident as a major risk for the company, and as a result commissioned Australian Diversified Engineering to research and create a solution to the problem that eliminated the hazard without adding any extra steps to the greasing task.
ADE then undertook research into all aspects of the task including understanding the physical actions of the workers, the existing safety controls and the greasing hardware. ADE’s research found that standard safety gear was not sufficient to protect from this type of event. ADE also found that the standard process of removing the hose from a grease nipple when blocked was intrinsically flawed and dangerous.
“ADE undertook a thorough research of the protective equipment currently in use and found it to be inadequate offering very little protection to service persons,” ADE sales manager Eric Tomicek says.
“Not only is this a big risk for service persons, but also highlighted a massive risk for mining companies who need to provide safety for their staff.”
The solution ADE came up with focuses on eliminating the hazard rather than simply providing protection for workers. The Remote Grease Pressure Release system uses a garage door style remote to release pressure from the hose safely from a distance before the grease gun is removed.
ADE says the system’s design means it can be retrofitted to existing systems and is compatible with most industry standard components.