Safety Precautions and Operating Rules in Compressors
4 January 2024, Thursday
We will convey the points to be considered under the compressor safety precautions heading. The compressor will not cause an occupational hazard if the safety precautions are observed and implemented.
What are Compressor Safety Precautions?
While explaining compressor safety precautions; we will refer to the compressor occupational safety regulations and compressor room safety rules. Compressors must have a safety system that will ensure automatic stopping when the set pressure is reached. In cases where the automatic stop action does not take place, there should be a safety valve to help release the compressed air.
The presence of a safety valve is also included in the compressor occupational safety regulation. According to compressor room safety rules, compressors should always be kept in environments where fresh air is available, and they should not be allowed to come into contact with explosive, toxic, harmful gases, smoke and dust. There should be filters separating moisture and lubricant between the compressors and air tanks and these should not be removed under any circumstances.
According to the compressor occupational safety regulation, in cases where there is a stop valve on the outlet pipe, a safety valve must be placed between this valve and the compressor. In addition, emergency stop buttons should be provided to ensure that compressors can be blocked remotely in the event of a sudden emergency. The lubricants to be preferred in compressors should be unique, dedicated lubricants. According to the compressor occupational safety regulation, compressors should be checked regularly once a year with the participation of a mechanical engineer and a certificate of conformity should be obtained in order to ensure the safe operation of the compressors.
What are the Safe Operating Areas of Compressors and Precautions to be Taken?
The compressor in inappropriate conditions should not be activated. The storages of stationary compressors should be placed in an explosion-proof partition, and mobile compressors should be located in a resistant area at least 10 metres away from the workers. The compressor room must have signs indicating the manufacturer's name, date of manufacture, maximum operating pressure, type and quantity of gas compressed by the compressor. These signs are necessary to comply with safety rules. According to the compressor occupational safety regulation, there should be a safety valve on the top of the air tanks and the necessary precautions should be taken against the gases emerging from these valves. According to the compressor room safety rules, the pressure test of the compressors should be carried out with 1.5 times the highest allowable pressure.
In addition, compressor manometers must always be in working condition, and defective manometers must be replaced with new ones immediately. The most common problem in the use of compressors arises with the use by people who are not familiar with them. As part of compressor safety precautions, non-experts should be kept away from the compressor and should not be allowed to touch it. One of the most common mistakes made by those who are not familiar with them and even those who do know is to use the compressor for cleaning work clothes at the end of work with compressed air. This may lead to occupational accidents. Staple guns connected to compressed air should never be pointed at another person or must never be made the subject of a joke.
