The Fordson Tractor Pages Forum

This happened locally a few days ago!

Worker killed by hydraulic hose
A worker on a farm was killed when he was struck in the face by a hydraulic hose, an inquest has been told.

Robert Henderson, 49, of South Road, Beccles, Suffolk, was trying to transfer oxygen from one cylinder to another at a farm in Stockton, Norfolk.

The inquest at Norwich heard that Mr Henderson was using a mini-welding or cutting set and a joint separated under pressure and struck him in the face.

The inquest was adjourned to a future date to be fixed.

The case is being investigated by the Health and Safety Executive.

Hi Brian,

I am not surprised that the hose blew. Oxygen is stored at very high pressure and will blow most hydraulic hoses to pieces, not to mention the risk of spontaneous combustion of any oil in the line. When welding you always have a pressure regulator bolted directly to the cylinder which makes things safe. Sounds to me like somebody trying to siphon off some oxygen that he was not entitled to, otherwise you would just change cylinders.

Regards, Frank.

P.S. Never use your oxy torch to blow dirt out of your motor bike plug holes either. The resulting explosion will send bits of bike all over your garage. (No it wasn't me.) Fortunately the person that did this lived to tell the tale. Gas welding equipment is very dangerous and can cause huge damage. Always follow safety procedures and work in a well ventilated area.

Pure oxygen is both a poison and a most dangerous substance, as it will violently ignite materials and objects which would not normally be flammable. And the higher the pressure of the gas, the more the dangerous characteristics come to the foreground.

Never underestimate oxygen.
Never underestimate ANY substance that is pressurized.

I'll bet there was oil in the hose, and it exploded, or the threads on the hose weren't the same as the ones on the tank, and it blew off. A full oxygen tank has 2000-2500 psi. A good hydraulic hose should be rated for at least twice that much.