This just happened to a friends worker , they were changing a idler on a Bobcat excavator that failed with less than 100 hours on it (from Korea) , anyway he took out the grease fitting instead of the bleeder screw on the track adjuster , it shot out and into his thigh2inches from the family jewels , must have hit an artery as he was bleeding so bad and they could stop it , they called the ambulance to take him to the hospital , x ray showed the chunk of steel in his thigh , they gave him antibiotics for three days and he has to go back after 3 days and they decide then if they will try and get it out or leave it in cause it's in a bad spot to try and dig it out , be careful
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The track adjuster of track loaders and excavators are basically a hydraulic cylinder that is extended with grease instead of oil , the fitting that screws into it is a 10,000 psi grease fitting which is easily 2 1/2 the size of and ordinary 1/8 inch grease fitting , it's a big piece of metal , larger than most all bullets that I have seen , the pressure it is under I would guess to be at least 3000 or more , I have seen people get spalatter with the grease and have it pushed under their skin and leave marks for very long time but have never seen this happen before
Another note...this should never have happened...
Perimeter bobcat in Atlanta, the largest and only dealer, lost two mechanics when they were working on the hydraulic system under the seat. They didn't let the safety bar down!, the arms fell crushing both. The other employees didn't notice because the two mechanics were working outside in the yard.
I think about that every time I work on mine, I also have a picture on my garage wall of a guy who climbed under a car and was crushed when his bumper jack failed.
Stop and think before you work guys............
Wow, that's scary.....
Everyone should be aware that the pressures injectors and the hydraulics run at can penetrate the skin and cause massive problems. Make sure you release the pressure before you work on any of these systems. I have heard horror stories of high pressure diesel cutting up a guys arm, at least he managed to keep his arm after many surgeries.
TriHonu
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- Apr 15, 2007
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All high pressure injection injuries (high pressure fluid breaks the skin) are classified as LIFE THREATENING!
You are not just at risk of losing loss of function, but can also lose the limb or your life. You need to make the trip to the emergency room and have the medical folks do their job. I speak from my former lives as an EMT, LPN and Army Combat Medic for 8 years.
As Tazza stated you have pay attention to this equipment and give it the proper respect. For most of us getting injured is not WHETHER it is going to happen... it is WHEN is it going to happen.
The Army used to have us put a glow in the dark sticker on our watch crystal. This was to remind us to "Take time out for Safety!"
