Just today i realize the dangers in using compressed air

[j.t.]

Today, a freak accident happened while someone was filling a compressed air tank.

The guy was getting a 4500 fill, when all of the sudden we heard a "POP" and turned to see a man on the ground in an enormous amount of pain next to the air fill station.

While he was getting his air fill, the quick disconnect somehow dislodged from the tank and the air line burst off and whipped the poor man in the groin. Let me remind you that this amount of force would be enough to break bones let alone break uhh... other things.

This concerns me about the safety of compressed air fills and makes me wonder what the chances of this happening again are.

(the operator of the fill station was not responsible for this. The quick disconnect was connected properly and it was brand new)

[Gitaroo Man]

this happened with me, it flew right by my head and the fillers too...we ducked which was good but if we hadn't it wouldn't have been pretty

[Shirow]

Yeah, stuff like this makes me glad I use a screw in tank. Steve from Aerostar told me he's getting adjustable screw in tanks next week though - I'm strongly considering picking one up to see what it's like.

[DarkPhoenix]

Was the quick disconnect on the fill nipple or going to the gun? I ask because there are certain safety procedures that people should take to prevent either from happening. If the quick disconnect was off the fill nipple, the person doing the fills should always have one hand on the quick disconnect and the other on the fill valve, this promotes positive control of the line as well as a shut off point should something like this happen. If the quick disconnect was going to the marker, my set-up is like this, always ensure to fill the tank with the on/off in the off position. If you have a screw-in tank and don't have an on/off, remove the tank from the gun, this will also prevent any damage which may occur to the marker due to possible exposure to the higher fill pressures.

[Jerhew]

the person recieving the fill shouldve had one hand on the tank and the other on the line going into it
and the fill station operator shouldve started very slowly so that kind of thing doesnt happen...

[Troy]

They call it a whip for a reason. Always hold on to it when getting a fill.

[Mossman]

Yo - Last time i played with my mag (since I've sold her), in a pinch I used a plastic macro fitting that I recieved somewhere along the line. Anyhow, i gas her up, get ready, paint, pack etc. Get up off bench as not to be late for first game of day. 1 step and POP, MAcro fitting explodes, hose and 1/2 of fitting whip right into my stomach. I couldn't hear from the ringing, and i had no clue what was going on

Macro is bad enough...i dont need to bring plastic into the mix

[Pand0ra]

Talking about safety issues.. Keep your head away from the jauges when you fill a bottle. They could also break.

It happend in the company where my brother works. Now all the jauges are behind a 1cm thick plexiglass window.

@++

[manike]

Originally posted by Troy
They call it a whip for a reason. Always hold on to it when getting a fill.

erm I seriously advise against holding onto the line.

The line itself should be secured down such that if it does come off the gun it can't whip.

If it's not secured, stand on the opposite side to the line and hold the gun such that if the line came off it wouldn't be able to hit you.

Don't hold the line because it's easy to let go and get smacked, also it the line or fittings fail you do not want small shards of brass travelling at high velocities through your hand. You also do not want a high pressure jet or air going into your blood stream and possibly causing a fatal embolism.

manike

[Thordic]

I've been...

-whipped by a loose remote

-smacked in the face by a loose macroline

-bruised by a macroline blowing up in my hand


I've also had the fill hose pop loose, but I hold the line with one hand, gun with the other. When the hose popped loose, it had nowhere to go.

Maybe the weak Brits let go of the hose when it pops loose, but I had no problem holding on

[manike]

Originally posted by Thordic
Maybe the weak Brits let go of the hose when it pops loose, but I had no problem holding on

Actually it's the sue happy/ sue paranoid Americans who brought it into force first at NPPL events...

If you've spoken to a guy first hand who got an embolism from doing just as described, you'd never hold the line again.

manike

[paintball8869]

i've got one tank that is a complete pain in the *EDIT* Do NOT circumvent the cuss filter, it only makes you look silly when we have to edit your post. Army to get onto the fill station at a local field. My friend usually uses the gun but I have to fill it becuase it popped off on him once. I've found that if you make sure the fill nipple is connected properly, and double check it, you should be all set. At the field, the compressor is attached to a 3*3 piece of wood, and the lines are all attached to that piece of wood. There are metal brackets holding the lines down and you can get about 5-6 inches of the line hanging off and that's about it. I put the gun between me and the line and hold onto the line so that it doesn't go flying if anything happens. I've never seen anyone have a problem that follows that procedure.



Manike: What exactly is going to cause the embolism? I had no clue what an embolism was, so i looked it up and basically it blocks the flow of blood. Can the high pressure air do that? or are you talking mainly about metal shavings flying around?

[manike]

A very high pressure air jet can 'inject' a bubble of air into the bloodstream. If that travels to the heart it can kill you. I believe it's even been used as a form of assassination...

One idiot a few years back had a leak on his gun so stuck his finger over it to try and slow the air leak... his finger and wrist swelled up (no joke, not immediately like a balloon but after a short period due to internal injuries from the air stream) and it was very serious for a while.

manike

[fearc7]

i think what manike is talking about is where air gets in the blood stream. When it comes back to your heart, it rejects it and you could have a massive heart attack. It's really bad.

[fanera17]

An air bubble in the blood stream is known medically as an embolism. It's very dangerous medical condition in which a blood vessel is blocked, in this case, by an air bubble. An embolism of an artery can cause coma, paralysis or death depending upon its size of the bubble, and how long you had it.While air embolisms are usually associated with incorrect diving procedures, they are possible with compressed air due to high pressures. The only way to get rid of the bubble is to go through a hyperbaric oxygen chamber (100 percent oxygen delivered in a high-pressure chamber). Hyperbaric chamber treatment reverses the pressure changes that allowed gas bubbles to form, and drives nitrogen back into its liquid form, so that it can be more gradually cleared.