Protect Your Team and Plant

Maintaining plant safety is critical to your operations, especially when you consider that up to 42 percent of safety incidents are due to preventable errors. When it comes to the safety of your fluid system operations, Swagelok has you covered. With hands-on assembly and installation training, assistance with proper product selection, and evaluation,  Swagelok helps your employees operate safely and confidently. It is just one more way we are engineered to perform under pressure.

5 Best Practices for Safer Fluid Systems

	1. Follow the manufacturer's direction. When written instructions get lost, people improvise and problems occur, such as insufficiently tightened tube fittings and check valves installed backwards. To be safe, operators should always be trained in proper installation practices.
	2. Design for safety. A safe fluid system should have built-in provisions for managing leakage across the seat in all components; for managing pressure build-up in the line; and for isolating any segment for maintenance. Proper placement of gauges and rotameters is also important.
	3. Follow standard operating procedures (SOPs). SOPs should identify steps for maintenance, including how to properly de-energize and energize the line. Another good procedure is to have a qualified inspector review the line after service or an installation.
	4. Update specifications as processes run hotter and at higher pressures. Many times, even though the fluid system has changed, components get replaced without an upgrade. Also, know what the manufacturers ratings mean. Do they correlate with actual product performance?
	5. Audit your fluid system for points of disrepair, wear, and damage. Little by little tubing gets dented, gauges get broken or clamps fail. It is important to recognize that these seemingly minor points can significantly compromise safety and should be addressed as soon as possible.

For help with any of these best practices or related training or evaluation, Contact us.