Safe maintenance of hydraulic systems
(DGUV Information 209-071)
Information
DGUV Deutsche Gesetzliche Unfallversicherung Spitzenverband |
---|
Stand der Vorschrift: Ausgabe Juni 2019
Content | Abschnitt |
---|---|
Disclaimer and Legal notice | |
Preliminary remark | |
Maintenance of machines, systems, and vehicle attachments with hydraulic equipment | 1 |
General | 1.1 |
Qualification of maintenance technicians | 1.2 |
Hazards when working on hydraulic systems | 1.3 |
Electrical hazards | 1.4 |
Planning the works | 1.5 |
Handling hydraulic fluid | 2 |
Skin protection | 2.1 |
Leaking hydraulic fluid | 2.2 |
Searching for leakages | 2.3 |
Replacing the hydraulic fluid | 2.4 |
Troubleshooting | 3 |
Working on hydraulic components | 4 |
General | 4.1 |
Pipelines | 4.2 |
Hose assemblies | 4.3 |
Hydraulic cylinders | 4.4 |
Pumps and hydraulic motors | 4.5 |
Valve blocks | 4.6 |
Accumulator systems | 4.7 |
Filters | 4.8 |
Working on machines and systems | 5 |
General | 5.1 |
Working on machine tools | 5.2 |
Working on hydraulic presses | 5.3 |
Working on hydraulic scissors lifts | 5.4 |
Working on the mobile hydraulic system | 6 |
General | 6.1 |
Working on industrial trucks | 6.2 |
Working on hydraulically driven vehicle attachments and superstructures and vehicle cranes | 6.3 |
Working on earth-moving equipment and other automotive machines | 6.4 |
Working on water vehicles | 6.5 |
Required tests | 7 |
General | 7.1 |
Checking for proper installation and safe function | 7.2 |
Checking for safe provision and use | 7.3 |
Legal bases for the tests | 7.4 |
First Aid | 8 |
Annex 1 | |
A Troubleshooting | |
B Notices on maintenance | |
C Scope of visual inspection | |
D Scope of testing of functional test | |
E Scope of testing of safe provision and use | |
F Involvement of staff members | |
Provisions, Rules and References | Annex 2 |
1. Laws, provisions and technical rules | |
2. Regulations, Rules, and Information for safety and health at work | |
3. Standards | |
4. Other specifications | |
5. References |
Disclaimer and Legal notice
The German Social Accident Insurance "Deutsche Gesetzliche Unfallversicherung" (DGUV) and the Expert Committee Woodworking and Metalworking "Fachbereich Holz und Metall" (FBHM) and the translator make no express or implied warranty with regard to the safe maintenance procedures and rules or efficiency for any particular purpose.
The safe maintenance procedures and rules are made available solely on an "as is good practice" basis, and the entire risk as to their safety, efficiency and to the environmental protection is with the user. Should the safe maintenance procedures or rules prove defective, the user (and not the DGUV or the FBHM or the translator or any other party) shall bear the entire cost of all necessary corrections, repair or all incidental or consequential damages.
The DGUV or the FBHM or the translator shall not be liable for any incidental or consequential damages in connection with or arising out of the use of this safety information on hydraulic maintenance and its rules.
The committee of experts FBHM is composed of representatives of the German institutions for statutory accident insurance and prevention (Berufsgenossenschaften), federal authorities, social partners, manufacturers and users and subdivided into subcommittees.
The DGUV Information 209-071 is based on experience gathered by the FBHM and its subcommittee in the field of hydraulic equipment of machinery and plants. It should help to specify the safe maintenance procedures of hydraulic equipment that are used in machinery and plants, and that are included in the scope of the European Machinery Directive. The particular provisions for different applications (e .g. in the mining industry or similar) have to be considered.
The present document DGUV Information 209-071 "Safe maintenance of hydraulic systems" is the English translation of the German DGUV Information 209-070 "Sicherheit bei der Hydraulik-Instandhaltung", edition Juni 2019, and it replaces the former English edition DGUV Information 209-071 of March 2015. The provisions according to individual national laws and decrees in other countries remain unaffected by this translation of the German information DGUV Information 209-070. The requirements of the individual national legal rules and of manufacturers instructions (including manuals) apply without reservation. In order to get detailed information it is necessary to read the relevant wording of the national rules and instructions.
Preliminary remark
Since 1950, more and more hydraulic components have been produced as modular elements and used in systems or machines to meet widely varying requirements.
The particular advantage of hydraulic systems is their high energy density, i. e. small components can be used to generate high outputs.
At the beginning, hydraulic control elements were exclusively operated manually. In the course of the technical development, the combination with electric or electronic parts has been promoted increasingly. Today, for example, automated production systems consist of numerous linked, complex assemblies.
The possible applications of hydraulic systems are very diverse. They range from the micro area via machine and systems engineering up to the aerospace industry.
In the field of hydraulics energy is transferred via a hydraulic fluid that is used to generate movements or forces. In general mechanical engineering, pressures up to 350 bar and in special cases, e. g. for static forming technology, pressures up to 5,000 bar are used.
This information addresses persons who plan and carry out maintenance work on machines and systems with hydraulic equipment.
As maintenance procedures on machines often require the intervention in areas that are not accessible during normal system operation, this work requires the implementation of special protective measures (see also DGUV Information 209-015 "Instandhaltung - sicher und praxisgerecht durchführen", Maintenace work - safe and practice-oriented execution).
This information mentions descriptions of hazards and measures for preventing them and gives advice for implementing maintenance work on hydraulic equipment in a safe manner. This information provides support for identifying and assessing risks and deriving suitable measures in accordance with German general technical rules for operating safety TRBS 1112 "Instandhaltung" (Maintenance) with regard to the specific hazards in maintaining hydraulics. This information describes measures that must be taken into account when carrying out maintenance work on machines and plants with hydraulic equipment. Apart from the description of planning and carrying out maintenance work, this information also deals with troubleshooting and re-commissioning after repairs were carried out.