Guaranteed methods to prevent water jet injuries

Water jet blasting is a highly efficient method of surface preparation, blast a variety of surfaces with a high pressure hose and you quickly say goodbye to dirt, grime and foreign objects.

Streams of pressurised water might be good for cleaning surface areas but they can also be dangerous in the wrong hands, industrial washers operate at pressures of 40,000psi and as you can imagine, come into contact with water at this pressure and this could result in a severe injury.

To prevent this, adopt a safe working policy, follow this guideline to stay safe when you are working on site.

Safety first

Before you even attempt to pressure clean a surface area with a jet washer familiarise yourself with the equipment you are using. If you are using a home washer, make sure you read the operating instructions. If you plan to use an industrial washer, training should be provided by your employer.

Are you connected?

Check the hose and the lance on the pressure washer, is everything connected tightly and fully prepared before you turn the washer on?

Think about protection   

Before you start to clean a surface area are you sure you have the right level of protection? All of the following areas need to be addressed before you start to clean –

• Face protection: Wear safety goggles, safety glasses or a safety visor when you are working with a pressure washer. As the water hits the surface area this will cause debris to fly into the air, loose particles could strike your face or end up in your eyes.
• Head protection: Perform any type of cleaning duties on a busy site and head protection is vital, you never know when objects might fall from above.
• Hand protection: Keep your fingers, your palms and the back of your hands covered too. Wear hardy rubber gloves and prevent cuts or grazes from pressure-related incidents.     
• Ear protection: Use pressure washing equipment for prolonged periods of time and care should be taken with ear protection too. Over-exposure to noise causes damage to sensitive ear drums, prevent this from happening with a set of ear defenders.