Rancho Mesa's Alyssa Burley and Account Executive Rory Anderson discuss hydraulics safety.

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Director/Producer/Host: Alyssa Burley

Guest: Rory Anderson

Editor: Lauren Stumpf

Music: "Home" by JHS Pedals, “News Room News” by Spence

Transcript

[Introduction Music]

Alyssa Burley: Hi, this is Alyssa Burley with Rancho Mesa’s Media Communications and Client Services Department. Thank you for listening to today’s top Rancho Mesa news brought to you by our Safety and Risk Management Network, StudioOne™.

Welcome back everyone. My guest today is Rory Anderson, Account Executive with Rancho Mesa. He specializes in commercial insurance for the tree care industry. And today, we’re going to talk about hydraulics safety. Rory, welcome to the show.

Rory Anderson: Hey, Alyssa. Yeah, thanks for having me back. It's good to be here.

AB: Now, you work specifically with tree care professionals, and hydraulics safety is something that is important in the tree care industry.

And for those who are listening that may not be too familiar with hydraulics, will you talk a little bit about why hydraulic fluid can be dangerous to workers?

RA: Yeah of course, absolutely. Tree care companies regularly work with equipment that utilizes hydraulics, so, Ariel lifts, stump grinders, and chippers just to name a few pieces of equipment. And yeah, injuries from hydraulic fluid leaks are very serious. They can result in amputation, and that’s not an exaggeration that, that can happen.

These injuries occur when hydraulic fluid is lost through a small hole and comes in contact with the skin of a worker. And so, at first the injury can look mild, like a small puncture wound but yeah, the truth is that they’re anything but minor.

Hydraulic fluids are, are toxic and can act as a poison to the body. In almost all cases, treatment would include surgery, and is immediately required to save the worker’s limb.
AB: Rory, that sounds extremely serious for workers that use hydraulic equipment.

What can employers do to ensure that their employees are trained on how to be safe around this, this type pf equipment?

RA: You’re right, employers should ensure their crews are properly trained on this topic and these trainings should include an overview and description of which equipment utilizes hydraulics so that they are familiar with that. The trainings should also include proper techniques to check for leaks and how to handle leaks, how to handle injuries, and the training should also include regular maintenance and upkeep on hydraulic hoses and the appropriate time to replace hydraulic hoses.
AB: Those are all essential topics to cover in employee training. You know, our Risk Management Center has a hydraulic safety training short that’s available for download for those who currently don’t have training materials to use.

RA: Perfect. Yeah, and if you’re a listener out there make sure hydraulics safety is on your list of rotating topics that are regularly discussed with your crews at safety meetings, it’s, it’s very important.

AB: Rory, if listeners have questions about hydraulics safety or their insurance, what's the best way to get in touch with you?

RA: Yeah, give me a call, I can be reached at (619) 486-6437 or you can shoot me an email at randerson@ranchomesa.com.

[Closing Music]

AB: Rory, thank you for joining me in StudioOne™.

RA: My pleasure, thanks Alyssa

AB: This is Alyssa Burley with Rancho Mesa. Thanks for tuning in to our latest episode produced by StudioOne™. For more information visit us at ranchomesa.com and subscribe to our weekly newsletter.