During their service life, industrial hose lines are exposed to continuous stresses such as operating pressure, operating temperature, violent movements and external and chemical influences from the medium. This can quickly lead to wear or even expensive and dangerous failures.
In common practice, hose lines are continuously checked by visual inspections by personnel. However, these visual inspections only provide a very superficial and inaccurate picture of the actual condition, warns the VTH Verband Technischer Handel e.V. The quality of the hose assembly itself, the connection with the fittings and the hose core is difficult to determine visually. Only a strength test with the prescribed test pressure, a conductivity test and an expert assessment can ensure that the hose assembly can continue to be operated safely.
Legally required - operationally overloaded?
Regular inspections of the operational capability of industrial hose assemblies are required by law in accordance with the German Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health (BetrSichV), as chemical, steam and metal hose assemblies are work equipment that is exposed to damage-causing influences and can lead to hazards for employees. They must be inspected periodically by a so-called qualified person, whose requirements for professional training, recent professional activity and professional experience are described in the technical rule of the same name for the Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health (TRBS 1203).
According to BetrSichV, the type, scope and intervals of the periodic inspection must be determined by the employer based on the individual operating conditions and the risk assessment. The specifications made must be documented in writing as occupational safety measures, the results of the inspection must be recorded and kept at least until the next inspection.
Specialist retailers offer all-round protection
Small and medium-sized companies in particular often lack the expertise to carry out comprehensive inspections. The testing service provided by the VTH hose experts can be a great help for them in particular. Thanks to their qualified specialists and their in-depth knowledge of market requirements, they are able to find the optimum solution for every hose and its application. Using modern test vehicles, they carry out the repeat tests directly on site and manage the technical data obtained as part of a hose line management system. The technical dealer assigns each tested hose line its own number (optionally as a QR code), which is permanently attached to the line. All master and most recently collected test data can then be retrieved via this line number. Once the test has been completed, the customer company receives a test certificate for each hose line and an overview of all listed lines.
VTH standard guarantees high qualification
Qualified technical dealers have a VTH registration number as a certified specialist company for hose and fitting technology. Their inspection personnel have an additional qualification as "Certified specialist consultants for hose and fitting technology". Companies certified in accordance with the VTH standard can carry out all initial and follow-up inspections of hose lines that are not the responsibility of an officially assigned inspection body.
Meet inspection deadlines with SAT stickers
In order to quickly and easily identify the deadlines for the next inspections, Technischer Handel has introduced a color-coded identification system to the market in the form of the SAT inspection sticker, which also identifies qualified specialist companies for hose and fitting technology. Operators of a hose line with the SAT test badge can be sure that they have the highest technical and safety standards. The specific color coding with time information allows employees to recognize immediately when the recurring inspection is due. The SAT test badge may only be awarded to those technical distributors who have registered their acceptance test certificates in accordance with the DIN EN 10204 standard for the testing of hose assemblies after manufacture and their test certificates in accordance with TRBS 1201 for the periodic testing of hose assemblies with the VTH trade association.
Rolf Effenberger from the board of the VTH specialist group "Hose and fitting technology" (Rala, Ludwigshafen) summarizes the advantages: "Certified specialist companies for hose and fitting technology are able to carry out complete inspections and tests. The lines are then only out of operation for a short time, which can be scheduled into the production process without losses."
