Attach-3 Ul-1776 FA527022Q0081 Amend0001.pdf

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UL 1776: What it Means for Contract

Cleaners by Dr. Marlo Dean, Senior Support Services

Manager, Kärcher North America

Product manufacturers, distributors and retailers increasingly find themselves as defendants in cases in which the design, manufacture or marketing of a product is alleged to be defective, in breach of warranty, or in violation of consumer protection acts. As a result, these same companies face dramatic increases in the cost of insuring against such claims, leading many companies to self-insure against such risks to significant levels.

The pressure washing industry is not exempt. Neither is the contract cleaner who has an employee injured by pressure washing equipment.

The best protection against litigation is to prevent problems from arising in the first place.

An injured worker may lead to lawsuits during which the safety of the equipment will likely come into question. One of your best defenses in such a case may be to purchase equipment that has been UL 1776 certified.

What is UL 1776?

For years, electrical appliances and small equipment have carried certification seals as the government’s way of providing consumers with confidence in the safety of manufactured products.

The most popular certification seals were:

• Underwriters Laboratory (UL) in the U.S. and

• Canadian Standards Association (CSA) in Canada.

While the testing of these products was not performed by the government, the test procedures were scrutinized and actually endorsed by federal agencies.

Two very important factors relating to certification have impacted the pressure washer industry:

• Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTL): Include companies like Intertek Testing Services (ETL), UL and CSA, which must be approved by OSHA — the U.S. government’s safety “watch dog” — to certify a wide range of products.

• New Pressure Washer Standards: In 1992 a new set of standards — called UL-1776 — was established addressing the unique safety concerns associated with pressure washer equipment.

Today, consumers and businesses can know they are purchasing a pressure washer built for safety when they see the statement:

“Certified to UL-1776 Standards, Third Edition.”

UL 1776 applies to high pressure water cutting or cleaning products with a fluid pressure greater than 100 psi but no greater than 5000 psi intended for household, farm, commercial and industrial applications. UL 1776 does not cover products that develop steam within a heated vessel or are connected to an external source of steam (boiler).

Pressure washers are not boilers because heat is not generated in a closed vesse.

What are UL 1776 Requirements?

UL 1776 covers a variety of requirements for numerous pressure washer components.

Some of these include:

1. The Motor: must be provided with a thermal overload protector to prevent the temperature of the motor windings from exceeding 257 deg F (125 deg C). (Note that if a motor is already listed, then it does not need testing under this standard.)

2. Gripping Areas: For a portable pressure washing product, the entire surface available for gripping must be made of special insulating material that complies with tests on gripping areas. The tests include:

• Heating for seven hours at a temperature that is 18 deg F (10 deg C) higher than the maximum temperature of the machine rating.

This sample must not show any signs of distortion or change.

• Withstanding temperatures below 31 deg F (35 deg C) for 3 hours, then immediately subjecting to a drop test. This involves dropping a 5-lb ball a vertical distance of 51 inches – twice.

• Type 2 machines (pressures >100 but

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<3200 psi) must have a wand 36 inches from trigger to nozzle.

• Type 3 machines (>3200 psi but <5000 psi) must have a wand four feet from trigger to nozzle.

3. Pressure Relief: is set for 125% over a system rated at 3000 psi and 110 percent for machines over 3000 psi

• Must be accessible for inspection and repair.

• Discharge does not spray operator or any bare live parts.

• Adjustment settings must be locked and not readily accessible.

4. Stability:

A pressure washer is inclined at an angle of 10 degrees for non-fuel fired and 15 degrees for fuel-fired from horizontal. All tanks must be full and include all accessories. If the pressure washer tips over at this angle the test fails.

5. Surface Temperatures:

• Trigger guns, wands and handles should not exceed 100 deg F (60 deg C) during normal use.

• Surfaces subjected to casual contact should not exceed 81 deg F (45 deg C) for metallic surfaces.

• Nonmetallic casual contact is 126 deg F (70 deg C).

• Anything that exceeds these limits must be marked with a “Caution-Hot” sticker.

6. Electrical Systems:

These undergo the most tests, including a leakage current test, dielectric voltage withstand test, flooding test, water spray test, rain test, and over voltage and under voltage test.

Additional safety requirements include:

• Primary and secondary fuse protection.

• All exposed dead metal parts exposed to contact must be reliably connected to a ground.

• A bolted or screwed ground connection must penetrate nonconductive coatings (paint).

• The ground wire must be labeled.

• Power cords will bear the marking “Water Resistant.”

• A portable pressure washer will have a supply cord of 35 feet. Stationary machines must be at least 3 feet but not longer than 4 feet.

• A machine rated 250 volts or less, single phase, will be provided with a GFCI as an integral part of the power supply cord attachment plug. The GFCI must be within 8 inches of the attachment plug.

• A warning label saying “Warning – Extension cords are not to be used” – must be attached to the power supply cord on portable machines six inches from the attachment plug.

7. Warning Labels: A few, but not all, of these requirements include:

• The signal word “CAUTION” or “WARNING” informs the user of a risk of fire, electric shock, or injury to persons.

• “CAUTION - Gun Kicks Back - Hold With Both Hands.”

• “WARNING - Risk Of Explosion - Do Not Spray Flammable Liquids.”

• “CAUTION - To Reduce the Risk of Injury, Read Operating Instructions Carefully Before Using.”

• “WARNING - Risk Of Injection - Do Not Direct Discharge Stream At Persons.”

• “CAUTION - Risk Of Asphyxiation. Use This Product Only In A Well Ventilated Area.”

• “CAUTION - Risk Of Injury. Disconnect Battery Ground Terminal Before Servicing.”

Additionally, label adhesives must withstand a pull test. Label material is also tested with gasoline, diesel, UV light and heat and must pass each of these tests.

There are other tests and rules for UL 1776 certification, but the aforementioned are the most important.

What This Means for You, the End User In some cases, it’s the law. The federal OSHA regulation 1910.399 states that all electrical and other types of equipment used in the workplace must be “listed” by an “approved” testing agency. Failure to comply can result in penalties and removal of all equipment that does not display the certification mark from a NRTL.

If you purchase equipment that is UL 1776 certified, you know that the design has been thoroughly inspected by engineers for safety compliance to our industry’s UL 1776 standard. If an injured employee files a lawsuit, you can honestly claim you’ve taken extra safety precautions by purchasing UL 1776 certified equipment. Because the standard does exist, you will in all likelihood be asked about it in court.

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Secondly, these machines are often more expensive than equipment that has not been certified. Not only does testing cost manufacturers money, they are required to choose components that comply with the standard also. Therefore, they cannot buy cheap parts. However, the price difference is often not significant, especially when compared to potential litigation awards.

Most importantly, you are protecting yourself and your workers by purchasing equipment that adheres to the most stringent safety precautions that the industry has to offer.

Of course, the equipment is still only as safe as the person who operates it. Operators should follow instructions in the operators manual and in warning labels, and always wear proper protective clothing and safety glasses.

Poor maintenance makes companies less competitive than other firms that follow sound maintenance procedures. And many small start-up companies can’t wait to replace weak competitors.

Reactive Maintenance Maintenance still has pitfalls. Here are the three major categories of reactive maintenance mistakes:

1. Maintenance can be incompetent. Some maintenance operations cannot identify problems until failure occurs. Then they do only enough to get equipment back into operation. Because these operations experience frequent, severe breakdowns, they are inherently unsafe.

2. Maintenance may be able to repair properly but unable to identify small problems proactively – handling today’s problems but not next month’s. Such operations may operate safely, but excessive breakdowns, usually severe, continue.

3. Maintenance is highly competent and recognizes the need to be proactive but is so buried in emergency breakdown maintenance that proactivity is impossible.

The above problems result from reactive operations. Reactive maintenance produces a maximum expense and minimum reliability.

Two programs can convert maintenance from reactive to proactive: preventive and predictive maintenance (PPM) and the implementation of planning and scheduling. These two programs – set in place and operated to complement each other

– can reduce uncertainty, maximize reliability, enhance safety, contribute to profits, reduce downtime and ensure competitiveness in the marketplace.

Preventive and Predictive Maintenance Preventive maintenance comprises the applied procedures that physically extend the life of equipment – mainly cleaning and lubrication, but not confined to those activities. Predictive maintenance includes the analytical techniques applied to equipment to forewarn of impending failure.

This knowledge permits repairs during normal nonproductive time, thus maximizing reliability and smooth operations while reducing surprises and downtime. Planned and scheduled work is always more efficient, less costly and more predictable than emergency work. But the biggest benefit of foreknowledge is the elimination or reduction of secondary damage to equipment as a result of the primary failure.

Good maintenance – preventive and predictive, with timely planning and scheduling – is an integral part of the success of any company. Such maintenance lowers repair costs and downtime while extending the life of the equipment.

Bad maintenance, on the other hand, can seriously hurt any company. At its worst, bad maintenance puts lives at risk, from the individuals who use the equipment to the life of the company itself.

Russ Johnson has been in the pressure washing business since 1975 when he worked in equipment maintenance in a rental store. He later worked as a service manager for three different distributors, one in Florida and two in Kentucky. Russ started Southside Equipment in 1998. To learn more, visit his website at www.PressureWasherKY.us

Maintenance...

something to think about.

by Russ Johnson, Southside Equipment, Inc.