The Office of Safety and Mission Assurance’s (OSMA) Ground-Based Pressure Systems Working Group (GBPSWG) recently completed an update to the agencywide SATERN training course SMA-HQ-WBT-229, Flexible Hose Operations Safety.
The update to the training involved systems engineers and safety professionals from multiple NASA centers.
This course revision accomplishes several agency goals, which include aligning the course content with current NASA standards and Voluntary Consensus Standards; making the course fully web-based and interactive; and bringing the course into compliance with the American National Standards Institute and International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training standard for learners to earn Continuing Education Units.
While most, if not all, Ground-Based Pressure Systems personnel will eventually be exposed to hazardous liquid and gas systems at NASA centers, this course is designed for those who work directly with flexible hoses that are pressurized or under vacuum.
This includes safety professionals, engineers, supervisors, technicians and system operators.
Hazardous liquid and gas systems commonly use flexible hoses to connect various system parts to each other and to other system interfaces. These systems are normally present in laboratories, test cells and stands, industrial areas, launch pads, and occasionally, in office environments.
The course is intended to help workers develop a mindset of continuously evaluating potential hazards to themselves, others and equipment when working around pressurized flexible hoses. While the course defines the role of the Pressure Systems manager concerning flexible hose installation and use, its primary goal is to educate the student on recognizing and evaluating potential hazards and safety issues associated with pressurized flexible hoses. The course has four main sections:
1. Basics of Flexible Hoses: Identifies typical flexible hoses and their appropriate use.
2. Design and Safety Concepts: Identifies appropriate design standards and safety concepts to consider when selecting a hose.
3) Installation and Inspection: Presents correct and incorrect installation and inspection requirements and techniques.
4) Operations Safety: Covers common and unique aspects of various flexible hose operating conditions and scenarios.
Upon course completion, the student will know the typical uses of flexible hoses, who to contact with questions about hose installation and use, the basic types of hoses, and how to identify and evaluate potential safety issues.
"I identify safety as not only the first step, but each step’s constant companion. Updating this flexible hose training course keeps safety in the forefront,” said Clifton Arnold, Pressure Systems program executive.
“The GBPSWG joint effort provided more current data to the NASA Safety Center, who expertly created this final product.”
For more information, contact Arnold.