Tools using compressed air can be worth their weight in gold. Handled properly, they save a lot of sweating, grunting and possibly swearing. Misused, however, they have been the cause of many injuries and deaths. For example, a number of careless errors led to the tragic death of a supply boat crewman (at a remote worksite) who was hit in the head by an inadequately secured hose. After the hose had been used to transfer chemicals, a sudden release of compressed air shot it onto the boat deck, with fatal results. Other contributing factors included the vent valves in the engine room […]