Draeger-Normalair Jammed Tap
Incident Date
1977-06-05
Incident Description
1977 - A trainee found that hie bottle tap had jammed solid in the off position. Later when stripped it was found that the spindle head had broken up. This is an exaggerated example of the commonest fault of the Draeger-Normalair tap. When turned off too hard the nylon washer on the spindle head is forced into its brass setting which cracks up leading to a downstream leak.
Lessons Learned
Bottles should never be turned off too hard. If they develop a downstream leak the spindle heads needs renewing.
| Factors |
|
| Line Management |
Negligible |
| Gas Management |
Negligible |
| Equipment Management |
Minor |
| Equipment Failure |
Major |
| Training |
Minor |
| Medical |
Negligible |
| Planning |
Negligible |
| Procedural Error |
Negligible |
| Cave Environment |
Negligible |
| Weather |
Negligible |
| Other Factor |
Unknown |
