Recently a 38-year-old man died when a hydraulic cylinder he was heating with an oxy acetylene torch exploded. The employee was heating a sealed hydraulic cylinder to remove a seized clevis pin at the bottom of the cylinder. Heat from the oxy acetylene torch may have overheated the residual hydraulic oil/vapours in the cylinder, which was partially emptied, causing a build-up of pressure resulting in the piston ram being ejected through the top of the cylinder smashing the bolted end cap, inflicting fatal injury.
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