Bringing Coupler Safety to the Masses
JRB conducts onsite seminars to underscore safe coupler use and maintenance.

While excavators dramatically changed the jobsite, and attachments improved the versatility of those machines, the introduction of hydraulic couplers — particularly quick-couplers — effectively brought it all together. With their use, contractors finally had the ability to lay down one tool and easily, effortlessly pick up another, resulting in previously-unseen levels of productivity. Unfortunately, in that push for speed, shortcuts are sometimes taken, guidelines are overlooked and safety suffers as a result.
In fact, since 1998, a number of deaths have occurred from coupler related accidents, all of which have been shown to be the result of negligence or failure to adhere to prescribed safety measures.
To ensure that its customers — indeed, all users of hydraulic couplers — understand and appreciate proper coupler safety procedures, JRB Attachments, Inc. has taken an unprecedented step. The company now offers seminars which cover a broad range of issues related to the safe installation, operation and maintenance of couplers. Conducted at the customer’s facility (or jobsite), the response to these seminars has been overwhelmingly positive — far exceeding the company’s expectations and driving a growing demand for more such seminars in the future.
Ignorance is not Bliss
At first glance, coupler operation seems straightforward enough: lay down the attachment in use, release the coupler, grab the next attachment, engage the coupler and proceed.
Truth is, to avoid improper or unsafe use of a coupler, the process is far more involved.
But, according to Larry Kapper, JRB’s training manager, operators in the field regularly ignore procedures designed to ensure safety.
“Given the OSHA-mandated awareness and push for jobsite safety so prevalent today, it seems hard to believe that accidents and fatalities directly related to improper coupler use have occurred. Each of these unfortunate, tragic occurrences can likely be traced to errors in one of three areas: installation, operation or maintenance. According to OSHA’s investigations, had the proper procedures been followed, none of the accidents that occurred would have happened and those workers would be alive today.”

Kapper adds that, as a company, JRB has always taken the lead in safety, both through its coupler design and in the subsequent education of its customers in safe operation of its products. “Now, we’ve taken that a step further by putting together a comprehensive look at coupler safety and making it available to anyone who uses those tools on a regular basis.”
Widely Accepted
It’s doubtful that JRB personnel involved in setting up these sessions could have predicted how broadly they would be accepted by the industry. Yet today, only 18 months after the first presentation, Kapper and his crew have conducted dozens of seminars throughout the U.S., most of which were so heavily attended they had to span several days.
The JRB-sponsored presentations address coupler safety with both excavators and loaders, and mix equal parts PowerPoint presentation with hands-on experience. Critical — but often overlooked — points such as pre-installation inspection and notation, hydraulic kit identification, coupler inspection, lubrication procedures, and more are covered. Even though Kappers and his crew bring a full compliment of equipment into the classroom, instruction occasionally takes to the field as was recently proven during a New Jersey visit. “After doing a series of seminars for an area dealer, they called back and said they had an important customer who wanted to see our presentation but couldn’t shut down the job they were working at the time. So we went to their jobsite and held our class from 4:00 to 8:30 p.m. We had a total of 42 students for that one, including equipment operators, maintenance personnel and supervisors. For us, it’s all about getting the message out.”
Inside the Classroom
According to Kapper, while the subject matter covered in each class is fairly uniform, every seminar is unique, a byproduct of the exchange between the instructors and those in attendance.
“We do schools for construction firms, for union halls, for operating engineers’ schools, for dealerships and so on, and encourage an open forum. But we are constantly amazed with the questions that are posed during the class — questions that can range from proper plumbing techniques and pressures, to whether it’s okay to buy hoses for a high pressure unit at an auto parts store (the answer is a definite no)
They will often ask if it’s okay to mix hydraulic kit parts, that is, if one manufacturer’s kit parts can be used with another manufacturer’s coupler, and again the answer is no. It’s important to note that, even though JRB is sponsoring the classes, we in no way promote our brand over anyone else’s. We are strictly concerned about driving home the point that, when it comes to coupler use, safety is key.” Kapper adds that even an end-user’s bad practices can be instructional. “If someone in a class tells us that an accident occurred on their jobsite and a coupler was involved, we ask for details on the accident: what occurred, why did it occur, and how it could have been prevented. We firmly believe that once you identify the problem, you can prevent it in the future.”
Committed to Safety
According to Kappers, the coupler safety seminars have drawn rave reviews from throughout the industry but have also elicited praise from some surprising attendees.
“We’ve had representatives from OSHA attend some of our classes and the feedback from them was very positive,” he says. “They feel what we are doing is beneficial and they see at the same time that we are underscoring the value of what they as an organization are trying to do, which is enhance workplace safety. Today’s contractors are increasingly being asked to do more in shorter time frames. Fatique, from working long days over a prolonged period of time, often leads workers to overlook important safety measures — a recipe for disaster. We want people to come away from these sessions understanding the benefits of coupler safety as well as the implications that ignoring these points can have. It may sound cliché, but if our efforts to educate can stop one incident from happening, we will have done our jobs. JRB has always felt very strongly about safety and these seminars are the proof of that commitment.”