You are performing a daily pre-operational inspection on a wheel loader at a BC worksite. You notice a persistent drip of hydraulic fluid from one of the boom cylinders, estimating a loss of about 50 ml per hour. According to WSBC OHSR Section 13.5 and good practice, what action should you take?

Question: You are performing a daily pre-operational inspection on a wheel loader at a BC worksite. You notice a persistent drip of hydraulic fluid from one of the boom cylinders, estimating a loss of about 50 ml per hour. According to WSBC OHSR Section 13.5 and good practice, what action should you take?

Answer options:

• Continue operations for the shift, but monitor the hydraulic reservoir level closely and top up as needed.
• Clean the area thoroughly, document the leak, and operate only for non-critical tasks until it can be assessed at the end of the day. ✅ Immediately red tag the equipment and report the defect to your supervisor, as this indicates a potential system failure.
• Tighten the hydraulic fitting with a wrench to stop the leak yourself, then record the action in the logbook.

Correct answer: Immediately red tag the equipment and report the defect to your supervisor, as this indicates a potential system failure.

Explanation: WSBC Occupational Health and Safety Regulation Section 13.5 (Maintenance, inspection, and repair) requires that equipment with defects affecting safety be immediately removed from service. A persistent hydraulic leak, even if seemingly minor, indicates a system compromise that could lead to component failure, loss of control, or environmental contamination, thus making the equipment unsafe for operation.