Not all materials testing involves high-visibility hazards-in fact, some are very difficult to see.

While transformer oil might not spring to the front of a risk manager's mind as a critical concern, transformer failure can wreak havoc on operations. And testing to diagnose such problems before they get out of hand can prevent costly shutdowns.

Hartford, Conn.-based Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection & Insurance Co.'s TOGA program is designed to focus on this risk. TOGA, which stands for "transformer oil gas analyst," involves the testing of transformer oil to identify potential problems and avert costly equipment breakdowns.

"A good analogy would be blood testing," said Paul Boman, director of the TOGA program, who is based in Hartford.

HSB takes oil samples from transformers and analyzes fluid quality and the gasses present, to make sure the oil is performing its function, Mr. Boman explained.

"When fluid is exposed to elevated temperatures, we can look at those gases and we can identify what might be causing the problem," he said. By using a gas chromatograph, analysts can identify about nine types of gases, include acetylene, whose presence is often associated with a catastrophic failure, said Mr. Boman.

Faults can be precursors to an actual failure, he said, which is "what we try to help our customers out with-to look at this and identify these faults prior to a failure."

HSB also monitors faults to determine whether they are getting worse, he said. "A lot of time it's done with periodic resamples," said Mr. Boman.

"Laboratories give you results-many times they don't give you recommendations. We give recommendations," he said.

"It gives you an indication of where your transformer is in respect to any deterioration of paper or oil or arcing. That determines whether you want to do some kind of preventive maintenance or change the loading on it," said Bob Dellinger, engineering manager for Virginia Tech Electric Service at Virginia Polytechnic Institute in Blacksburg, Va.

"Typically, (testing is) annual unless we see a problem. We had a problem a year ago when lightning caused some damage. We saw a rise in acetylene and brought in a service company to do maintenance. We repaired it, we kept on testing," he said.