Safety during welding

Violation of safety during welding operations often leads to the most tragic consequences – fires, explosions and as a consequence of injury or death.

Just when welding, the following injury – electric shock, burns from the slag and metal droplets, a mechanical injury.

To prevent all of these provisions, it is important to comply strictly with precautions.
1. Reliable insulation all wires connected to power source and the arc current, the device comprising a geometrically closed devices, grounding enclosure welders. Grounding subject: housing power supplies, hardware box, auxiliary electrical equipment. Section of earthing conductors shall be not less than 25 mm2.

Connecting, disconnecting and repair welding equipment is engaged only duty electrician. Welders do not perform these activities.

2. Application in power supplies high-voltage circuit breakers, which at the time of idling tear welding circuit and served on the holder of 12 V.

3. Reliable device electrode with good insulation, which ensures that no accidental contact with live parts of the electrode to be welded or hands welder (GOST 14651-69). The electrode should have a high mechanical strength and can withstand at least 8,000 electrodes clamps.

4. Employment in proper clothing, gloves and mittens dry. When working in tight compartments and enclosed spaces necessarily the use of rubber galoshes and rugs, lighting sources with a voltage of up to 6.12 V.

5. When working on a cathode-ray installations preventing danger of hard X-rays (almost complete) absorption of harmful radiation associated with the burning of the arc. A particular danger in the sense of eye damage is light ray lasers (lasers) as even reflected laser beams can cause severe damage to eyes and skin. Therefore, lasers have automatic devices to prevent such destruction, but subject to strict compliance of production operators manual welder working at these facilities.

Protective glasses, plates and inserted into the mask, plain glass outside close to protect them from molten metal splashes. Shields made of insulating metal – fiber, plywood and in shape and size, they must fully protect the face and head welder (GOST 1361-69).

To loosen the sharp contrast between the brightness of the arc and the low brightness dark walls (cab) they shall be painted in bright colors (gray, blue, yellow) with the addition of zinc oxide paint to reduce the reflection of ultraviolet rays of the arc incident on the wall.

 

When working outside the cabin for protection of the surrounding working welders and auxiliary workers should apply portable billboards and screens.

Preventing the risk of injury splashes of molten metal and slag. Produced by arc welding spatters have temperatures up to 1800 deg. C. at which the clothing of any tissue is destroyed. To protect against such sprays are usually used clothing (pants, jacket and gloves) from a special fabric or canvas. Jackets at work should not reduce a pants and shoes should have a smooth top to spatters getting inside clothing, as in this case, severe burns.

To protect from contact with damp, cold ground and snow and the cold metal outdoor applications and indoor welders must provide warmth cushions, mats, Spares and armrests of fireproof materials with elastic layer.

Prevention of poisoning harmful gases and aerosols produced during welding. The high temperature of the arc (6000 – 8000 ° C), inevitably leads to the fact that part of the welding wire coatings, fluxes enters into the vaporous state. These couples, escaping into the atmosphere department, condense and turn into condensation aerosol particles on which the dispersion approach smokes and easily fall into the respiratory system of welders. These aerosols are a major occupational hazard labor welders. The amount of dust in the breathing zone of the welder is mainly dependent on the welding method and the materials to be welded, but to a certain extent determined by the type and construction. The chemical composition of dust depends on electrofusion welding methods and types of fixed and welding materials.

There are strict requirements for ventilation during welding. To capture the welding fumes at fixed stations, and, where possible, and transient local pumps must be installed in a fume hood vertical or inclined panel uniform suction table with suction-grid, etc. When welding large structures on production jigs, manipulators, and so n . local pumps must be installed directly into these devices. With automatic submerged arc welding, gas shielded, electroslag welding device used with local vented.

When using compressed gas cylinders must comply with established safety precautions: do not throw bottles, do not install them near a heater, not to mix oxygen cylinders and flammable gases, cylinders stored upright. At freezing moisture in the gearbox CO2 cylinder to warm it only through a special electric heater  rags soaked in hot water. It is strictly forbidden to warm any compressed gas cylinders open flame, as it almost inevitably leads to an explosion of the cylinder.

During welding works on vessels previously used, requires clarification of the type of stored product and any of its residues. Required a thorough cleaning of the vessel from residual products and 2-3-fold washing with a 10% solution of alkali, also required subsequent purging with compressed air to remove the odor, which can be deleterious to the welder.

It is strictly forbidden to blow oxygen tank, try to do that sometimes, as in this case oxygen ingress on clothes and skin welder for any open sources of fire causes intense fire clothing and leads to fatal burns.

Explosion hazard exists when working in areas with large amounts of dust organic matter (food flour, peat, coal). This dust at a certain concentration can produce explosions of great strength. In addition to thorough ventilation for welding work in such areas require a special permit fire protection.

Fire Prevention of molten metal and slag. Risk of fire for this reason exists in cases where welding is performed on metal, wood or combustible closing Insulation materials on wooden woods near flammable materials, etc. All of these options should not be allowed welding.

Prevention of injuries associated with assembly and transport operations (mechanical injury character). Important is the introduction of comprehensive mechanization and automation, which greatly reduces the risk of such injuries.

The main causes of injury during assembly and welding: the lack of vehicles to transport heavy parts and products; breakdown vehicles; fault lifting devices; faulty instrument: sledgehammers, hammers, wrenches, chisels, etc., lack of safety goggles when cleaning the seams from the slag; lack of uniform and other protective equipment.

Security measures in this case all these tools and instruments should be checked periodically; rigger should produce those past special instruction; the workers should be required to comply with all safety rules, including work in overalls, gloves; use of personal ventilation (where necessary), etc. The importance is the introduction of comprehensive mechanization and automation, which greatly reduces the risk of such injuries.

To make it convenient to operate welders need to follow the following recommendations
1. Assembly and welding of large sections should be performed in specialized areas, beds, benches, thus should be provided sufficient aisles on each side of the structure.

2. When welding volume units at the height necessary to arrange the forest with welding equipment located outside the workplace welder.

3. All equipment that is out of whack when it may be energized must have an individual grounding terminal to a common safety ground.

4. All welders must be supervised adjuster-rigger. Correct defects of welding equipment is only entitled to a fixer-setter.
5. When welding large products should be used shields, screens, protecting the weld from the common passages.