General Requirements for All Hot Work

If the object to be welded or cut is immobile, all removable fire hazards in the vicinity must be taken to a safe place. If the object to be welded or cut cannot be moved and if all the fire hazards cannot be removed, then guards must be used to confine the heat, sparks, and slag, and to protect the immobile fire hazards. If neither of these requirements can be met, then welding and cutting must not be performed.

Wherever there are openings or cracks in the floor that cannot be closed, precautions must be taken so that no combustible materials or personnel on the floor below will be exposed to sparks which might drop through the floor. The same precautions must be observed with regard to cracks or holes in walls, open doorways, and open or broken windows.

Where combustible materials such as paper clippings, wood shavings, or textile fibers are on the floor, the floor must be swept clean for a radius of 35 feet. Combustible floors must either be kept wet, covered with damp sand, or protected by fire-resistant shields. If floors have been wetted down, personnel operating arc welding or cutting equipment must be guarded from possible shock.

All hollow spaces, cavities, or containers must be vented to permit the escape of air or gases before preheating, cutting, or welding. It is recommended that an inert gas be used for purging purposes.

Before conducting any hot work, any ducts and conveyor systems that may carry sparks to distant combustibles must be suitably guarded or shut down completely. Where hot work is done near combustible walls, partitions, ceilings, or roofs, fire-resistant shields or guards must be used to prevent ignition.

Operators are prohibited from performing any type of hot work on used drums, barrels, tanks, or other containers until they have been thoroughly cleaned to ensure there are no flammable materials present or any substances such as greases, tars, acids, or other materials which might produce flammable or toxic vapors when exposed to heat. Any pipe lines or connections to the drum or vessel must be disconnected or blanked as well.

To learn more about Hot Work visit our General Hot Work Online Training web page.