OSHA 30 Welding, Cutting and Brazing Safety | Examples

1. PURPOSE

1.1       This procedure establishes safe work practices for welding, cutting, brazing and related processes.

2. OSHA 30 Welding, Cutting and Brazing Safety | Examples

2.1       This procedure applies to welding and cutting operations performed by all personnel and contractors.

2.2       Site management has overall responsibility for the application of and compliance with this procedure. Each employee in a welding fabrication environment is responsible for their own personal welding safety.

3. DEFINITIONS

3.1      None.

4. SUMMARY

4.1      Hot work must be performed in accordance with the Safety Work Permit procedures.

4.2       Good housekeeping is an important part of any fire prevention program, including fire prevention as it relates to welding and cutting operations. These work areas must be kept free of waste paper, rubbish, wood, and other combustibles.

4.3       Suitable PPE must be worn. The correct filter lens must be used in welding helmets. Lens shade must be selected based on amperage being used. Appendix A contains a guide for the proper selection of the lens shade number for eye protection.

4.4       Before burning, welding, soldering or cutting, employees must be properly trained in the safe practices of oxy-fuel equipment and cylinder handling.

4.5       Operators of equipment shall report any equipment defect or safety hazards and discontinue use of equipment until its safety has been assured. Repairs shall be made only by qualified personnel.

5. Welding, Cutting and Brazing Safety Procedure

5.1      Welding Safety

• Hot work must be performed in accordance with Safety Work Permit and Hot Work Permit procedures.

5.2      Fire Prevention

• Combustibles should be located at least 10 meters (35 feet) from the welding work site whenever possible.
• If the object to be welded or combustible material cannot be relocated then a fire blanket or other material should be used as shielding to prevent accidental combustion.
• Hole, cracks or grating in the floor or other openings leading to areas where combustibles are stored must be shielded to prevents sparks or slag from starting a fire.
• Welding areas should be enclosed with fire resistant curtains or tinted transparent shields whenever possible.
• During welding operations, filler material or electrode stubs must be collected in a receptacle and disposed of properly at the end of the work period.
• Work areas must be kept free of waste paper, trash, wood, and other combustibles.
• Employees must know the location of firefighting equipment and how to use it. Fire extinguishers must be located adjacent to work areas.
• The welding area should be adequately ventilated.
• If the object to be welded or cut cannot readily be moved, all moveable fire hazards should be removed.
• If fire hazards cannot be taken to a safe place or guards cannot be used to confine heat, sparks, slag and protect the immovable fire hazards, the welding and cutting shall not be performed.

5.3      Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

5.3.1   As a minimum, the following PPE requirements must be followed with various welding and cutting processes. The PPE must be suitable for welding processes:

• Wear leather, steel-toed, high topped boots in good condition. They will help protect your feet and ankles from injury. Use of high topped boots may be phased in according to routine replacement schedules.
• Safety glasses must be worn under welding helmets.
• The correct filter lens must be used in welding helmets. Lens shade must be selected based on amperage being used. Appendix A contains a guide for the proper selection of the lens shade number for eye protection.
• Adequate weld flash PPE must also be worn by a fitter or other helper.
• Other personnel in the welding area must use appropriate eye protection.
• Appendix B contains additional PPE requirements for specific welding and cutting operations. In addition, the facility Health Hazard Assessment should be consulted for guidance regarding the need for additional respiratory protection for welding and cutting on toxic metals. Additional hearing protection may also be advised for certain types of arc welding and cutting.

5.4      Electrical Safety

5.4.1   Electrical Equipment Safety

• Equipment must be de-energized when not in use.
• Attempts to make temporary electrical repairs to welding equipment must not be performed. The equipment must be taken out of service, tagged out, and the appropriate repair person notified.
• Before the start of any welding, all electrical connections must be inspected to ensure that they are secure and that insulation is not damaged.
• Primary power sources must have disconnect switches which will allow immediate current shut-off in the event of an emergency.
• A welding machine must not be disconnected when the power source is energized.
• Electrode holders, torches, and gas metal arc welding (GMAW) guns must be stored where they cannot make electrical contact with personnel, conducting materials, or compressed gas cylinders.
• Electrodes must be removed from holders when not in use.
• The polarity switch must not be changed when the power source is under load.
• Amperage should never be adjusted while power source is under load.

5.4.2   Grounding of Electrical Equipment

• Building structurals, pipes containing flammable gases, lines or pressure vessels, or conduits carrying electric cables, must not be used for a ground connection.
• Alternate materials must not be used to replace regular welding ground cables.
• The use of extension ground cables must be evaluated by experienced personnel and avoided whenever possible.
• Grounding cables must be connected directly to ground. Piggybacking of ground clamps is not permitted.
• A grounding connection must be provided as near as possible to the equipment being worked on. Paint or oxide must be removed prior to connecting the ground. When possible, the ground must be connected directly to the object (weldment) within 304 mm (12 inches) of the work area.
• Ground connections must never be removed while welding is in progress.

5.4.3      Welding Cables

• Before the start of any welding, all welding cables must be inspected for damaged insulation and for loose or faulty equipment.
• Welding cables must be kept clean and free of oil, water, and grease.
• Cables and hoses that are laid on the floor or ground in traffic areas must be protected from being crushed. Work leads should be kept as short as possible. Plastic enclosure leads must be used as necessary.

5.5         Handling of Compressed Gases

5.5.1      Fire, Explosion, and Other Hazards

5.5.1.1   The main hazards involving the use of compressed gases in gas welding, cutting, and associated processes may be summarized as follows:

1. Fires and explosions from releases of flammable gases to atmosphere from leaks at joints, hose connections, or fittings, in open workshop conditions, or which may accumulate in confined or semi-confined enclosures or workspaces.
2. Enhanced fires and explosions from releases of oxygen to atmosphere and accumulation of oxygen-enriched atmospheres trapped in clothing or in confined spaces.
3. Fires and explosions inside equipment caused by flashbacks from the blowpipe when flammable mixtures of fuel gas and air or oxygen exist upstream, as a result of incomplete purging of gas lines before lighting up, or back-feeding of fuel gas into the oxygen or air supply or vice versa, for example, caused by excessive pressure differentials in gas lines control valve leakage, interruption in gas supplies when hose becomes trapped or kinked, or blockage at the blowpipe nozzle.
4. Fires and explosions inside equipment or cylinders caused by decomposition or detonation of acetylene in the absence of air or oxygen, for example, caused by flashbacks at the blowpipe or overheating of cylinders or equipment.
5. Fires and explosions inside equipment caused by ignition and combustion of materials in high pressure oxygen in the absence of fuel gases, including oil, grease, organic materials in solid or powder form, metals and alloys such as aluminum and elastomers used in valve seats and seals, etc.
6. Burns to the body from contact with the blowpipe flame, hot slag, hot surfaces, or with hot parts of the blowpipe after the flame has been extinguished, either by direct contact with bare skin or by setting clothing on fire.
7. Eye injuries from hot particles, for example, slag or molten and sparks produced in cutting processes, heat, intense light, and ultra-violet radiations.
8. Fires from the ignition of combustible materials located in the vicinity of the hot work process or in contact with hot workpieces.
9. Over-pressurization of equipment.
10. Physical injuries, for example, caused by accidents in cylinder handling.
11. Asphyxiation from oxygen being displaced by shielding gases such as argon or CO2 while welding in enclosed or non-ventilated areas.

5.5.1.2   The above list excludes the severe risk of explosions which may arise during exposure of tanks, drums, pipelines, closed vessels, fitting, and other containers to welding or cutting blowpipes. All of the above hazards must be considered when preparing the Safety Work Permit.

5.5.2      Cylinder Safety Training

5.5.2.1   Before burning, welding, soldering, or cutting, employees must be properly trained in the safe practices of oxy-fuel equipment and cylinder handling.

5.5.3      Safe Use of Cylinders

• Cylinders must be “tied-off” and kept upright to prevent overturning.
• Cylinders must not be dropped or abused in any way.
• Sparks and flames must be kept away from cylinders.
• A flame or electrode must never be allowed to come in contact with a cylinder or cylinder valve.
• Cylinders must not be repainted or have their lettering changed.
• Cylinders must never be used without a regulator. The regulator must be approved for use with the gas. All regulators cannot be used with all gases.
• Cylinder carts must be used to transport welding gas cylinders.
• Cylinders must not be repainted and labels must not be changed.

5.5.4      Opening of Cylinders

• Hammers and wrenches (other than approved cylinder wrenches) must not be used to open cylinder valves.
• Personnel must stand to the side of a regulator when opening or making adjustments.
• The cylinder wrench must be kept on acetylene cylinders when the valves are open.
• After attaching a regulator and before the cylinder valve is opened, the regulator adjusting screw must be backed out (closed). The cylinder valve may be opened slowly at that time, with the valve outlet and gauges pointing away from personnel.

5.5.5      Acetylene and Oxygen Precautions

• Oxygen must never be used as a substitute for compressed air.
• Acetylene must never be delivered into the cutting/welding hose at pressure in excess of 15 psig.
• Acetylene cylinder valves must not be opened more than one and a half turns. Three quarters of a turn is preferable.
• Acetylene and oxygen cylinders must have safety devices to limit over-pressure, a flash arrestor installed on the outlet of the regulator, and a check valve at the inlet of the torch. A flash back arrestor installed on the torch handle itself is preferred. (Some torches are equipped with built-in check valves; these are acceptable substitutes for in- line check valves.)

5.5.6      Care of Hoses

• Hoses, torch valves, connections, and damaged hoses showing leaks, burns, or worn places must be replaced.
• Hoses lying on the floor or ground must be protected from being crushed. Work leads should be kept as short as possible.
• Torch hoses must be kept clean and free of oil, water, and grease.
• Torch hoses must not be taped together.

5.5.7      Required Cylinder Safety Tasks to be Performed

5.5.7.1   After each job and at the end of each shift:

• All cylinder valves must be closed.
• Regulator handles must be turned counter-clockwise until the set pressure is zero.
• Pressure must be bled down from the hoses.

5.6         Preventive Maintenance

5.6.1      Welding and cutting equipment must be included in a regular preventive maintenance (PM) program.

5.6.2      A PM program must include a thorough inspection of all welding equipment, and PPE such as:

• Welding machines
• Welding leads
• Electrical cables
• Welding goggles
• Welding helmets

5.6.3      Welding and cutting equipment visual inspections must be performed prior to use.

5.6.4      Regular PM inspections must be performed and documented at least annually, or more often if equipment is used frequently and on a routine basis.

6. RELATED INFORMATION

6.1         EH&S Document

⊕    25-010530              Safety Work Permit

6.2         Others

OSHA 29 CFR 1910.252

Cal/OSHA Title 8 CCR

Selection of Lens Shade Number in Welding Eye Protection

LENS SHADE NUMBER	FUNCTION OF LENS TYPE
(Clear and filter lenses up to and including) SHADE #2 and #3	1. Resistance welding 2. Protection from stray light from nearby welding and cutting
SHADE #4 and #5	1. Light oxygen cutting 2. Gas welding
SHADE #5 and #6	1. Oxygen cutting 2. Medium gas welding 3. Welding up to 30 amperes
SHADE #6 and #8	1. Heavy gas welding 2. Arc cutting and welding exceeding 30, but not exceeding 70 amperes
SHADE #10	1. Arc welding and cutting exceeding 75, but not exceeding 200 amperes
SHADE #12 and #13	1. Arc welding and cutting exceeding 200 but not exceeding 400 amperes
SHADE #14	1. Arc welding and cutting exceeding 400 amperes

Recommended Minimum PPE Matrix for Welding/Cutting and Torch Operations

This table cannot reflect all possible welding processes and configurations and is intended to provide general guidelines when preparing a risk assessment. Refer to specific industry guidance for additional guidelines and recommendations on specific processes and tasks unless national or local regulations specify a stricter criteria that must be applied.

Additional Resources:

• “Health and Safety in Welding and Allied Processes”; Edited by: Balchin, Nigel C.; Blunt, Jane © 2002

• “HS(G) 139 The Safe Use of Compressed Gases in Welding, Flame Cutting and Allied Processes”; UK HSE Publication

• “ANSI Z49.1, Safety in Welding, Cutting, and Allied Processes”
• American Welding Society Safety Fact Sheets on PPE: http://www.aws.org/technical/facts/