Welding, Cutting, & Hot Work Safety

Welding, Cutting, & Hot Work

What is the Hazard?

Cutting, welding, and hot work fires are usually caused by one of three things:

  • Sparks and Slag – can fall through cracks or openings in floors, under doors, on combustible material, or on flammable liquids. Sparks can fly 35 feet horizontally,may smolder in cracks with fire breaking out after the end ofthe
  • Metal – being cut orwelded can transmit heat by conduction or radiationand start a fire in adjacent or nearby
  • Torch – the cutting torch accidentally coming to close to,or in contact with, combustible material can be a ready source of

Prevent the Hazard

  • Move work to a safe Ifwork can’t be moved, remove combustibles from thearea.
  • Sweep the floors
  • Keep fire extinguishers handy andbe fully knowledgeable in their
  • Don’t cut or weld in the presence of flammableliquids or vapors, in the presence of lint or dust,  or on unpurged containers previously holding flammable
  • Acetylene gas can‘pool’ and ignite; avoid situations where the gas can ‘pool’ if the valveis left
  • Choose a safe direction for the cut so that the sparks are going in the direction you

Specialized Precautions

In some cases, additional safety precautions are required. Areas to consider include, but are not limited to:

  • Piping – Prior to cuttingor welding on pipes, the operator must ensure the pipes arepurged and empty. Proper ventilation is required in order to prevent inhalation of fumes such as hexavalent
  • Containers – Must becleaned to ensure no flammablematerials or vapors are
  • Confined Spaces – Atmospherictesting must be performed as well as otherprecautions outlined inthe facility’s Confined Space
  • Atmospheric changes – Oxygen levels could behigher than normal in certainoperations (i.e. ifa leak occurs when oxygen is used for Wort Aeration).Higher levels of oxygen could lead to an

Additional Information

Refer to JHA-003 (Grinders &Abrasive Wheels), and JHA-052 (Safe use of Angle Grinders with Wafer Cutting Wheels), and the JJW Safety Awareness Manual for supplementary information.