Section 408.40761. Fire precautions.

(1) Welding operations shall not be performed within 50 feet of explosives, stored cylinders, or stored fuel. Combustible and flammable materials located within 35 feet of a welding operation shall either be removed or covered with fire- resistant material.

(2)   Cracks or openings through which sparks could pass in the floor or wall that are within 35 feet of a welding operation shall be covered with a fire-resistant material.

(3)   A wood floor within 10 feet of a welding operation shall be protected by either wetting down, covering with sand, or covering with a fire-resistant material.

(4)    A minimum of 1 2A-10BC portable fire extinguisher shall be immediately available to the work area during welding operations.

(5)    An employer shall designate a person as responsible for fire safety during a welding operation where a fire could start or where 1 of the following conditions exists:

(a)   Appreciable combustible and flammable materials are more than 35 feet from a welding operation but are easily ignited.

(b)   Combustible and flammable material is adjacent to the opposite side of a metal partition, wall, ceiling, or roof that is likely to ignite by conduction or radiation.

(c)   If there is a possibility that a smoldering fire may have started, the person shall remain at the scene of the work for not less than 30 minutes after the welding operation has stopped. Personnel shall be instructed as to the specific anticipated fire hazards and how the firefighting equipment provided is to be used.

(6)    The connection, by welding, of branches to a pipeline carrying a flammable substance shall be performed in accordance with the regulations of the department of transportation, 49 C.F.R. Part 192, “Minimum Federal Safety Standards for Gas Pipelines,” which are adopted by reference in R 408.40709.

(7)   Before welding, cutting, or heating is commenced on any surface covered by a preservative coating whose flammability is not known, a test shall be made by a competent person to determine its flammability. Preservative coatings shall be considered to be highly flammable when scrapings burn with extreme rapidity.

History: 1980 AACS; 2005 AACS; 2013 AACS; 2015 AACS.