Safety Recommendations for Gas Welding

The process of welding and cutting metals involves the application of high heat energy to the objects being welded or cut. This high amount of heat energy for the welding process is obtained from the use of inflammable gases (such as acetylene, hydrogen, etc.) or electricity. The intense welding heat and the sources employed to produce it can be potentially dangerous.

Therefore, to protect welders from injury and to protect building and equipment against fire, etc., a set of recommendations concerning safety and health measures for the welders and those concerned with the protection of the equipment’s etc., have been published by American Welding Society (AWS), Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) and many other International organizations. By keeping in mind the recommendations and precautions from various organizations, the risks associated with welding for technicians can be minimized.

Therefore, it is highly recommended that beginners in the field of gas welding become familiar with the general safety recommendations listed below.

Technician performing Tungsten inert gas welding. Image source: Wikimedia Commons

1. A welding technician should never hang a torch with its hose on regulators or cylinder valves.
2. During gas welding, if the welding tip becomes overheated, it can be cooled by plunging the torch into water. Close the acetylene valve but leave a small amount of oxygen flowing.
3. Always use the correct pressure regulators for a gas. An acetylene pressure regulator should never be used with any other gas.
4. Do not move the cylinder by holding the pressure regulator; handle pressure regulators carefully.
5. Use the pressure regulator only at pressures for which the operation is suitable.
6. Open cylinder valves slowly to prevent straining the pressure regulator mechanism.
7. Never try to use lubricant, oil, or grease of any kind on regulator connections.
8. For repairs, calibrations, and adjustments purposes, the pressure regulators should be sent to the supplier.
9. Do the cracking before connecting the pressure regulator to the gas cylinder.
10. Inspect union nuts and connections on regulators before use to detect faulty seats that may cause gas leakage when the regulators are attached to the cylinder valves.
11. Hose connections shall be well-fitted and properly clamped or securely fastened to these connections in such a manner as to withstand, without leakage, a pressure twice as tremendous as the maximum delivery pressure of the pressure regulators provided on the system.
12. Protect the hose from flying sparks, hot slag, hot workpiece, and open flame. If dirt goes into the hose, blow through (with oxygen, not acetylene) before coupling to the torch or regulator.
13. Store the hose on a reel (an automobile wheel) when not in use.
14. Never allow the hose to come into contact with oil or grease, as this can deteriorate the rubber and pose a danger to oxygen.
15. Use the correct color hose for oxygen (green/black) and acetylene gas (red); never use an oxygen hose for acetylene or vice versa.
16. Always protect the hose from being trampled on or run over. Avoid tangles and kinks. Never leave the hose in a way that it can be tripped over.

Hazards of fumes, gases, and dust during the gas welding process can be minimized by

1. proving/improving the ventilation of the place where welding is carried out
2. using local exhaust units, and
3. wearing individual protective respiratory equipment.