Safety

Combustibles, Part 4

May 15, 2018

Ways to prevent possible ignition of items when welding

Ignition sources are present in nearly any industrial or commercial facility. You can’t eliminate them, but you can keep them away from combustibles. Suppose you have a work order that calls for repairing a mounting bracket in a storage area for bales of paper. Welding is required. How can you prevent the ignition of that paper?

Possible solutions include:

Unbolt the bracket, weld it in the shop, and return to bolt the bracket back in place. This assumes the bracket can be unbolted.
Move the paper bales out of that area or at least move them far enough away to create a safe work area. This could require much time and effort.
Move a few bales away, and erect a spark-proof barrier of sufficient height and width to prevent sparks from reaching the bales.
Question the work order. Is the bracket really needed? Why is welding required? Is there another repair method (e.g., bolting or epoxies) that’s safer for this area?

About the Author

Mark Lamendola

Mark is an expert in maintenance management, having racked up an impressive track record during his time working in the field. He also has extensive knowledge of, and practical expertise with, the National Electrical Code (NEC). Through his consulting business, he provides articles and training materials on electrical topics, specializing in making difficult subjects easy to understand and focusing on the practical aspects of electrical work.

Prior to starting his own business, Mark served as the Technical Editor on EC&M for six years, worked three years in nuclear maintenance, six years as a contract project engineer/project manager, three years as a systems engineer, and three years in plant maintenance management.

Mark earned an AAS degree from Rock Valley College, a BSEET from Columbia Pacific University, and an MBA from Lake Erie College. He’s also completed several related certifications over the years and even was formerly licensed as a Master Electrician. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE and past Chairman of the Kansas City Chapters of both the IEEE and the IEEE Computer Society. Mark also served as the program director for, a board member of, and webmaster of, the Midwest Chapter of the 7x24 Exchange. He has also held memberships with the following organizations: NETA, NFPA, International Association of Webmasters, and Institute of Certified Professional Managers.