Injury Illness Prevention Plan - Flipbook - Page 67
work, arc welding, and/or cutting equipment must be removed from service immediately.
Furthermore, all teammates performing hot work, welding, cutting, or electric welding
must be aware of how much current is carried to the welding machine, and address if the
ground connector is sufficient for carrying the required current. Per Lockout/Tagout
procedure, the welding machine must be off when work is not being conducted to avoid
any and all electrical and fire hazards. Lastly, if work must be performed in damp or humid
environments then teammates must be acutely aware of any and all standing water or
the humidity of the air, as electric welding can cause arcs to travel farther in the air and
harm others. Any and all electric welding teammates must have sufficient insulating
protection in the event of operating in a humid environment. As with any other unsafe
circumstance, if there is no way to operate safely then there should not be any work
conducted.
As mentioned earlier, TEAMWRKX teammates do not self-perform gas welding, but
should be aware of the safety rules and issues involved with using gas systems in welding.
Any and all teammates conducting welding with a gas system must be properly trained
by their employer and permitted to do such work. Working with compressed gases can
easily become dangerous when teammates do not know what they are doing.
Compressed gas containers must be handled with care, as rough handling and poor
storage could lead to a gas leak that could lead to an explosion. Some guidelines on safely
handling compressed gas are included below:
x Gas cylinders must never be taken into a confined space (explosions could cause
cave-ins).
x Any defective gas cylinders must be tagged and removed from service
immediately to prevent any gas leaks.
x Gas cylinders shall only be stored according to the manufacturer’s instructions
and will only be moved as necessary and gently when necessary.
x Gas cylinders should always be opened slowly to allow the gas to release and
avoid explosions. And “cracking” should be used when connecting regulators to
cylindrical valves, and if the plastic cover has been removed.
13.29 WORKING ALONE
As mentioned earlier in this manual, hazard assessments must always be conducted
before start of work. However, it should be noted that the assessment not only covers
what PPE and hazardous elements are around, but to also note whether or not it is OK to
have a teammate work alone. Even when deemed OK, the teammate working alone must
maintain regular contact throughout the job. TEAMWRKX has provided every field
teammate a cell phone for this exact reason and to make in-field communication more
efficient. Similar to confined spaces, when a teammate goes to perform a task alone, they
must inform their supervisor (or another teammate if they are the supervisor) so
everyone is aware of who is doing what and where at all times. Teammates must checkin at the start and finish of each task to the supervisor, and the supervisor must keep the
Revised: October 2023
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