4 Precautions to Take When Welding in a Confined Space
Are you planning to weld in a congested space that has limited ventilation? Read on and discover some of the precautions that you should implement in order to prevent accidents from taking place during your DIY welding project.
Select Secure Locations for Equipment
You should avoid placing your welding equipment, such as the gas cylinder, within the confined space where you will be conducting welding activities. It is better to place that equipment outside the confined space so that the adequate ventilation there can remove any flammable or toxic fumes that may be given off as you work.
Disconnect Utilities
Make sure that you have shut down the supply of gas, electricity or oil to the confined space where welding activities are going to be performed. You should only leave the power sources that are necessary for you to perform the welding operation. In this way, you will reduce the magnitude of any risks in case something goes wrong as you weld. For instance, there won't be an explosion in case a spark falls on a disconnected natural gas pipe.
Monitor the Air
It is important to test the air inside that confined space before you start welding. One of the most important tests that you should conduct is an oxygen test to confirm that you will not suffer from oxygen deprivation as you work. You should also test for toxic gasses, such as carbon monoxide. Only proceed when conditions in the confined space are favourable for you to breathe. Constant monitor that air while you work so that you know when the air quality conditions have changed during your project.
Get Help
Find someone to be stationed just outside the confined space where you are working. That person should be equipped with several things, such as a fire extinguisher and personal protective equipment. This person should keep an eye on you so that he or she can remove you from that confined space as soon as he or she detects that your degree of alertness has gone down. He or she can also alert you in case any problem develops. For example, that person can tell you when a nearby object has started giving off smoke due to the contact that it has had with welding sparks. You can then rush out before a fire breaks out inside the confined space.
Welding inside confined spaces, such as cellars, requires special skills and equipment. You should only undertake a welding task in such an environment if you received appropriate training to work in such places. Only then will you know how to protect yourself from all the risks that may be present in that confined space.
