Document 93YwJa5oXRoRVQjkZrzXdL1Z6

FILE NAME: Welding (WELD) DATE: 1954 Oct DOC#: WELD006 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Trade Journal Article - Mentions Use of Dust Masks by Welders Exposed to Fibrous Producing Dusts Asbestos fcditor-in-Chiel ALFRED M. BEST EdHor H A R R Y D G . ARMAND /M . 1 r < '-j ^ (s ' V v .s .-y j Associote Editor RALPH P. EAMES Editorial Assistant DAVID K. SILVER New Product* Department EDWARD S. HOFFMAN Managing Editor CHESTER M. K ELLO G G BUSINESS DEPARTMENT Executive Vice President ARTHUR SNYDER Selei Meneger WALTER H. BROCKHAVEN Production Meneger A. M. CROWLEY Publication O R ce: Columbia Turnpike, Rensselaer, N. Y. Editorial end Advertising Offices: IfS T lelld ln g . 75 Fulton S t., Nee York i t . N. T. NATIONWIDE BRANCHES western FRANK J . M ATRE, Sal* M gr IP South Le Sail Street C H IC A G O 3. ILL. EAST CENTRAL FAYSON H . RYAN. Vic.-UrtM .nl FELIX T. McC a r t h y . J r ., Spec. * .p r ARTHUR A. EBERLE tngelli Building, 4 E. 4th SI. C IN C IN N A TI 2. O HIO NEW ENGLAND W AITER A . SPANGLER, Manage W . LAW RENCE HOW E. Spec. R.pr IS Stanhope Street POSTON 14. MASS. EASTERN ELLIO TT SEWARD, Spe. Repr FRANK W ALDRO N . Spac. Rape. 7S Fulton S I., Naw Tort J*. N. Y. MIDDLE ATLAN TIC HOW ARD J . ADER. Manag' 120* Nation Straal R i c h m o n d 24. v a . SOUTHEASTERN 22 M aflatta Street ATLANTA. GEORGIA SOUTH CENTRAL GEN E HANSELMANN. Manag' ISI Lrnda Drlva C H A TTA N O O G A 5. TENN SOUTHWESTERN R O IER T S. REGIEN , Managar ROBERT $ REGIEN. JR . Olt I G at Building, SI. Raul Street Da l l a s . Te x a s PACIFIC COAST HARO LD F. KAN E. Manaqar I ISO W ilihlra |lvd . LOS AN GELES 17. C A L . Copv'igM , IW Alfrad M. Balt Company, Inc 75 Fulfon S I,. Naw Tori' M. N Y. Annual Subscription $4 (two years $6) Canadian & foreign $5 (two years $8) Single issues 50c. Also quantity rotes FORMERLY "SAFETY EROINFERINQ" ESY. 1101 VOL. 108, NO. 4 OCTOBER, ISS4 EDITORIAL Thu Safety Specialist .................................... . . 9 National Safely Congress .................................................................................... 9 ACCIDENT PREVENTION What Have tha Plant Engineer & iSe Safety Engineer in Common by A. 8. PETTIT A Second Look at Welding Hazard* ..............................by PAUL C. ZIEMKE Molten Metal Miraela ............................................................................................ A Non-Skid Floor Waz ............................................................by CARL LAMM Making Grinding Wheel* Believe (machine guarding leriei) by C. E. HARPER Whet You Mutt Know to Guard a Machine--Pert J by W. E. MONTGOMERY 48 Keeping Up With Emergency Lighting .............................................................. 83 New Safety Product*.......................................................................... ................... 94 Free Safety Bullet!n* .............................. ........................................................... 99 MAINTENANCE A New Floor W e ......................................................................by CARL LAMM 28 Wettern Maintenance Show .................................................................................. 30 Keeping Up With Emergency Lighting . . .............................. 83 New Maintenance Product* .................................................................................. 94 Free Meintenance Bulletin*............................ 99 INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE Clean Water for "Gandy D a n c e r* "............................ ......................? . . . . 35 Induitriel Hygiene N e w t.................................................................... 45 The Need for Proper Wound Care of the Injured Hand (Frit aid terlet) by DR. RAYMOND M. CURTIS 64 Induitriel Hygiene Date Sheet--Trichloroethylene .......................................... 49 The Coffee Break-- Boost or Butt? .......................................................... ........ 71 The Induttriel Nurse ................................................................................................. 73 New Hygiene Product* ................................................................................... Free Hygiene Bulletin* ........................................................... 99 FIRE PROTECTION A Second Look at Welding H azard*..............................by PAUL C. ZIEMKE The Fire Front .......................................................................................................... Fire* Mean Inspection Failure* (fire protection series) . by ALAN L KL1NG Clean Up Dry Cleaning t Degreesing Fire* . . . .by NORMAN H. DAVIS, Jr. New Fire Product* ........................................................................................... Free Fire Bulletin* ..................................................................................................... SPECIAL DEPARTMENTS Safety's Supermarket (Ezhibitor* at National Safety Congress) .................. Check List of Aid* to Production .............. The Future Show*.............................................................................. . .. Inside the T r a d e ................................................................................................ . . The Safety S h e lf......................................................................................................... A Safety Illustration................................................................................. Learning the Herd Way ................ ...................................... ................... Whet'* the Lew ...................... Safety Achievement* .................. Transportation Safety ............................................ Safety on Film .................................................................. Whet * New in tKe SaTety-Maintenanee Field . .............. e. . ............. Ft# Bulletins C a ta lo g ........................................ . .............. . . Reader' Free Inquiry Card ............................................ . . . Index to A dvertisers........................................................................... COVER PICTURE By courtesy of Humble Oil 4 Refining Co. 22 55 54 60 99 4 12 14 16 32 76 77 79 IB 90 94 99 99 A M E R I C A ' S PI ONEER MAGAZI NE IN ITS FIELD I II i t 94 h r e, Hi ji ii 94 ll 41 i I 100 I SAFETY M AINTENANCE l PRODUCTION it 'ndeted regularly by Engineering Inde*. Inc.. New York Arc a n d cas welding is indis pensable to industry for speedy production of a host of products that could not be efficiently pro duced by any other means. N ot only is the technique invaluable for pro duction work but for maintenance purposes it certainly is a godsend to the harried plant engineer con fronted with some new breakdown problem each day. Paint is scaled off ^ w ith ease, case hardening is done in a jiffy and large pipe is heated in place for those intricate bends re quired to fit into congested places. W hile all this is on the profit side ' of the ledger, there is also some con cern over the hazards presented. Badly kept gear can injure workers through electrical shock, flash bums to the eyes, and burns from spurting slugs in heavy cutting operations. W elding equipment therefore must be kept in good condition, and the inspector's job is twofold: He must make detailed, periodic visual in spections for defects; and he must see that the machines get an occa sional trip to the shop for the more complete electrical check. Perhaps the most important item on the list of welding equipment is the electrode holder. Some men are quite happy with an uninsulated holder, and argue that the insula tion material is too fragile and there fore cannot be depended on. The fact is that the insulated holders can be depended on if handled carefully and inspected at frequent intervals. Statistics indicate that a large per centage of accidents are chargeable to uninsulated holders or those that were in a defective condition. Most accidents of this type occur in cramped quarters where the weld er's body is wet with perspiration and is in liberal contact with the work piece. Quite often any contact the operator may make with live, current-canying parts through w'et or bare hands will not harm him seri ously. But the shock he receives may cause him to react with such force and reckless abandon that he is injured in other ways. The common expression "kick like a mule" is no exaggerated expression. For direct current does act like that. T he most vulnerable feature of electrode holders is the head, pro truding beyond the ring or collar of the insulating material just above the hand. That portion lacks insula tion. As the worker changes rods, he may readily make contact with bare metal. If he should roll on the holder, or carry it over his shoulder as so many men do, the live part may come in contact with the neck or face. Grounding Hazards One type of arc welding careless ness that recurs frequently is the utter disregard for good ground or negative return connections to the generator. Literally miles of good 3-conductor power cord to electri cally driven tools have been ruined 22 SAFETY MAINTENANCE t M O DUCTION because high-re piece. ing a : over tl: electric, bit poir insulate Fide fire hae in a gr all-too-e tice is ; an outi cock fc W eldn part of premise metalli water, plus tl; ing, to back to not alw. numbe: velop l) basenie: FOU c By PAUL C. ZIEMKE Eye protection always gets first attention in welding safety. Let's look at some of , the other, less obvious haz ards: The Electrode Holder Grounding of Equip ment Storage of Cylinders Fire Hazards Dust and Fume Haz ards because the welder used a makeshift high-resistance ground on the worlc piece. T he heavy weld current, seek ing a low resistance path, courses over the third (ground) wire of the electrical tool to bum off the drill bit point and practically "cook" the insulation into a total loss. Field welders, too, develop serious fire hazards by neglecting to bring in a ground wire to every job. An all-too-common, yet dangerous, prac tice is connecting the generator to an outside hydrant or building sillcock for the ground return circuit. W elding is then attempted in any part of the building on the general premise that there is sufficient metallic interconnection between water, gas, and metal sewer lines, plus the metal structure of the build ing, to form a low resistance path back to the generator. T hat this is not always true is borne out from the number of mysterious fires that de velop in service tunnels, attics and basements where arcing occurs be cause of the inadequate physical con nection between the aforementioned services. Use of the structural steel frame of a building for grounding should be attempted only under the direction of competent electrical supervision. Finally, there is the lazv man who knows just enough about the mod em 3-phasc lighting service to utilize the installation for his own benefit. Like the individual who coupled his negative return to the fire hydrant, this fellow connects his negative cable to the neutral wire of the 230-- 115 volt lighting service and then ex pects to move about the building anywhere with trailing positive cable to perform weld jobs wherever the occasion demands. H i is is a par ticularly dangerous practice since the heavy current may heat the splices and connections on the neutral wire to the point of failure.. W hat this man fails to take into consideration is the fact that the large, ample sized ware he couples onto in the building's service en trance does not of necessity extend all the way out to his weld site in the same size and capacity'. The large size neutral wire extends only to the individual lighting distribu tion panels. From that point on, the wire size is drastically reduced in keeping with the type of service sup plied. The average "home ran" wire leading to lights and receptacles is practically a standard-- #12 gauge. To weld on ventilating ducts, stacks and conduit racks under such con ditions means that small conductors are annealed or burned off. Create in the minds of the weld ers a healthy respect for electricity, even though the voltage is consid ered too low to be deadly. A para mount warning to operators should be to take special care in hot, humid weather and when welding in wet places. Almost without exception, fatal shocks occur in hot weather. The operator's physical condition and the condition of his clothing should be his guide. Precautions for Welders 1. Use care in laying down your electrode holder so that it does not make contact with conducting ma terial. 2. Carry the electrode holder in your hand, not crushed under the arm, or slung over the shoulder. 3. Don't carry the holder about with a rod in it. 4. Don't work alone in confined places where a bump on the head, or metal fumes may knock you out and help may be slow in getting to you. 5. Exercise particu lar care in high places where it is foolhardy to cling with one hand while welding with the other. Use standard staging material and don't stand on b a n d heads or packing cases to reach a high place. 6. If you must work from a ladder erected in a doorway or aisle see that you have a helper at hand to guard against passing traffic. 7. Do wear the special chrome tanned leather jacket, and keep your pants bottoms out of your shoe tops or you will get a "hot foot" that won't be funny. Fir Hazards The Livonia fire of the General Motors Co. rated the biggest loss for a single production unit, all because of an error in planning the protec tion needed against flying slugs of hot metal. Portable extinguishers merely halted the fire momentarily, and then it raged speedily out of control before the arrival of the city fire fighters. In fact in most plants using much arc welding or gas cut ting apparatus, the fire runs made to extinguish hot metal slug fires far outnumber those of any other cause. Potential fire hazards should all be eliminated before welding or cutting is begun. There are many ap proaches to this. Probably one of the most effective procedures is the issuance of a welding and burning permit before work can commence. The operator asks for this permit from the department head for whom the work is to be performed. It is he who is best informed on the haz ards peculiar to his department and therefore is best qualified to make all arrangements to have combustibles blanketed or moved, floors watered down if of wood, and all flammable gas producing equipment shut down and vented. If the nature of the in stallation warrants it, the depart- f O R OC T OB E R , 19S4 u m art 11cmcl must appoint a reliable monitor to watch the operation for the full time the work is in progress. Armed with a suitable extinguisher he should remain at the welding site about a half hour afterwards to watch for any vagrant slugs that escaped his notice while the work proceeded. Failure to do that re sulted in a 2 million dollar fire that raged for two days in a warehouse. Oxygen and acetylene hose should be inspected and pres>ure tested every 60 days and no one but the authorized shop individuals should nuke up the connectors of the suit able right and left hand threads. Patching is ruled out at any time. Tape, no matter how well applied, never made an acceptable seal. It merely covers up a bad situation that leaks gas to fill a room with an ex plosive mixture, or permits the hose to catch fire as the leaking jet of acetylene contacts a spark. Usually, it's only a matter of seconds before the jetting flame bums through the adjoining oxygen hose and then the welder had better sprint fast for the Oxygtn cytindtf tht ip lo d td btciuM of iposur fo Kt and tofioning of Ud 24 regulator valves. The burning rub ber and the incomplete combustion of the acetylene can literally fill up a room with floating carbon, like a "black" snow storm. In one Tennessee plant the oxygen hose hurst with such violence that it caused the rupture of an car drum. The rigger who was cutting struc tural steel had run the pressure on the regulator up too high and was using the torch valve to control the pressure in balance with his acety lene supply. In another instance, a gauge exploded violently blowing out all the window's from the little repair shop, and peppering the work man with fine bits of pulverized glass from the gauge bezel. The cause? Someone unfamiliar with the hazard of the reaction between oxygen and oil had used the stand ard shop gauge for calibrating the controls on a hydraulically powered elevator. The very legible inscrip tion on the white face of the dial --"USE NO OIL"--apparently meant exactly nothing to that benighted soul. But for the shield ing effect offered by the bulk of the oxygen cylinder, the shopman would have been killed by the flying shrapnel shot out from the exploded gauge. Rupture Disks and Fusible Links One of the accompanying pictures shows the need for proper storage for all compressed gases, especially the fuel gases. The cylinder had been stored on the westerly side of a warehouse where the full rays of the summer sun beat down on it all the day long. Later, the cylinder was brought indoors to the small storage room adjacent to the shop. At the new location no overexpo sures to heat occurred, yet suddenly the storage room door was tom from its hinges, carry ing with it the door frame stops and the strike plate. A close examination of the cylinder by experts in the field of compressed gases revealed what appears to be a logical sequence of events. The ex posure to high solar heat on the outdoor platform had so softened the fusible lead plug on the safety cap that the lead extruded from the recess against the rupture disk. This slow movement of the lead caused the disk to flex and partially fail, yet the oxygen was still obstructed by the lead seal and hence did not es cape to the atmosphere. However, at some moment when the cylinder stood chained to its stanchion in the auxiliary warehouse one extruded portion of the lead seal let go and the rupture disk then failed com pletely, producing a jetting stream of oxygen downward on the ferrous nretal threads of the protective metal cap and its associated swaged-on collar. At 2,300 lbs. pressure the escap ing oxygen reacted speedily with the excellent reactive material fomied by the admixture of fine rust particles and the residual fatty materials left after years of smearing the valve threads with soap suds to check for tightness of gauges and fittings. The speed and effectiveness of the reac tion is indicated by the fact that an area the size of a silver dollar was heated to incandescence through three thicknesses of metal. The weakened metal was then forced up ward with the violence of a small volcano to splatter oxidized ferrous metal over the upper warehouse wall surface where several incipient fires were kindled on wood cross mem bers. A fire was also kindled on the wood plank which formed part of the chaining arrangement at mid point of the cylinder's length. This fire bears out the theory that the first reaction occurred as the jetting oxygen burned through the cap and collar, and so softened the cylinder wall that it failed under pressure. A check with experienced ware housemen discloses the fact that on many occasions they find cylinders completely exhausted as the result of this slow heating and softening of the lead seal above the rupture disk. The copper disk then develops a minute opening where its outer edge bears against the sharp shoul der of the valve tee to permit a slow, sometimes completely noiseless, re lease of the 400 cu. ft. of gas. While the Interstate Commerce Commis sion requires these two protective features on all cylinders to safeguard fC onflnmrf on pogt I t ) SAFCTY HAINTtNANCt HOOUCTIOH Look a t W elding ntinuod from pogo 24 } to 10 microns. (A micron is 12?,- It should be remembered that 000 of an inch). The most fre metals may produce both dusts and (C) S' lem against violent rupture in cases quently encountered dusts iu indus fumes, according to the nature of t. of fire or other exposures to unwar trial shops arc of inorganic minerals. the operation and the state of the ranted high temperatures, the user Fumes may be defined as solid materials when processed. For ex u. cl I of compressed gases should not trust to luck too long lest a serious acci dent occur. One can imagine the particles which arc formed by proc esses similar to combustion, conden sation and sublimation. The most ample, among the heavy metals, such as lead, dust may be of equal or greater importance than fumes as (d> * v. w calamity that would have resulted if common types of fumes encoun a causative factor in disease. Other (O S- this cylinder had ruptured when con tered in industry are usually caused mineral dusts and metallic dusts that j nected to an oxygen tent providing by the oxidation of metal, such as arc also considered of etiological im- j (f) S: ; some patient the life saving features the oxides of lead or zinc. Particle portancc arc: (a) toxic and or irri u: of oxygen therapy. size is usually smaller than that of tant dusts (from heavy metals and 1000 PAIRS Dusts may be defined as solid dust and ranges below one micron. their salts, such as arsenic, lead, j - (g) s . ! particles of matter which are ordi In contrast to dusts, fume particles manganese), and (b) fibrosis-pro- | U! narily produced by grinding, crush tend to join together very easily. during dusts, such as free silica and . 1c t ing, drilling or blasting, plus the Many people erroneously speak of asbestos. ] The j chipping or brushing of welds. fumes when they mean vapors of Exposure to a potentially harm is app These materials may be carried liquid materials, such as acid solu ful material is not necessarily a results about the welding shop and into tions, organic solvents, and the like. health hazard. It depends on the concei 1 other work areas unless point-of- Fumes are usually found where mol state of the material. W hether it is in eta 11 operation or first class general ven ten metals such as lead, zinc, and an actual health hazard can only be zinc a: , tilation is provided. Tire size of the cadmium arc being processed or determined by an industrial hygiene thougl particles varies from what is called used in industrial operations. W eld engineering survey, in which the from t ultra-microscopic to those which are ing may produce fumes of the metals amount and kind of exposure is oxide visible. From a hygiene standpoint, which are being welded or fumes rated, according to accepted stand not a the significant particle size of dust and gases from the variegated coat ards of concentration, size, and should ranges from a fraction of a micron ings of weld rods. quality of dusts and fumes. Many of the such a' persons erroneously state that there manga is, a "lead hazard," for example, poison when it is only known that con The tact is being made with lead. hours The importance of air contamina leavim tion will be evident when it is real drvnes ized the pathologic effects produced follow^ by dusts and fumes are brought ing of about almost entirely by inhalation. tempo One costly FOOT They ore Puncture Proof There is one outstanding exception, the absorption through the skin of lead in the form of tetraethyl lead, ing, ai of the ACCIDENT could sure fc have paid for which is of course a fluid. No dusts, symptc so far as is known, produce any hours systemic pathological conditions that tl of WOODEN SOLES from skin absorption, and it is doubtful that any kind of true fume the fo! nity is Reece has a shoe or is absorbed by the skin. 1 workci sandal to fit your From the etiologic point of view, be los needs. particularly with reference to patho logic effects', the following outline coutin For See them at shows how different types of sub stances among the dusts and fumes only 1; along < BOOTH 115 act on the various systems in the body to produce pathological effects. filter t; welder The lists arc not complete; just typi ing tl cal examples are shown. filter i (a) General system poisoning: Ar filter ) senic, lead, mercury, vanadium. the ait Dpt. SM-IO Columb, Nebraska (N r M a lli, w* Koy # X-S3 as card M peg* Ml (b) Substances acting on the gastro intestinal system: Antimony, The ployed SAfiTY HAiNllNANCt & PRODUCTION POR C cadmium, lead, mercury, zinc. (c) Substances acting on the skele ton and joints: Lead, mercury, mesothorium, phosphorus, ra dium. (d) Substances acting on organs of special sense: Arsenic, lead, manganese, mercury. (c) Substances acting as fatal poisons: Lead, mcrcurv. (f) Substances acting on the genito urinari system: Arsenic, lead, mercurv, vanadium. (g) Substances acting on the brain and nervous systems: Arsenic, lead, manganese. The name, "Metal Fume Fever," is applied to the condition which results from breathing fairly heavy concentrations of freshly formed metallic oxide fumes, principally zinc and one of its alloys, brass, al though the condition may result from the inhalation of other metallic oxide fumes. Metal fume fever is not a systemic poisoning, but it should be borne in mind that some of the metallic fumes that cause it, such as lead, cadmium, mercury, and manganese, may also cause systemic poisoning. The symptoms come on some hours after exposure, usually after leaving work. Tire first sign is a dryness of the throat, which mav be followed by a dry cough and a feel ing of heaviness in the chest. Rise of temperature, accompanied by sweat ing, and lcucocvtosis and elevation of the pulse rate and the blood pres sure follow, usually with chills. The symptoms ordinarily pass in 12 or 24 hours and the usual experience is that the employee Tcturns to work the following day. A natural immu nity is conferred on certain types of workers, but the immunity' seems to be lost rapidly after removal from continuous exposure. For ordinary conditions in which only limited dusts arc encountered along with a fume condition, simple filter type respirators wall protect the welder against the hazard of breath ing these dusts and fumes. The filter is made of chemically treated filter paper or felt through which the air is inhaled. ( The particular type of filter em ployed will depend upon the kind r " S' NoIm (aval* or no obstacle to this safety signal) Nall mills, beilsr fac tories, shuttle rooms no longer pre sent a signalling problem. L Forget NOISE! 27S BEACON RAY The warning beam of light from this Beacon Ray will penetrate through any noise levels! Rotating through 360 this concentrated beam will reflect off any bright surface to warn the unwary even though they may be facing the other way. With or without audible signals in service a Beacon Ray with The warning beam of light from this Beacon Ray w>ll penetrate An audible signal will foil to do this. Write for full details on the new low-cost Federal 27S Beacon Ray warning light. FEDERAL SIGN Form erly: Federal Enterpriie, Inc. and S IG N A L C o rp o ra tio n 7 3 1 SO U TH S TA TI 5 T S IIT CHICAGO 19, ILLINOIS ra n P IS I trior O r r a iii, us K ey # X54 on co rd on pog# ?VJ h ea v y ou^r HEEL Assthsr SCIENTIFIC INDUSTRIAL Sifsty Suggsslion! FLEXIBLE STEEL INSOLE SAFETY BOOT Not tfo tp e d a l w M y fooftirtt of this boot . . . detlgnod for rugged uo undor wot working condition!. Six! 4 to !3. A v o iU b lt. In Plain To Knee Boot ond $tl Too Safety lo o t. O N LY O N I r riM IN TH IS C O M P LFT I LIN E . Asboitos Glove Convoi Glove le ath e r Glove Plastic G 'o * i Rubber Gloves Rubber Apron Rubber Boot! Rubber Shoes Eervalv Finger Guard Protective Clothing W iping Cloths nem itsTtn SCIENTIFIC INDUSTRIAL supply CO. OUTY ME 2VSB S. Vernon A v ,, Chlcogo t i , III. Se# Ut of the Notion/ Safety C o n g re B O O TH 303 (F o r de+ofl, as# Key # X -5 oe cord on page V f) /of contaminant present in the air. Since it takes less of the more toxic materials such as lead to affect the wearer than the harmful amounts of fibrosis producing dusts, a more effi cient filter will have to be used against toxic dusts than against fibrosis producing and nuisance 'dusts. J The United States Bureau of Mines tests respiratory protective de vices against various air contami- nants under carefully controlled con ditions. Devices meeting its tests receive that Bureau's official ap proval, and this is indicated by ap proval numbers on the device and a reproduction of the certificate on the package. Equipment approved by the U. S. Bureau of Mines for the particular contaminant or class of contaminants in the air should be used. P mI wfpb bv f o w i n v o f: T o p -- K aiser S e rv ic e ; Bolton (I, S. Atom tnrrK> Com m iion. 17