10.D Fire Protection.
10.D.01 Suitable fire extinguishing equipment of sufficient capacity must be provided in the immediate vicinity of welding or cutting operations and maintained in a state of constant readiness for immediate use. Hot work permits must be required on Government installations when welding, cutting, or heating operations are performed unless otherwise indicated by the GDA.
10.D.02 Before conducting welding or cutting operations, the area must be surveyed to ensure it is free of the following hazards:
- Combustible materials located close to the operation;
- The presence or possible generation of potentially explosive atmospheres (flammable gases, vapors, liquids, or dusts); and
- The presence or nature of an oxygen-enriched atmosphere.
10.D.03 Hierarchy of Fire Control.
Objects to be welded, cut, or heated must be:
- Moved to a location free of dangerous combustibles;
- If the work cannot be moved, all moveable fire hazards in the vicinity must be taken to a safe place (moved at least 35 ft (10.6 m) horizontally from the welding or cutting area) or the combustible material and construction must be protected from the heat, sparks, and slag of welding;
- When welding or cutting must be done in a location where combustible or flammable materials are located, inspection and authorization by the GDA must be required before such operations are begun. During welding or cutting, a fire watch must stand with a fire extinguisher equipment readily available and be trained in its use and in sounding an alarm in the event of a fire. A fire watch must be maintained for at least an hour after completion of the welding or cutting operation to extinguish possible smoldering fires. > See also Section 09.J.03.
10.D.04 When a welding, cutting, or heating operation is such that normal fire prevention precautions are not sufficient, additional qualified fire watch personnel must be assigned to guard against fire and must be instructed in anticipated fire hazards and how firefighting equipment is to be used. > See Section 09.J.03.
10.D.05 When welding or cutting is to be done over combustible flooring, the flooring must be protected by fire-resistant shielding, covered with damp sand, or kept wet. Where flooring is wet or damp, personnel operating arc welding or cutting equipment must be protected from potential shock hazards.
10.D.06 Noncombustible barriers must be installed below welding or burning operations in a shaft or raise.
10.D.07 Openings or cracks in walls, floors, or ducts within 35 ft (10.7 m) of the site of welding or cutting operations must be tightly covered to prevent the passage of sparks to adjacent areas.
10.D.08 Where welding or cutting is to be done near walls, partitions, ceilings, or roofs of combustible construction, fire resistant guards must be used to prevent ignition.
10.D.09 Where welding or cutting is to be done on a metal wall, partition, ceiling, or roof, precautions must be taken to prevent ignition, due to heat conduction or radiation, of combustibles on the other side.
10.D.10 Welding or cutting must not be done on a metal partition, wall, ceiling, or roof with a combustible covering nor on walls or partitions of combustible sandwich-type panel construction.
10.D.11 Before welding or cutting drums, tanks, or other containers and equipment that have contained hazardous materials, the containers must be thoroughly cleaned in accordance with NFPA 326 and ANSI/AWS F4.1.
10.D.12 Hot tapping or other welding or cutting on a flammable gas or liquid transmission or distribution pipeline must be performed only by personnel qualified to make hot taps and only with the permission of the GDA.
10.D.13 When welding or cutting is to be conducted near a sprinkler head, a wet cloth or equivalent protection must be used to cover the sprinkler head and then removed at the completion of the welding or cutting operation.
10.D.14 When welding or cutting in areas protected by fire detection and suppression systems, precautions must be taken to avoid accidental initiation of these systems.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
10-4. What must be done when a welding, cutting, or heating operation is such that normal fire prevention precautions are not sufficient?
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