Safety hazards and prevention while soldering. SGTC

1. Soldering Safely

2. Safety In Any Situation is Based On Two
Key Elements.
1. Awareness.
– Awareness of what the potential hazards are.
– Awareness while performing the task, meaning not being distracted or
unfocused.
– Awareness of how you will respond to a potential hazard.
2. Prevention.
– Prevention involves taking steps to actively remove risks and potential hazards
from a situation.
– Prevention is about what you do before and after you do the work.

3. Potential Hazards when soldering.
▪ The soldering irons you will use in this course will be operated
between 700-850 degrees Fahrenheit.This means that there are two
groups of hazards related to heat.
1. Burns.
– The soldering iron temperature is hot enough to instantly cause 3rd degree burns
if it touches your skin directly.
– Also soldering involves molten metal alloys that are hot enough to be in a liquid
state that can fall, run, and splash.
2. Fire.
– The temperature is hot enough to ignite paper, wood, cardboard, and certain
plastics.Also there are many chemicals that have a flash point low enough to
ignite at the temperatures the soldering iron may reach, especially oils and
solvents.

4. Burn Prevention.
1. Always use a sturdy iron stand to hold
the iron when you are not using it and
leave it there whenever you are not
actively soldering.
2. Always grab the iron by the plastic
handle, never the metal barrel.
3. Be mindful of your surroundings and
how you are pointing the iron.
4. Wear closed toe shoes and pants to
prevent your legs and feet from
getting burned by falling solder.
5. Use tools to hold wires and parts that
may get hot, not your fingers.
6. If you drop a soldering iron or it rolls,
do not try to catch it. Let it fall and
stop moving before carefully picking
it up.

5. Fire prevention when soldering.
1. Clean up your workstation
before during and after
soldering removing clutter and
flammable materials.
2. Always put the iron in a stand,
never lay it down on a table top
or other surface.
3. Make sure any chemicals such as
flux remover is completely
wiped away and dry before
soldering.
4. Always turn off or unplug
soldering irons as soon as you
are done soldering.

6. Other hazards and prevention.
▪ Chemical hazards.
– Lead.While it is becoming less common, many solders still contain lead which
like other heavy metals can be hazardous if ingested. Make sure you wash your
hands thoroughly.Also women who are pregnant should avoid handling lead
solders and breathing soldering fumes.
– Flux and soldering fumes. Flux is a chemical or organic substance used to clean
and prevent oxygen from reaching the joint.This material can release fumes and
smoke during soldering that can irritate the throat and lungs. Make sure to
solder in well ventilated areas and avoid putting your face over the parts you are
soldering.

7. Personal Protection Equipment.
▪ Safety Glasses!
▪ The flux and solder has a tendency to
spit and pop as you use it.This causes
little bits of molten metal and
superheated liquids to become
airborne.Also wires that may be
under tension, especially when de-
soldering can fling molten solder
when they are released.
▪ It is mandatory that you wear safety
glass while soldering or observing
soldering in this class.Anyone who
does not follow this will be dropped
from the class and have to repeat the
course.

8. Finally:
▪ No playing around.There is a time and place for joking and playing,
but it does not need to happen when there is the potential for injury
or fire. Respect those working around you and do not invade each
other's work spaces.