The document provides guidance on preparing for and conducting hot work safely. It discusses personal protective equipment, fire prevention measures, identifying hazards of hot work like sparks and explosions, and permissible versus non-permissible locations for hot work. Designated areas are approved, permanent locations where hot work can be done routinely. Controlled areas require a hot work permit after combustibles are removed or protected. Confined spaces require venting, purging of gases, and keeping cylinders and equipment outside the space.

1. PREPARATION & SAFETY
STARTERS
M O D U L E 1 : P R E S E N T I N G H O W TO P R E PA R E H O T W O R K S
A R E A S , I D E N T I F Y H A Z A R D S , & P E R M I S S I B L E L O C AT I O N S

2. PREPARATION

3. PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT
• Welders and welders’ helpers must wear appropriate eye
protection.
• Work boots should be used that do not absorb dirt and grease
which can create a flame up.
• Jeans or other heavier materials are recommended for lower
body protection.
• Welding gloves are required for hand protection.
• Lens of welding hoods, cutting goggles, and hand shields must:
• Be arranged to protect face, neck and ears from radiant energy.
• Be made of tempered glass and free of bubbles.
• Have lens shade readily identified on glass.
3

4. PREPARATION
• Fire extinguishers should be charged
and available in the immediate area.
• Air monitoring equipment should be
made available to check for
flammable atmospheres in confined
spaces or in areas that have a
potential to accumulate flammable
atmospheres.

5. PREPARATION
Fire Prevention & Protection
• NFPA 51 B – “Standard for Fire
Prevention in Use of Cutting and
Welding Processes.”
• Move all fire hazards away from
work area.
• Use guards (fire blankets, etc.) if fire
hazards cannot be moved.

6. PREPARATION
• Equipment must be in good condition and appropriate to
the task.
• Fire resistive tarpaulins, noncombustible screens, metal
shields, and fire stop material for wall or floor openings
should be provided as needed.

7. PREPARATION
• The following precautions should be taken for the area within a
35 foot radius:
• Floor should be swept and combustibles moved.
• Floors made up of combustibles should be covered with tarpaulins or other
noncombustible materials.
• Greases and oils should be cleaned up or moved.
• Flammable liquids such as paints, oils and lacquers should be removed.

8. PREPARATION
All wall openings and floor openings must be covered.
• Ductwork and duct openings must be sealed with metal covers or covered
with fire resistant tarpaulins.
• All doors must be closed or covered to prevent sparks from escaping
* Exception - If the Hot Work area can be completely screened off with
noncombustible materials to prevent sparks from escaping, the 35 foot
area would be reduced to the area within the protective barriers.

9. HOT WORK HAZARDS

10. HOT WORK HAZARDS
Flying sparks are the main cause of fires and explosions
in welding and cutting. Sparks can travel up to 35 feet
from the work area. Sparks and molten metal can travel
greater distances when falling.
Sparks can pass through or become lodged in
cracks, clothing, pipe holes, and other small openings in
floors, walls, or partitions which can cause fires to start.

11. HOT WORK HAZARDS
Combustible Materials are anything that is combustible or flammable and is
susceptible to ignition by cutting and welding. The most common materials
likely to become involved in fire are those of combustible building
construction such as the following:
1. Floors, partitions, and roofs
2. Wood, paper, textiles, plastics, chemicals, and flammable liquids and
gases, and dusts.
3. Ground cover such as grass and brush.

12. HOT WORK HAZARDS
Explosion Hazard
Welding and cutting can cause explosions in spaces containing
flammable gases, vapors, liquids, or combustible dusts, and tanks
and vessels that contain or have held flammable substances.
 Above Courtesy U.S. CSB, Tanks involved in the 2006 accident that killed three workers

13. HOT WORK HAZARDS
Physical and Health Hazards
There are many hazards to the Hot Work operator (i.e. welder)
associated with Hot Work such as:
 Burns,
 Sparks,
 Electric shock hazards,
 Optical (UV) radiation,
 Inhalation of welding fumes.
Engineering controls, personal protective equipment, and safe
work practices safeguards the welder from many physical and
health hazards.

14. HOT WORK HAZARDS SUMMARY
Hot Work can be dangerous because the tools used are highly
portable sources of ignition that can be introduced into areas
where ignition sources do not usually exist.
 Sparks, flame, or heat can travel great distances by various
means and ignite combustibles in other areas far away from the
Hot Work.
 There are also explosion, fire, and physical and health hazards
associated with Hot Work as previously reviewed.
 The goal of Hot Work safety practices is to avoid bringing
sparks, flame, or heat produced by the tool into contact with a
source of fuel.

15. HOT WORK LOCATIONS

16. HOT WORK LOCATIONS
 Hot Work is allowed in two types of locations:
1) Designated area is a permanent location approved
for routine Hot Work operations made safe by
removal of all possible sources of ignition that could
be ignited by the Hot Work tool.
2) Controlled Area is one in which safe conditions for
Hot Work exist or where safe conditions can be
created by moving or protecting combustibles.
3) Non permissible location: Hot Work is never
permitted in certain types of locations where safe
conditions do not exist and cannot be created.

17. HOT WORK LOCATIONS
Designated Area is a permanent location approved
for routine Hot Work operations made safe by
removal of all possible sources of combustion that
could be ignited by the Hot Work tool.

18. HOT WORK LOCATIONS
Controlled Area is a work area in which safe conditions for
Hot Work exist or where safe conditions can be created by
moving or protecting combustibles.
 A Hot Work permit is required in a controlled area.
 An example of a controlled area is in a building
construction area where welding must take place and the
work area has been made safe by removing all
combustibles and implementing the requirements of the
Hot Work permit in order to make it safe.

19. HOT WORK LOCATIONS
Non- Permissible
Area(s)/Location
is a location which Hot Work is
prohibited.
• Fires and explosions caused
by improperly conducted
Hot Work can have deadly
consequences.
• In the last decade their have
been numerous worker
injuries and deaths in
general industry that have
resulted from not following
proper Hot Work
procedures.

20. HOT WORK LOCATIONS
 Non-permissible welding areas:
areas not authorized by management;
sprinklered buildings while such protection is impaired;
in the presence of an explosive atmosphere, including improperly
prepared drums that once contained flammable materials and;
areas near storage of large quantities of exposed, readily ignitable
materials.

21. HOT WORK LOCATIONS
 Hot Work shall not be attempted on:
a partition, wall, ceiling or roof that has a combustible covering or
insulation, or on walls or partitions of combustible sandwich-type panel
construction and;
pipes or other metal that is in contact with combustible
walls, partitions, ceilings or roofs shall not be done if the work is close
enough to cause ignition by conduction.

22. • Workers on platforms, scaffolds or
open sided floors must be protected
from falls with:
• A guardrail system or lifeline.
• Safety harnesses with lanyards.
• Welding cable and hoses must be
kept clear of passageways, ladders
and stairways.

23. CONFINED SPACES

24. CONFINED SPACES
 To prevent accidental contact, when arc welding is to be suspended for
any substantial period of time, all electrodes shall be removed from the
holders and the holders carefully located so that accidental contact
cannot occur and the machine be disconnected from the power source.
 All spaces must be vented and purged before welding.

25. CONFINED SPACES
To eliminate the possibility of gas escaping through
leaks or improperly closed valves:
When gas welding or cutting, the torch valves shall be
closed and the gas supply to the torch positively shut
off at some point outside the confined space area
whenever the torch is not to be used for a substantial
period of time.
When practical, the torch and hose shall also be
removed from the confined space.

26. CONFINED SPACES
When welding or cutting is being performed in any confined space, the
gas cylinders and welding machines shall be left on the outside.
Before operations are started, heavy portable equipment mounted on
wheels shall be securely blocked to prevent accidental movement.

27. IMPORTANT
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