Hello All, Tim's post on argon brought me to thinking about some things that have to do with safety that I feel are generally really understated. For many of those in the trades, a portion of the work that is done falls under the shut-down regimen. One jobsite to the next, a different type of plant, a different type of work, not generally too much of the same, at least not for some. So as these folks travel from one challenge to the next what are the precautions and preventions that are in place to safeguard their well being when we are talking about hazards? Certainly there are the pre-job meetings or the hire-on safety sessions, but do these happenings really cover all of the items that they should? Are most folks aware of the lock-out/tag-out methods required by the facilities they are working in? Many folks think in terms of electrical when you mention lock-out/tag-out, some don't realize this can include any system that has the capability to retain or release energy, hydraulics, pneumatics, steam, fluids, etc. Do they know the types of chemicals, gases, or compounds that are contained by the items that they might be working on, or the specific safety precautions that apply to these? Are they aware of the evacuation procedures or routes that might be in place for a specific facility due to the possible dangers that could come about due to fires, containment issues, or gaseous releases?
     I brought this topic up partially because I have a number of students that will constantly be leaving the facility where I teach and they will end up going to work in any number of different places. Unless someone takes the time to carefully explain all of the known hazards of a particular job setting to them they could be a victim of ignorance and pay for it with their lives or their well-being. I said known hazards because sometimes even in the best thought-out scenarios there can be unseen issues.
     As to the unseen issues, quite some years ago I recall reading a story of a fabrication facility that had an unexplained occurance of sicknesses among a large number of their workers. Initially the story described a large number of workers having to be sent to local hospitals and doctors to try to determine what was making them sick. All of these individuals were welders/fitters or others working in the same area as the welders/fitters. Upon further investigation it was determined that a large door that had seperated a prep area from the fabrication area had been left open and a particular type of solvent that was being used in the prep area was able to make it's way over into the fabrication area by way of fumes. These fumes were then acted upon by the welding arc and produced phosgene gas which in turn made the workers very ill and very possibly could have killed them.
     How many times have you heard individuals refer to the gas being expelled from an oxygen cylinder as "air"? I hear it all the time and I'm sure many of you out there do as well. Seems like a simple thing, so why worry about it? Example: stainless pipe welding project, 24" pipe, sugaring on the root pass, not detected until numerous additional sections had already been added on making access to the root a bit of an issue. Helper is instructed to enter the pipe to grind out the bad spots so that a welder can enter and make the repairs. He goes ahead and gets on a skate and rolls back inside the pipe with a grinder and a light in hand, after a short period of time he signals to be pulled back out. He's having a hard time breathing and says he needs some "air" to help him breathe better. Someone goes to get some compressed breathing air and can't find any so that individual grabs the next best thing "oxygen", it's air right? They hook him up with a line, set the flow so that he can get plenty of "air" and send him back in to complete the task. Very shortly afterwards they receive a very frantic signal to pull him out, as they try to do that the rope breaks, it has been burned in two by the fire that ensued when he began grinding and the sparks ignited his oxygen saturated clothing. He did not survive. This is a gruesome example of the sort of things that can happen when there is not a clear picture of what is safe and what isn't.
     I had a personal experience that came about because I wasn't given all the information of the chemicals and substances that were present on a jobsite and the types of injury that they could cause. I was working in a french fry plant, took the potatoes and processed them to make french fries. Plenty of stainless steel piping, machinery, etc. Wouldn't really think there were many dangerous chemicals in this environment. Except, since this is food related there are chemicals that are used to clean and sterilize all of this equipment and piping. High alkaline and acidic solutions for some of the cleaning and sterilization of the various systems. Manage to position myself under a particular pipe joint that was leaking a highly alkaline solution, didn't realize it immediately, might not have recognized anyway since it looked just like water. Long story short, I worked out the day and went back to my room to shower and go get some dinner, as I passed by the mirror I noticed a spot on one of my shoulders. As I looked at it more closely I came to realize it was a chemical burn, probably 3/8" of an inch in diameter and nearly a 1/4" deep. I had experienced some irritation from the shoulder strap of my Carhartts but didn't noticed it that much at the time. This all could have been much worse, fortunately not "this time".
     I'm sure that I could go on for quite some time giving different examples of any number of occurences that can be preventable with the right information and an awareness of safety concerns. I would say that all of us have an obligation to let others know of some of the hidden or obvious safety concerns around us whenever we have the opportunity. Best regards, Allan