§ 1915.51 - Ventilation and protection in welding, cutting and heating.

§ 1915.51 Ventilation and protection in welding, cutting and heating.

(a) The provisions of this section shall apply to all ship repairing, shipbuilding, and shipbreaking operations; except that paragraph (e) of this section shall apply only to ship repairing and shipbuilding. Paragraph (g) of this section shall apply only to ship repairing.

(b) Mechanical ventilation requirements.

(1) For purposes of this section, mechanical ventilation shall meet the following requirements:

(i) Mechanical ventilation shall consist of either general mechanical ventilation systems or local exhaust systems.

(ii) General mechanical ventilation shall be of sufficient capacity and so arranged as to produce the number of air changes necessary to maintain welding fumes and smoke within safe limits.

(iii) Local exhaust ventilation shall consist of freely movable hoods intended to be placed by the welder or burner as close as practicable to the work. This system shall be of sufficient capacity and so arranged as to remove fumes and smoke at the source and keep the concentration of them in the breathing zone within safe limits.

(iv) Contaminated air exhausted from a working space shall be discharged into the open air or otherwise clear of the source of intake air.

(v) All air replacing that withdrawn shall be clean and respirable.

(vi) Oxygen shall not be used for ventilation purposes, comfort cooling, blowing dust or dirt from clothing, or for cleaning the work area.

(c) Welding, cutting and heating in confined spaces.

(1) Except as provided in paragraphs (c)(3) and (d)(2) of this section either general ventilation meeting the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section shall be provided whenever welding, cutting or heating is performed in a confined space.

(2) The means of access shall be provided to a confined space and ventilation ducts to this space shall be arranged in accordance with § 1915.76(b) (1) and (2).

(3) When sufficient ventilation cannot be obtained without blocking the means of access, employees in the confined space shall be protected by air line respirators in accordance with the requirements of § 1915.154, and an employee on the outside of such a confined space shall be assigned to maintain communication with those working within it and to aid them in an emergency.

(d) Welding, cutting or heating of metals of toxic significance.

(1) Welding, cutting or heating in any enclosed spaces aboard the vessel involving the metals specified below shall be performed with either general mechanical or local exhaust ventilation meeting the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section:

(i) Zinc-bearing base or filler metals or metals coated with zinc-bearing materials.

(ii) Lead base metals.

(iii) Cadmium-bearing filler materials.

(iv) Chromium-bearing metals or metals coated with chromium-bearing materials.

(2) Welding, cutting or heating in any enclosed spaces aboard the vessel involving the metals specified below shall be performed with local exhaust ventilation in accordance with the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section or employees shall be protected by air line respirators in accordance with the requirements of § 1915.154:

(i) Metals containing lead, other than as an impurity, or metals coated with lead-bearing materials.

(ii) Cadmium-bearing or cadmium coated base metals.

(iii) Metals coated with mercury-bearing metals.

(iv) Beryllium-containing base or filler metals. Because of its high toxicity, work involving beryllium shall be done with both local exhaust ventilation and air line respirators.

(3) Employees performing such operations in the open air shall be protected by filter type respirators, and employees performing such operations on beryllium-containing base or filler metals shall be protected by air line respirators, in accordance with the requirements of § 1915.154.

(4) Other employees exposed to the same atmosphere as the welders or burners shall be protected in the same manner as the welder or burner.

(e) Inert-gas metal-arc welding.

(1) Since the inert-gas metal-arc welding process involves the production of ultraviolet radiation of intensities of 5 to 30 times that produced during shielded metal-arc welding, the decomposition of chlorinated solvents by ultraviolet rays, and the liberation of toxic fumes and gases, employees shall not be permitted to engage in, or be exposed to the process until the following special precautions have been taken:

(i) The use of chlorinated solvents shall be kept at least two hundred (200) feet from the exposed arc, and surfaces prepared with chlorinated solvents shall be thoroughly dry before welding is permitted on such surfaces.

(ii) Helpers and other employees in the area not protected from the arc by screening as provided in § 1915.56(e) shall be protected by filter lenses meeting the requirements of § 1915.153. When two or more welders are exposed to each other's arc, filter lens goggles of a suitable type meeting the requirements of § 1915.153 shall be worn under welding helmets or hand shields to protect the welder against flashes and radiant energy when either the helmet is lifted or the shield is removed.

(iii) Welders and other employees who are exposed to radiation shall be suitably protected so that the skin is covered completely to prevent burns and other damage by ultraviolet rays. Welding helmets and hand shields shall be free of leaks and openings, and free of highly reflective surfaces.

(iv) When inert-gas metal-arc welding is being performed on stainless steel, the requirements of paragraph (d)(2) of this section shall be met to protect against dangerous concentrations of nitrogen dioxide.

(f) General welding, cutting, and heating.

(1) Welding, cutting and heating not involving conditions or materials described in paragraph (c), (d) or (e) of this section may normally be done without mechanical ventilation or respiratory protective equipment, but where, because of unusual physical or atmospheric conditions, an unsafe accumulation of contaminants exists, suitable mechanical ventilation or respiratory protective equipment shall be provided.

(2) Employees performing any type of welding, cutting or heating shall be protected by suitable eye protective equipment in accordance with the requirements of § 1915.153.

(g) Residues and cargoes of metallic ores.

(1) Residues and cargoes of metallic ores of toxic significance shall be removed from the area or protected from the heat before ship repair work which involves welding, cutting or heating is begun.

[47 FR 16986, Apr. 20, 1982, as amended at 67 FR 44541, July 3, 2002]