Chapter 4: Equipment Safety

A worker uses a large handheld angle grinder to grind welds on a wire rope.
Grinding Down a Weld / Photo Credit: Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Joshua Murray, PD

Overview

I was starting a shift on my first welding job, production welding in a factory. After picking up a new GMAW contact tube (tip) at the tool room, I hitched a ride on the forklift to my workstation. (This is a serious safety violation.) As I hopped off the forklift, the driver turned the vehicle, running me over and breaking three bones in four places. This accident and the following years of pain could have been avoided with proper training and emphasis on safety.

This chapter will discuss common safety practices related to equipment and tools you may use on the job. This is not intended to take the place of employer safety training required by law; rather it is intended to emphasize the importance of following safe work practices at all times.

Objectives

After completing this chapter students will be able to:

  • Identify unsafe practices in using hand/power tools
  • Identify unsafe practices in using heavy equipment
  • Identify unsafe practices regarding electricity and working around high voltages
  • Summarize lock out/tag out procedures

Key Terms

  • Angle grinder
  • Chipping hammer
  • Half clamp
  • Bridge clamp
  • Hoist
  • Rigging

Attributions

  1. Chapter opening image: Welding Work by Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Joshua Murray in the Public Domain; United States government work

License

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Introduction to Welding Copyright © by Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.