Safety Precautions for GI Seamless Pipe Welding Operations

During the welding of GI seamless pipes in fluid pipelines, there may be some potential hazards due to various reasons. Therefore, regular safety inspections are necessary. The following are precautions for welding safety inspections.

Welding Site and Equipment Safety Inspection:

1. Check that the equipment, tools, and materials at the welding and cutting work points are neatly arranged and not randomly piled up.
2. Check that the welding site maintains necessary passageways: vehicle passageways should be at least 3 meters wide, and pedestrian passageways should be at least 1.5 meters wide.

3. Check that all welding hoses and cables are not tangled together; if tangled, they must be separated. Acetylene cylinders must not be placed horizontally, and oxygen cylinders should be upright and fixed. Gas cylinders should be removed from the work site promptly after use.
4. Check that the welding work area is sufficient. The welding work area should not be less than 4 square meters. The ground should be dry (to prevent electric shock), and the workplace should have good natural lighting or local lighting.

5. Check that all flammable and explosive materials within a 10-meter radius of the welding and cutting area have been removed. If the fire cannot be removed, reliable safety measures should be taken, such as covering with fireproof cloth, wet bags, or asbestos cloth. Spraying water is prohibited near electrical equipment. Ventilation should be checked for indoor work. When multiple welding operations are being performed or when combined with other types of work, protective screens should be installed between workstations.

6. For outdoor work sites, the following should be checked: Does the site meet the safety requirements for working at heights? In trenches, tunnels, manholes, pipe sections, and semi-enclosed areas, explosion and poisoning risks should be strictly checked using explosion detectors, toxic gas analyzers, etc. Open flames and other unsafe methods are prohibited for inspection. If there are excavated holes or trenches nearby, asbestos boards should be laid to prevent sparks from falling in.

Common Tools and Devices Safety Inspection:

1. Welding Fixtures: Check that the connection between the fixture and the welding wire is secure and that the fixture jaws are intact.
2. Welding Masks and Goggles: Check that the mask does not leak light; for automatic light-changing masks, test that the light-blocking signal response is normal.

3. Angle grinder: Check if the grinding wheel rotates normally, for any electrical leakage, and ensure the wheel is securely fixed, without cracks or damage, to prevent flying debris from injuring people during use.
4. Hammer: Check if the hammer head is loose to prevent it from flying off and causing injury during use.

5. Flat shovel and bucket: Check for sturdiness. Remove any cracks from the cutting edge immediately to prevent flying debris from injuring people.
6. Fixtures: Check all fixing devices, especially those with screws, for loose screws. If rust is present, remove the rust and lubricate; otherwise, they may malfunction during use.

Supplementary requirements for GI steel pipe welding:

When welding galvanized steel pipes, the galvanized layer will produce zinc oxide fumes when heated. Inhalation of these fumes may cause "metal fume fever" (symptoms include fever, chills, and nausea). Special attention should be paid to the following:

● Strengthen local ventilation or wear a welding-specific dust mask (with activated carbon or P100 filter cotton)
● Before welding, the galvanized layer within a 20-30mm range on both sides of the weld can be removed by grinding.

● Operators should work from upwind.

Read more: MS and GI Pipe Difference