Oregon Administrative Rules › Chapter 437 - DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AND BUSINESS SERVICES, OREGON OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH DIVISION › Division 2 - GENERAL OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH RULES › Section 437-002-2253 - Oxygen-fuel Gas Welding and Cutting

Current through Register Vol. 63, No. 7, July 1, 2024
(1) Scope and Application.
These rules apply to safe practices for users of oxy-fuel gas
				for welding, cutting, soldering, brazing, flame coating (thermal spraying),
				related materials and equipment, in general industry and construction. This
				rule does not apply to agriculture, forest activities, or maritime
				industries.
(2) Definitions.
(a) Apparatus - Includes regulators, hoses,
			 connections (fittings), torches, manifolds and safety devices.
(b) Approved - Means listed or approved by a
			 nationally recognized testing laboratory. Refer to 1910.7 for definitions and
			 requirements for a nationally recognized testing laboratory.
(c) Attended - When a trained employee or
			 qualified person is within sight of and can maintain control of the
			 torch.
(d) Brazing - Is a metal
			 joining process where filler metal is heated to join two or more close-fitting
			 metal parts. It is similar to soldering but the temperatures used to melt the
			 filler metal at or above 800°F.
(e) Burners - A type of torch system usually
			 designed for stationary use at the bench or lathe. The material being worked,
			 such as glass, is moved into and around the flame. Flame size is determined by
			 valves that adjust the flow and mix of fuel gas and oxygen.
(f) Check valve (reverse flow check valve) -
			 A device designed to prevent the unintentional backflow of gases.
NOTE: Reverse flow check valves alone will not stop a flashback
				in the system.
(g)
			 Compartment (inside) - Is within an enclosed vehicle and opens to the
			 inside.
(h) Compartment (outside) -
			 Is recessed or built into an enclosed vehicle but opens to the outside of the
			 enclosed vehicle. This compartment seals the compressed gases from entering the
			 vehicle compartment and is vented to the outside of the vehicle.
(i) Competent person - one who is capable of
			 identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working
			 conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and who
			 has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate
			 them.
(j) Confined space - A space
			 that meets all of the following:
(A) Large
			 enough and so configured that an employee can fully enter the space and perform
			 work.
(B) Has limited or restricted
			 means for entry or exit.
(C) Is not
			 designed for continuous human occupancy.
(k) Containers (compressed, liquefied and
			 dissolved gas) - Cylinders, portable tanks, non-refillable cylinders, or
			 stationary tanks, consisting of various shapes and sizes that are designed and
			 constructed to meet ASME, TC or DOT specification.
(l) Crack (Cracking) - Opening a cylinder
			 valve slightly and immediately closing it prior to attaching a pressure
			 reducing regulator. This is an approved process that applies only to oxygen
			 cylinders.
(m) Cutting (oxy-fuel
			 cutting) - A process where a cutting torch is used to heat metal to kindling
			 temperature. A stream of oxygen is then trained on the metal, and metal burns
			 in that oxygen and then flows out of the cut.
(n) Cylinder(s) - An approved DOT portable
			 container used for transportation and storage of compressed gas. Generally a
			 cylinder is a compressed gas container having a maximum water capacity of 454
			 kg (1000 lbs).
(o) Drop Test - A
			 method using compressed gas cylinder (container) pressure to test connected
			 regulators, hoses, torch and connections for leaks.
(p) Enclosed space - Spaces that are
			 surrounded by something and the only openings are access openings, for example,
			 drawers, closets, unventilated cabinets, automobile trunks, unventilated
			 cylinder compartments or toolboxes.
(q) Enclosed vehicle - Includes but is not
			 limited to the interior of automobiles, automobile trunks, vans, or in any
			 enclosed truck or trailer.
(r)
			 Flame coating (thermal spraying) - The use of oxygen and fuel gases to apply
			 fine metallic or nonmetallic materials in a molten or semi-molten condition to
			 form a coating. The coating material may be in the form of powder, ceramic-rod,
			 wire, or molten materials.
(s)
			 Flashback (flame) arrestor - A device that prevents the propagation of a flame
			 upstream.
(t) Fuel Gas - A
			 flammable product or mixture of products used in welding, cutting and heating
			 processes. Commonly used fuel gases are available in compressed gases,
			 liquefied and liquefied mixtures, acetylene dissolved, and gasoline.
(u) Handling - Moving, connecting, or
			 disconnecting oxygen and fuel gas containers under normal conditions.
(v) Leak test - The application of a liquid
			 solution, or the use of other methods, to verify that oxygen and fuel gas
			 cylinders and apparatus do not leak. Solutions must be compatible with the gas
			 being used.
(w) Manifold - An
			 apparatus designed to connect two or more cylinders for use. In construction
			 this may mean that two cylinders or more are connected by pigtails to form a
			 manifold.
(x) Moving cylinders -
			 The movement of a cylinder(s) from one location to another at the worksite or
			 place of business.
(y) Periodic
			 Inspection - An inspection that is made at least once per quarter.
(z) Portable Cylinder banks - Multiple
			 cylinders manifolded together on a portable frame.
(aa) PSIG (Gauge Pressure) - Pressure above
			 or below local atmospheric pressure displayed as pounds per square
			 inch.
(bb) Secure - Arrange to
			 prevent movement (including lashing and chaining), or a minimum of three points
			 of contact with other cylinders or walls.
(cc) Special truck - A vehicle or cart that
			 is designed for the specific purpose of moving compressed, dissolved and
			 liquefied gas cylinders in a stable manner.
(dd) Stored - Cylinders without attached
			 regulators, cylinders not secured to a workstation, or cylinders that have not
			 been used for 24 hours or more will be considered stored. This does not include
			 cylinders secured on a cart.
NOTE 1: No more than one additional set of cylinders may be
				secured to a workstation.
NOTE 2: Cylinders, with or without regulators, kept in or on
				vehicles due to their frequency of use will not be considered as stored when a
				leak test is performed at the end of the day. When cylinders are used during
				multiple shifts, they must be leak tested at the end of each shift.
(ee) Soldering - Is a metal
			 joining process where filler metal is heated to join two or more close-fitting
			 metal parts. It is similar to brazing but the temperatures used to melt the
			 filler metal are below 800°F.
(ff) Supervisory personnel (supervisor) - An
			 agent of the employer such as a manager, superintendent, foreperson, or person
			 in charge of all or part of the place of employment who directs the work
			 activities of one or more employees.
(gg) Torches:
(A) (Pre-mix) - Oxygen and fuel gases are
			 mixed in a chamber within the torch body.
(B) (Surface-mix) - Oxygen and fuel gases are
			 mixed at the torch tip.
(hh) Transporting cylinders - Any cylinder
			 movement by a vehicle to a worksite or place of business.
NOTE 1: A cylinder(s) loaded into a vehicle for movement to a
				worksite or place of business is not in storage.
NOTE 2: Requirements for the separation of oxidizers and fuel
				gases do not apply when cylinders are being transported to a work site or place
				of business.
(ii) Use -
			 Withdrawing and using the gas in a non-recoverable manner for applications
			 other than manufacturing or repackaging of compressed gasses.
(jj) Valve end up - The tops of all acetylene
			 cylinders are elevated so that the cylinders are inclined at an angle of not
			 less than 30 degrees from horizontal (to protect against loss of
			 acetone).
(kk) Welder and welding
			 operator - One who operates electric or gas welding and cutting
			 equipment.
(ll) Welding (oxy-fuel
			 welding) - A process using fuel gases and oxygen to weld metals. Welded metal
			 occurs when two pieces are heated to a temperature that produces a shared pool
			 of molten metal. The molten pool is generally supplied with additional metal
			 called filler. Filler material depends upon the metals to be welded.