Washington Administrative Code › Title 296 - Labor and Industries, Department of › Chapter 296-24 - General safety and health standards › Part I - WELDING, CUTTING AND BRAZING › Section 296-24-69003 - Spot and seam welding machines (nonportable)

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
(1)
Voltage.
All external weld
				initiating control circuits must operate on low voltage, not over 120
				volts.
(2)
Capacitor
				welding.
You must suitably insulate or protect stored energy or
				capacitor discharge type of resistance welding equipment and control panels
				involving high voltage (over 550 volts) by complete enclosures, all doors of
				which you must provide with suitable interlocks and contacts wired into the
				control circuit (similar to elevator interlocks). Such interlocks or contacts
				must be so designed as to effectively interrupt power and short circuit all
				capacitors when the door or panel is open. You must install a manually operated
				switch or suitable positive device, in addition to the mechanical interlocks
				or contacts, as an added safety measure assuring absolute discharge of all
				capacitors.
(3)
Interlocks.
You must keep all
				doors and access panels of all resistance welding machines and control panels
				locked and interlocked to prevent access, by unauthorized persons, to live
				portions of the equipment.
(4)
Guarding.
You must
				effectively safeguard all press welding machine operations, where there is a
				possibility of the operator's fingers being under the point of operation,
				according to the machine safety requirements in WAC
				296-806-20044 through
				296-806-20054. You must protect
				all chains, gears, operating bus linkage, and belts by adequate guards, in
				accordance with the machine safety requirements in WAC
				296-806-20042.
(5)
Shields.
The hazard of
				flying sparks must be, wherever practical, eliminated by installing a shield
				guard of safety glass or suitable fire-resistant plastic at the point of
				operation. You must install additional shields or curtains as necessary to
				protect passing persons from flying sparks. (See WAC
				296-24-70003(1)(c).)
(6)
Foot switches.
You must
				guard all foot switches to prevent accidental operation of the
				machine.
(7)
Stop
				buttons.
You must provide two or more safety emergency stop buttons on
				all special multispot welding machines, including 2-post and 4-post weld
				presses.
(8)
Safety
				pins.
On large machines, you must provide four safety pins with plugs
				and receptacles (one in each corner) so that when safety pins are removed and
				inserted in the ram or platen, the press becomes inoperative.
(9)
Grounding.
Where technically
				practical, you must ground the secondary of all welding transformers used in
				multispot, protection and seam welding machines . This may be done by
				permanently grounding one side of the welding secondary current circuit. Where
				not technically practical, a center tapped grounding reactor connected across
				the secondary or the use of a safety disconnect switch in conjunction with the
				welding control are acceptable alternates. You must arrange safety disconnect
				to open both sides of the line when welding current is not present.
Statutory Authority:
					 RCW
					  49.17.010,
					 49.17.040,
					 49.17.050, and
					 49.17.060. 04-14-028, §
					 296-24-69003, filed 6/29/04, effective 1/1/05; Order 73-5, § 296-24-69003,
					 filed 5/9/73 and Order 73-4, § 296-24-69003, filed
					 5/7/73.