According to the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, more than 21% of industrial fires and 15% of office fires begin with the ignition of flammable liquids. This risk should be taken seriously in any metal fabrication process that utilizes combustible gasses or liquids. Open flames, electrical switches, open motors, static electricity, smoking, friction, mechanical sparks, heat guns, cutting, welding and radiant heat can all be sources of a possible ignition and should be treated accordingly. Employees should never treat combustible liquids glibly. The flash point of most gasses and liquids used in the metal fabrication process are hot enough to cause instant disfigurement or death should a fire erupt.

Fire Safety Guidelines

Only the required amount of flammable materials should be in the work area at any given time. Excess materials should be stored in a separate location and retrieved only when ready to be used. All flammable liquids and gasses must be properly labeled at all times and employees should have knowledge of and ready access to the appropriate MSDS manuals should an accident occur. Special training should be provided to employees before they are allowed to work in areas that involve combustible materials.

Placing no smoking signs where they can be viewed by all visitors and employees is required and these smoking restrictions should be monitored and enforced by supervisory personnel.

roper exhaust and ventilation systems should be in installed in each work area where flammable gasses and liquids are used in order to prevent a buildup of potentially ignitable fumes. These ventilation systems should be installed approximately 12 inches above the floor level to provide adequate aeration. Federal safety regulations require six complete room-air exchanges each hour.

Fire extinguishers, sprinklers and other forms of advanced fire control must be tested, monitored and maintained on a regular basis. Do not allow employees to block access to these items with storage shelves, forklifts or other items and all storage racks and stored items should be situated well below the 12 inch ceiling clearance limitations for sprinklers and other fire control systems.

Keeping a precise log of the consumption of flammable liquids and gas helps guard against mislabeling of containers and misplaced combustible materials. These logs should be monitored by a supervisor each shift to ensure that proper safety guidelines are being followed.

Fire safety is an important part of employee training and the quality of that training can save lives in the event of an accident involving combustible materials.