Washington Administrative Code

(1) Materials and design. (a) Piping and fittings must comply with Section 2, Industrial Gas and Air Piping Systems, of the American National Standard Code for Pressure Piping, ANSI B 31.1-1967, insofar as it does not conflict with WAC 296-24-68207 (1)(b) and (c).(b) Pipe must be…

(1) General. You must install and use only in the service for which it is approved and as recommended by the manufacturer.(2) Pressure relief devices. You must protect service piping systems by pressure relief devices set to function at not more than the design pressure of the sy…

(1) Approval and marking.(a) Generators must be of approved construction and you must plainly mark them with the maximum rate of acetylene in cubic feet per hour for which they are designed; the weight and size of carbide necessary for a single charge; the manufacturer's name and…

(1) Packaging.(a) You must contain calcium carbide in metal packages of sufficient strength to prevent rupture. The packages must be provided with a screw top or equivalent. These packages must be constructed water- and air-tight. You must not use solder in such a manner that the…

(1) Installation requirements. Installation and operation of welding, cutting, and related equipment must be done by, or under the supervision of, a competent operator to insure the personal protection of viewers and demonstrators as well as the protection from fire, of materials…

[Order 73-5, § 296-24-685, filed 5/9/73 and Order 73-4, § 296-24-685, filed 5/7/73.]

(1) Equipment selection. You must choose welding equipment for safe application to the work to be done as specified in WAC 296-24-68503.(2) Installation. You must install welding equipment safely as specified by WAC 296-24-68505.(3) Instruction. Workers designated to operate arc …

Note:Assurance of consideration of safety in design is obtainable by choosing apparatus complying with the Requirements for Electric Arc-Welding Apparatus, NEMA EW-1-1962, National Electrical Manufacturers Association or the Safety Standard for Transformer-Type Arc-Welding Machin…

(1) General. Installation including power supply must be according to the requirements of chapter 296-24 WAC Part L, and WAC 296-800-280.(2) Grounding.(a) You must ground the frame or case of the welding machine (except engine-driven machines) under the conditions and according t…

(1) General. Workers assigned to operate or maintain arc welding equipment must be acquainted with the requirements of WAC 296-24-68501 through 296-24-68505, 296-24-69501 through 296-24-69507, 296-24-70001 through 296-24-70007 and 296-24-71501 through 296-24-71525; if doing gas-s…

[Order 73-5, § 296-24-690, filed 5/9/73 and Order 73-4, § 296-24-690, filed 5/7/73.]

(1) Installation. All equipment must be installed by a qualified electrician in conformance with chapter 296-24 WAC Part L, and WAC 296-800-280. There must be a safety-type disconnecting switch or a circuit breaker or circuit interrupter to open each power circuit to the machine,…

(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 volt…

(1) Counter-balance. All portable welding guns must have suitable counter-balanced devices for supporting the guns, including cables, unless the design of the gun or fixture makes counterbalancing impractical or unnecessary.(2) Safety chains. All portable welding guns, transforme…

(1) Ventilation and flash guard. Flash welding machines must be equipped with a hood to control flying flash. In cases of high production, where materials may contain a film of oil and where toxic elements and metal fumes are given off, you must provide ventilation in accordance …

You must ensure that a job hazard analysis is made, by qualified personnel, of the operations to be performed on each welding machine to determine the safeguards and personal protective equipment that must be used for each job.[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17…

Periodic inspection must be made by qualified maintenance personnel, and records of the same maintained. You must instruct the operator to report any equipment defects to the supervisor and you must discontinue the use of the equipment until safety repairs have been completed.[St…

[Order 73-5, § 296-24-695, filed 5/9/73 and Order 73-4, § 296-24-695, filed 5/7/73.]

For elaboration of these basic precautions and of the special precautions of WAC 296-24-69503 as well as a delineation of the fire protection and prevention responsibilities of welders and cutters, their supervisors (including outside contractors) and those in management on whose…

When the nature of the work to be performed falls within the scope of WAC 296-24-69501(2) certain additional precautions may be necessary:(1) Combustible material. Wherever there are floor openings or cracks in the flooring that cannot be closed, you must take precautions so that…

(1) Used containers. You must not perform any welding, cutting, or other hot work on used drums, barrels, tanks or other containers until they have been cleaned so thoroughly as to make absolutely certain that there are no flammable materials present or any substances such as gre…

(1) Accidental contact. When arc welding is to be suspended for any substantial period of time such as during lunch or overnight, you must remove all electrodes from the holders and the holders carefully located so that accidental contact cannot occur and the machine be disconnec…

[Order 73-5, § 296-24-700, filed 5/9/73 and Order 73-4, § 296-24-700, filed 5/7/73.]

(1) Railing. You must protect a welder or helper working on platforms, scaffolds, or runways against falling. This may be accomplished by the use of railings, safety belts, life lines, or some other equally effective safeguards.(2) Welding cable. Welders must place welding cable …

(1) Selection.(a) You must use helmets or hand shields during all arc welding or arc cutting operations, excluding submerged arc welding.Goggles should also be worn during arc welding or cutting operations to provide protection from injurious rays from adjacent work, and from fly…

(1) General requirements. You must protect employees exposed to the hazards created by welding, cutting, or brazing operations by personal protective equipment in accordance with the requirements of chapter 296-24 WAC, Part I, and WAC 296-800-160. Appropriate protective clothing …

(1) General. As used herein confined space is intended to mean a relatively small or restricted space such as a tank, boiler, pressure vessel, or small compartment of a ship.(2) Ventilation. Ventilation is a prerequisite to work in confined spaces. For ventilation requirements se…

[Order 73-5, § 296-24-715, filed 5/9/73 and Order 73-4, § 296-24-715, filed 5/7/73.]

(1) Contamination. The requirements in this section have been established on the basis of the following three factors in arc and gas welding which govern the amount of contamination to which welders may be exposed:(a) Dimensions of space in which welding is to be done (with speci…

(1) General. You must provide mechanical ventilation when welding or cutting is done on metals not covered in WAC 296-24-71509 through 296-24-71523. (For specific material, see the ventilation requirements of WAC 296-24-71509 through 296-24-71523.)(a) In a space of less than 10,0…

Mechanical local exhaust ventilation may be by means of either of the following:(1) Hoods. Freely movable hoods intended to be placed by the welder as near as practicable to the work being welded and provided with a rate of airflow sufficient to maintain a velocity in the directi…

(1) Air replacement. You must adequately ventilate all welding and cutting operations carried on in confined spaces to prevent the accumulation of toxic materials or possible oxygen deficiency. This applies not only to the welder but also to helpers and other personnel in the imm…

General. In confined spaces, you must perform welding or cutting involving fluxes, coverings, or other materials which contain fluorine compounds in accordance with WAC 296-24-71507 (1) through (5). A fluorine compound is one that contains fluorine, as an element in chemical comb…

(1) Confined spaces. In confined spaces you must perform welding or cutting involving zinc-bearing base or filler metals or metals coated with zinc-bearing materials in accordance with WAC 296-24-71507 (1) through (5).(2) Indoors. Indoors, you must perform welding or cutting invo…

(1) Confined spaces. In confined spaces, you must perform welding involving lead-base metals (erroneously called lead-burning) in accordance with WAC 296-24-71507 (1) through (5).(2) Indoors. Indoors, you must perform welding involving lead-base metals in accordance with WAC 296-…

You must ensure that welding or cutting indoors, outdoors, or in confined spaces involving beryllium-containing base or filler metals is done using local exhaust ventilation and airline respirators unless atmospheric tests under the most adverse conditions have established that t…

(1) General. In confined spaces or indoors, you must perform welding or cutting operations involving cadmium-bearing or cadmium-coated base metals using local exhaust ventilation or airline respirators unless atmospheric tests under the most adverse conditions show that employee …

In confined spaces or indoors, you must perform welding or cutting operations involving metals coated with mercury-bearing materials, including paint, using local exhaust ventilation or airline respirators unless atmospheric tests under the most adverse conditions show that emplo…

(1) Manufacturer's instructions. In the use of cleaning materials, because of their possible toxicity of flammability, you must follow appropriate precautions such as manufacturer's instructions.(2) Degreasing. You must locate degreasing or other cleaning operations involving chl…

You must ensure that oxygen cutting, using either a chemical flux or iron powder or gas-shielded arc cutting of stainless steel, is done using mechanical ventilation adequate to remove the fumes generated.[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, and 49.17.060. W…

You must ensure that first-aid equipment is available at all times. On every shift of welding operations there should be present employees trained to render first aid. You must report all injuries as soon as possible for medical attention. You must render first aid until medical …

[Order 73-5, § 296-24-720, filed 5/9/73 and Order 73-4, § 296-24-720, filed 5/7/73.]

(1) General. You must observe the requirements of WAC 296-24-68501 through 296-24-68507, 296-24-70001 through 296-24-70007, and 296-24-71501 through 296-24-71525.(2) Field shop operations. Where field shop operations are involved for fabrication of fittings, river crossings, road…

(1) General. You must observe the requirements of WAC 296-24-68001, 296-24-68501 through 296-24-68507, 296-24-69501 through 296-24-69507, 296-24-70001 through 296-24-70007 and 296-24-71501 through 296-24-71525.(2) X-ray inspection. The use of X-rays and radioactive isotopes for t…

(1) You must ensure that before welding, cutting, or heating is commenced on any surface covered by a preservative coating whose flammability is not known, a test is made by a competent person to determine its flammability. You must consider preservative coatings to be highly fla…

[Order 73-5, § 296-24-735, filed 5/9/73 and Order 73-4, § 296-24-735, filed 5/7/73.]

This section applies to all permanent places of employment, except where domestic, mining, or agricultural work only is performed. Construction work is not to be deemed as a permanent place of employment. This section covers all walking-working surfaces unless specifically exclud…

As used in Part J of this chapter, the following definitions apply:Alternating tread-type stair. A type of stairway consisting of a series of treads that are usually attached to a center support in an alternating manner such that an employee typically does not have both feet on t…

(1) Surface conditions. You must ensure:(a) All places of employment, passageways, storerooms, service rooms, and walking-working surfaces are kept in a clean, orderly, and sanitary condition.Note:Sanitary condition covers hazard exposures other than slips, trips, and falls. Exam…

This section contains specifications for the safe design and construction of fixed general industrial stairs. This classification includes interior and exterior stairs around machinery, tanks, and other equipment, and stairs leading to or from floors, platforms, or pits. This sec…