Monthly welding safety reminder

Well, if you haven’t straightened up your shop in a while, this time of year is the perfect time to do some early spring cleaning, before the busy season starts.Taking care of clutter is important. Looking over my own shop from the past year, even though it’s had a few stem to stern cleanings already over the past year, I see stuff that has gotten put in the corners that could possibly be a fire hazard or just simply does not need to be there. Shop corners are pyromaniacs and like to start a lot of fires in welding shops, because they are attention hounds and don’t like being ignored. Not really, but what is in the shop corners are often forgotten and it is the last place that is checked and is the cause of a lot of smoldering fires that start long after business hours are over. And shop corners tend to collect the flying sparks, dropping them down onto whatever is on the floor in the corner. Be sure to make sure your shop rags are probably disposed of in a fire proof container, with a functioning cover.Also make sure that any wood or fibrous material is removed from the corners. Of course, whenever you are welding alone, it is good to stop every few minutes, looking around to see if anything is smoking or on fire. If possible have someone to keep a look out for spark travel direction and the possibility of any fire. It’s hard to notice these things while the hood is down and smoke is rising from the weld.In general, always be vigilant or slack in your shop maintenance. Don’t let things pile up to clean for a rainy day and for sure check the shop thoroughly, especially the corners before the lights go out at night and the place is locked up.