Hot Work Safety and Best Practices - An Overview of NFPA 51B

Presenter Guy Colonna of NFPA discusses hot work hazards - using examples from incidents, highlight hazards from ignition sources and fuel sources and consequences when inadequate safeguards are taken to separate or control these hazards.
Regulations and consensus standards - identify OSHA, American Welding Society (ANSI Z49.1), and NFPA 51B as primary sources for requirements and best practices for establishing hot work safety program.
NFPA 51B, Standard for Fire Prevention During Welding, Cutting, and Other Hot Work. Describe key features in standard, including the hot work team - permit authorizing individual, hot work operator, and fire watch and the hot work permit.
Outline hot work safe practices - use of designated areas, moving combustibles when possible, separation (35 foot rule), or shielding. Discuss new information regarding shielding based upon approval of new ANSI standard (ANSI/FM 4950, Welding Pads, Welding Blankets, and Welding Curtains for Hot Work Operations) which now ensures use of listed or approved blankets or pads for hot work protection when shielding combustibles that cannot be moved or relocated. Revision to NFPA 51B scheduled to take effect in 2008 recognizes the new listing standard for these items.
We will also highlight other possible changes to the standard.