Friday, March 20, 2015

Common Hazards Associated With Pipe Freezing

Hot tap into valves on wellheads, tubing, trees, and on almost any application needed, with no interruption of service. Pre-planning for the job includes evaluation, procedure, equipment and safety measures because the job is not without its hazards. Risks and hazards extend beyond injury to technicians in some serious cases; Freezing Pipe incidents can lead to product loss, emissions or disruption of service to customers. What are these incidents that have been known to disrupt services and lead to loses?

Physical injuries

As in any workplace that deals with metallic objects, technicians working in a hot tapping environment are vulnerable to the physical risks of falls and trips, accidents that are caused by heavy objects falling on the feet among many other things. These can be easily avoided with a little care and adherence to workplace guides put in place by work safety and care governmental organizations. Debris flying from solid parts can very easily enter the eye or nose of a technician. Apart from that there are other hazards as well. 

Burns caused by exposure to high temperatures
 
Hot metal parts or the heat emanating from the hole-saw is enough to cause serious scalding on the skin and despite protective gear a Pipe Freezing technician may be exposed to hazards of burns if they position themselves too close to the source of heat. In very serious cases, sparks flying from welding devices have been known to catch fire. Hot chunks of metal that get caught up in clothes can cause a fire. Rolled up sleeves and frayed clothes are even at a higher risk of catching fire.