Internal Technical Document

VIETNAMESE STANDARD 3146-1986

Vietnamese standard TCVN3146:1986

Group…..
This standard is compulsory to be fully applied.

Electrical welding – General requirement on the safety

This standard supersede TCVN 3146:1979 and regulating general requirements

on safety for the electrical welding in the production sectors. For the electrical
welding in special conditions (electrical welding in mining, electrical welding
under water. Apart from these regulations, it is also necessary to follow other
regulations in concern).
1. General regulations.
1.1. Electrical welding works may be organized in a fix manner in workshops,
in outdoor areas having the professional equipment of welding, or this
may be temporarily organized even in works under going construction, or
in the equipment in scope of the enterprises.
1.2. Selection of the welding technology and process must secure the safety
as well as it is necessary to consider the possibility of arising the
dangerous factors as well as harmful ones (possibility of accidents and
injuries in mechanical, electrical shocking, dust and toxic gases and
vapour, heat thermal radiation, infrared and ultraviolet, noise and
vibration), at the same time it is also necessary to adopt the technical and
safety measures and precautions as well as labour hygiene in order to
eradicate them.
1.3. Implementation of the electrical welding in places having a danger of fire
and explosion must observe all regulations on the safety as well as
prevention from fire and explosion.
1.4. Implementation of the electrical welding in rooms, tanks, chambers,
closed containers etc must have the safety measures as well as must be
agreed by the chief of the agency.

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2. Requirements for technology process.

2.1. When preparing the technological process of electrical welding, it is
necessary to estimate all measures on mechanicalizing, automation, at the
same time it is also necessary to adopt precautions and measures aiming
at minimizing and preventing from risky and dangerous factors as well as
harmful factors to the workers.
2.2. When implementing the electrical welding works, it is necessary to use
various types of welding substances, welding wires, tins coating the
soldering sticks etc…in that the welding process will not generate toxic
substances, or if providing the toxic substances, it will not exceed the
regulated and allowed levels as specified in the sanitation standards.
2.3. Equipments of electrical welding works that are used in the welding
process must be complied to all requirements of TCVN 2200: 1978 as
well as other approved legal and technical documents.
2.4. Metal cover of the welding machine must be connected for protection
(ground connection or space joint) in accordance with the available
regulations.
2.5. It is only permitted to use power to make arch welding from electrical
generator for welding, welding transformer machine and welding adapter.
Power should be supplied from the dynamic power networks, lighting
power network, Trolay power network to supply for the arch welding.
2.6. Diagram of connection of several power sources so as to supply power
for the welding arch must be secured so that voltage between the pole
power and welding parts, under condition of unloading, will not be more
than voltage of idle status of one of the welding power source.
2.7. Independent welding machines as well as welding machine groups must
be protected with fuses or automats in the source. Regarding the welding
machine group, besides the protection in the source section, it is also
necessary to provide the protection with automat on the common
conduits wires of the welding lines and fuses on each conduit wires to
each and every welding machine.

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2.8. It is permitted to use the soft conduit wires, metal bars having shape of
any profiles and cross section, but it must secure to have a sufficient
section as required, all welding sheets and the welded structures will act
as a reversed conduit wires that connect the welded parts to welding
power source. It is a ban to use ground connection, construction
structures made of metals, technological equipments that are not the
welding objects as a reversed conduits wires. Reversed conduit wires
must be connected firmly to the connection poles (use bolts for saddle).
2.9. When transporting or moving the welding machines, it is necessary to
shut down the power source that is supplied for the welding machine.
2.10. It is a ban of repairing the welding machines when they are living with
powers.
2.11. When stopping the electrical welding works, it is necessary to separate
the welding machine out of the electrical network. If the arch welding
works completes, conduit wires to the welding nipper must be also
removed out from the source and they must be put in to the brackets with
the heat-proof materials.
With the welding power source is an one-way generator, firstly it is
necessary to cut off the one-way power source circuit, then cutting off the
circuit of the alternator power source that is supplied for the engine of the
welding generator.
2.12. Electrical connection for welding machine must be done by the
electricians. Welding workers will be responsible for watching the
operation status of the welding machine during the working process. Any
trouble and accidents must be informed to the electricians.
2.13. When implementing the arch welding in manual method, it is necessary
to use the welding nipper whose handle is made of electrical-isolation
materials and heat-proof, it is also necessary to have a part for keeping
the wires, so that wires will be not removed out.
When the welding power currents is more than 600 A, it is not necessary
to use the welding nipper that of type of wire and conduction wires that is
inserted in the nipper handle.

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2.14. In structures of control parts of the welding machine, it is necessary to

write down characters, ….or having signals specifying their functions.
2.15. All control structures of the welding machine must be positioned and
carefully covered in order to avoid the closing (or cutting) in wrong
manner.
2.16. In power cabinets or welding machine set of the contact, there are parts
that transmit opened power of the primary power network, it is necessary
to have the inter-lock so as to break the powers when panel of the cabinet
is opened. In case of not having the inter-locks, the power cabinet may be
locked with normal locks, but the adjustment of the welding current must
be made by the authorized electricians.
2.17. Welding machine that connect and contact, having a process of melting
the metals, they must be equipped with the cover sheet from the metal
rays that come out in extremely hot status. At the same time, it will
secure and permitting to supervise the welding process in a safe manner.
2.18. In workshops where regularly assembling and welding huge metal
structures, they must be equipped with the assemble brackets as well as
lifting equipments.
2.19. When implementing the welding works, there will be dusts and gases
emitted out, as well as when making the welding in inside of the
containers, tanks and closed rooms, or welding large-size parts from the
outer side, it is necessary to use the local suction mouths that are mobile
having the rapid assembling parts and in a firm manner.
2.20. When making the welding works in inside of the tunnels, containers and
tanks, or closed tanks, it is a must of having the authorized and qualified
persons on techniques and safety to implement the supervision service.
Persons directly making the welding services must use the safe and
protection belts, this safety belts must be connected the conduits wires to
places of the supervisors.
When making the welding services by the alternator power source, in a
working condition that is very dangerous (in volume made of metals, in
rooms having a high decree of danger), it is necessary to use equipments

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of limiting the unloading voltage so as to secure the safety when the

workers replace the soldering sticks. In case of without such equipments,
it is necessary to use other safety equipments.
2.21. It is prohibited to implement the welding in tunnels, chambers and closed
tanks that have pressure or containing the fire and explosion – sensitive
materials.
3. Requirement for the production apartments.
3.1. Production apartment, when implementing the welding works it must be
arranged with and following the regulations included in the standard of
the sanitation and designing the work enterprise.
3.2. In the production apartments, where implement the opened arch welding,
it is necessary to place the separation sheets with the non-fire materials.
3.3. In places where need to be implemented with the power welding and
arising the toxic substances during the welding process (toxic and
poisonous welding and harmful radiations etc…) it is necessary to equip
with the rational protection means as well as implementing the
ventilation suction and supply.
3.4. Walls and equipments in welding workshops must be painted with grey
painting, yellows or green to receive the lightings, decreasing the
radiation levels of reflected arch levels. It is necessary to use types of
painting that are capable of absorbing the ultraviolet.
3.5. Requirement for the atmosphere environment.
3.5.1. In workshops having the welding parts and assembling ones, it is
necessary to secure the micro-climate conditions according to the
existing regulations and standards.
3.5.2. In all apartments of the welding workshops and assembling ones, it is
necessary to have the ventilation and supply or suction.
3.5.3. When making the welding in closed rooms and apartments, it is
necessary to implement local ventilations in places where are welded.
Sucked atmosphere must be discharged out of the supplied atmosphere
area.

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3.6. Requirement on the lighting.

3.6.1. In welding workshops and assembling ones, it is necessary to have the
common lighting systems or mixed lighting, which will secure the
lighting level according to the existing regulations.
3.6.2. Lighting when making the welding in tanks, chambers and closed
containers may use the mobile light having a voltage not more than 12 V
and must have the protection nets, or we may use the orientation light
that lights up from outer side.
Transformers used for the mobile lights must be placed in outside area of
the working rooms. Secondary coins of the transformer must be connected
for a protection. It is not permitted to use transformer for supplying the
power for mobile lighting s
3.7. It is prohibited to use or preserve the fuels, materials that are easy to be
fired and exploded in places of welding or electrical welding works.
4. Requirement on the materials, pieces of work, store and transport.
4.1. Surface of the rough pieces and parts of the welding must be dried, clean
of the painting, without rusts, oils, greases and dirty dusts. All edges and
margins of rough pieces and parts before the welding must be removed
out with trimmers.
4.2. When reducing and cleaning oils and greases on surface of the welded
objects, it is necessary to use the non-fire and explosion materials as well
as non-harmful and toxic materials.
4.3. Store, transportation and loading of the rough pieces of the welding,
welding materials and finalized products must not influence the safe
operation of the equipment, not causing the obstacles to the natural
lighting, ventilations, transportation paths, paths and roads, or restricting
the use of equipment of the fire fighting as well as other personal
protection means.
4.4. Use and store of the compressed air bottles and liquidized gases must
follow all existing regulations.
5. Requirement on arranging the production equipments.

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5.1. Distance between welding machines must be not les than 1.5 m. Distance
between automatic welding machines must be not less than 2 m.
5.2. When arranging the arch welding machines of acgong and welding in the
environment of carbonic environment, it is necessary to eradicate the
possibility of absorbing and penetrating gases to other surrounding
rooms.
5.3. Length of the electrical conduits and wires from place of supplying
primary voltages to mobile welding equipment must be not more than 10
m.
6. Requirements on organizing the working places.
6.1. Arch welding of small and medium products that have characters of
fixing must be implemented in welding specializing rooms. Walls of the
room must be made of non-fire materials, with a minimum distance of 50
mm between partition and floor.
When making the welding in the environment of protected gases, this opened
aperture must be at least 300 mm.
Area of the each welding place in the chamber must be not less than 3 m2,
among the welding places it is necessary to have the partition sheets that are
separated by non-fired materials.
6.2. Electrical welding areas must be separated from areas of other works. In
case due to requirement of the technological procedure, it will be
permitted to arrange the welding places together with that for other
works, but between these places it is necessary to put a partition that is
made of non-fire materials.
6.3. When welding the burnt products, it is permitted only one person to enter
for working. In case of the technological requirement, it is only permitted
2 persons to enter for working in the same welding part.
6.4. In places of the fixing welding as well as mobile ones, if there have not
been the precautions on the on fires, it is not necessary to implement the
electrical welding works.

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6.5. When implementing the welding on height position, it is necessary to

implement the maintenance desk made of non-fire materials (or difficult
to be fired). If there are not floors, welding workers must wear the safe
belts, at the same time they must carry with themselves a kit of the
instruments and preventive soldering sticks.
6.6. When welding on high levels that are different from each other, it is
necessary to adopt the prevention measures, not placing the extremely
hot and melting, other materials drop into the persons that are working in
beneath positions.
6.7. When implementing the electrical welding services in outdoor areas,
upper positions are welding machines and welding positions must be
roofed that made of the non-fire materials.
In case of without roof, all works must be suspended in rainy days.
7. Requirement on workers implementing the welding.
7.1. Only persons who have been trained and welding works, who are trained
in technique of the safety, and have been grant certificates to be able to
implement the electrical welding services.
7.2. Persons being recruited to work the electrical welding works, they must
be examined the healthy status and healthy condition. During the
working process, they must be examined the healthy condition
periodically.
7.3. Training of the labour protection for the electrical welding workers must
be implemented at least every 6 month.
7.4. Female workers are prohibited to implement the electrical welding works
in tunnels, tanks, and closed containers.
8. Requirement on personal protection means.
8.1. Workers of electrical welding must be equipped with enough of labour
protection cloths, welding eye wears, cloth protection sheets, shoes,
gloves and other protection means according to the regulations.

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8.2. Labour cloths used for the welding workers must be secured to anti-
flames and fire, preventing from the mechanical catalysts, hot metal dusts
as well as harmful radiations.
8.3. When welding in the working environment of having dangerous
chemicals (acids, alkali, oil products etc…), magnetic field, as well as
when welding parts that have been preliminarily burnt, welding workers
must be equipped with labour protection cloths so as to avoid these
impacting catalysts.
8.4. When in the condition of a lot of dangers that happen the dangers
(welding in tunnels, chambers, closed tansk and wet shelters etc…), apart
from the labour protection cloths, welding workers must be equipped
with gloves and electrical isolation shoes. In welding positions, it is
necessary to have the electrical-isolated carpets.
8.5. Gloves of welding workers must be made of the difficult-fired materials,
having the low electrical transmission level and impacting by the
mechanical agents.
8.6. Shoes of the welding workers must be made of the non-fired materials,
that are isolated from electrical as well and impacting by the mechanical
agents, basement must not be driven nails made of metals.
8.7. Hats and caps used for the workers must be made of non-fire materials,
and power isolation ones. In working condition of having danger of
mechanical trauma, all workers must be resist against the mechanical
impacts.
8.8. When welding in an environment of arising the toxic gases and vapours
that without the local suction machines and units, welding workers must
use a rational respiration organ protection equipment and devices.
9. Inspecting the implementation of the safe requirements.
9.1. Inspection of the environment status of the atmosphere will be
implemented by determining the concentration of toxic substances in the
atmosphere of the respiration area of the welding workers in accordance
with the existing regulations.

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9.2. Means of the personal protection must be periodically inspected

according to the technical requirements and safety techniques for each
and every metal category.
9.3. Inspecting the protection area and power isolation areas of the welding
equipment must be implemented according to the present regulations.
9.4. Inspection of the quantitative of Roughen-ray radiations used when
inspecting the quality of the welding points that must follow the present
regulations.

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