Back in 2010, I posed the question… do the oxygen and acetylene cylinders that are being used to perform the Hot Work need to be 35′ away from the point of the Hot Work? For those who commented, it was clear they thought I was crazy. “It has never been enforced”, “I have been welding/cutting for 35 years, and never once was I concerned with those cylinders”, and “totally uncalled for, you’re trying to create a hazard” were just some of the more outspoken comments made on the post.
I even pointed out that welding gas hoses come in 50′ lengths. The shorter lengths are intended for hose reels that are connected to a gas header – NOT intended to be connected directly to the cylinder(s). And how our HW Permits must verify that the 35′ fire-safe area is clear of flammables/combustibles. If we follow the OSHA and NFPA decision-making process: if we can move the flammables/combustibles then we move them; if they can not be moved as they are a “permanent fixture”, then we have to shield them from the sparks. With this decision-making process, the Oxygen and Acetylene cylinders are “movable” and thus we should NOT allow them in the 35′ fire-safe area.
Now we can see why, with the following video of exactly why these cylinders MUST be moved outside the 35′ fire-safe area: