Why are Hot Work Alternatives becoming a crucial consideration in the industrial sector?
Why are Hot Work Alternatives becoming a crucial consideration in the industrial sector?
At least 60 families in the U.S. had to deal with the bad news that either Mom or Dad wasn’t coming home tonight.
Since 1990, the U.S. Chemical and Safety Hazard Association Board identified 60 fatalities as a result of explosions and fires from performing hot work on above ground storage tanks.
ReliablePlant features an article detailing 11 of the accidents, which display in full view the risk of not taking safety seriously.
Among the top lessons to be learned are analyzing hazards in the area and monitoring the atmosphere.
7 of the 11 accidents occurred because gas testing was not performed prior or during hot work activities!
Imagine how it feels for the family to know that if the few minutes had been spared to test the area, Mom or Dad would still be alive.
A Different Solution
The one lesson that is repeated every single time throughout the article is that if possible in hot work scenarios…
Use alternatives.
Technology has advanced a lot in the last decade, and more and more hot work alternatives are being developed.
In the case of above ground storage tanks, Forge Bonding is a bonding technology that circumvents the requirement for hot work to get your repairs done.
Machines are used to perform the bonds, using high pressures to soften the two metals and join them together. This generates very little thermal energy(well below the hot work threshold).
These bonds have also been shown to be stronger than welds, and because they are performed by a machine, you get a consistent, high quality bond every time.
Having a technology like this in your toolkit is one way you can bring innovation to your facility that helps protect your workers from the unfortunate dangers of hot work, preventing potential life-ending accidents.
Put safety first and save lives by using Forge Bonding as a hot work alternative.
