The authoritative public forum
  for Metal Finishing since 1989
-----

Safety conscious welding repair of tank

I am a welder starting a new job at a chemical plant. I need some suggestions on cleaning, purging and welding a 25,000 gallion Hastelloy tank that is holding corrosive chemicals.

Daniel Hat
man doing work - Atlanta Georgia
July 15, 2011

---

Hi, Daniel.

Congratulations on the new job and on your safety-consciousness. With no disrespect, the "new guy" is probably not in the best position to evaluate what must be done, and a welder probably doesn't have as much of the necessary information as the plant's safety engineer.

You need to find out exactly what is in the tank. "Corrosive chemicals" isn't detailed enough. But, of course, you need an assistant, a harness, a number of steps in the protocol for entering a "confined space", etc. The bottom line, though, is that I don't think you should accept responsibility for the safety protocol, only for welding the metal. Best of luck.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
July 19, 2011