Safety Standards in Bolting: Compliance and Best Practices
Safety should be the unmistakable mindset in any job or profession - and this is especially true in industries like oil and gas, refining, wind energy and petrochemical, where heavy equipment needs to be routinely serviced, maintained and repaired. Bolting is a big part of servicing the equipment in these fields, and this practice carries numerous risks that must be properly addressed to ensure safe, effective results.
In this post, we'll cover some of the safety standards in bolting to help ensure that you're working more than just effectively - but safely. Read on to learn more or contact Aztec today.
Safety Standards in Bolting: What You Need to Know
You can't just pick up your bolting tools and go to work - there's a lot more about bolting that you need to know to stay safe and work toward the best results. Here's a closer look:
PPE and Proper Attire
Any individual performing any type of bolting operation should be dressed to do it safely. This includes the likes of avoiding wearing any loose-fitting clothing as well as jewelry. Long hair should also be tied back so as not to interfere with tasks or operations. It also involves wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment, or PPE. The right PPE for any bolting job includes steel-toed shoes, safety glasses, a hard hat and hearing protection. Safety starts with being dressed to perform the job.
Tool Calibration
A big part of bolting safety is ensuring that the tools that you're using are calibrated appropriately. Tools must regularly be inspected, accredited, and calibrated annually to ensure that anyone performing such tasks can work safely. Failure to do so can also have an impact on more than just worksite safety, but on the performance and reliability of the tools you're using. Tool calibration is one of the value-added services that we're proud to offer at Aztec. We'll inspect, repair and calibrate the likes of impact wrenches, slings, chain hoists, jacks, drills and hammer drills, band saws, grinders and more so that you can continue to work safely and efficiently.
Training and Bolting Safety Standards
Before any individual performs any type of bolting operation, they need to be properly trained on how to do it safely and effectively. From OSHA courses to bolting standards, training plays a key role in successful bolting operations. There's OSHA Course 7110, "Safe Bolting: Principles and Practices," which covers the awareness professionals need to know regarding safety issues with bolting applications. And there are also standards like the API TR21TR1, "Materials Selecting for Bolting," which helps companies choose the right equipment based on the environmental conditions in which they're working and operating in.
One of the value-added services that we offer at Aztec is Controlled Bolting Training, or CBT. Receiving this training helps your teams execute any bolting operations with the knowledge and training that's required to ensure success. As an Enerpac Products-accredited firm to teach CBT, we'll instruct on bolting theory, joint components, bolt load/gasket compression, joint alignment, torque tightening and bolt tensioning. Contact us today to learn more about our CBT training and to schedule it for your team.
Contact Aztec Today
For more information about bolting compliance, bolting best practices, bolting tools safety and other bolting safety guidelines, contact us today. As a leading distributor of bolting products, we also pride ourselves on offering various other value-added services at Aztec. One of these services is on-site calibrated bolting training to help you and your team better understand critical bolting applications. Contact us today to learn more and arrange your team's bolting training.
