Clamp Safety

In the day-to-day work of a welder, clamps are common place, essential tools and used constantly.  While Safety Mark is out on a course, Jeff stepped in to give the staff a Safety Talk today.  We thought it best to go over some safety tips surrounding clamps to avoid any possible incident with them.

5 Tips to Safety When Using Clamps

1. Instead of using an oversized clamp for a job that may need a deeper reach, use a deep-throat clamp.
2. Never use a clamp with a bend frame or spindle.
3. Clamps are to be hand torqued.  Never use pipes, hammers or pliers to tighten down.  Only use a wrench or clamps specifically designed to be wrench tightened.
4. There are clamps just for lifting.  Never substitute these for a regular duty C-clamp.
5. C-clamps are never to be used to construct scaffold or platforms for workers.