[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 29, Volume 8]
[Revised as of July 1, 2007]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 29CFR1926.354]

[Page 243]
 
                             TITLE 29--LABOR
 
CHAPTER XVII--OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT 
                                OF LABOR
 
PART 1926_SAFETY AND HEALTH REGULATIONS FOR CONSTRUCTION--Table of Contents
 
                      Subpart J_Welding and Cutting
 
Sec. 1926.354  Welding, cutting, and heating in way of preservative coatings.

    (a) Before welding, cutting, or heating is commenced on any surface 
covered by a preservative coating whose flammability is not known, a 
test shall be made by a competent person to determine its flammability. 
Preservative coatings shall be considered to be highly flammable when 
scrapings burn with extreme rapidity.
    (b) Precautions shall be taken to prevent ignition of highly 
flammable hardened preservative coatings. When coatings are determined 
to be highly flammable, they shall be stripped from the area to be 
heated to prevent ignition.
    (c) Protection against toxic preservative coatings: (1) In enclosed 
spaces, all surfaces covered with toxic preservatives shall be stripped 
of all toxic coatings for a distance of at least 4 inches from the area 
of heat application, or the employees shall be protected by air line 
respirators, meeting the requirements of subpart E of this part.
    (2) In the open air, employees shall be protected by a respirator, 
in accordance with requirements of subpart E of this part.
    (d) The preservative coatings shall be removed a sufficient distance 
from the area to be heated to ensure that the temperature of the 
unstripped metal will not be appreciably raised. Artificial cooling of 
the metal surrounding the heating area may be used to limit the size of 
the area required to be cleaned.