Hot work, simply put, is welding, cutting, and heating that involves fire or spark-producing tools. It has inherent dangers which are amplified in job sites like oil rigs with flammable materials nearby. Read more to understand what hot work is and how to avoid some of the risks that come with it.

Common Types 

Hot work covers a wide variety of fire and spark-producing work. The term is most frequently related to welding, burning, cutting, brazing, soldering, and grinding, commonly performed in fabrication, drilling, and servicing operations.  

Potential Hazards

Anytime fire or sparks are involved, there is a chance of ignition or explosions. These risks are dangerous, which is why there are safety regulations and permits to keep personnel and the job site safe. 

Without any safety precautions, a single spark can cause a disaster. Safety regulations require testing of the atmosphere around the job site to identify potentially hazardous materials. It is ideal to have hot work operations in an environment free from all potential hazards or halt operations that use or generate flammable materials. Unfortunately, these options are not always possible.

Hot work hazards include: 

• Oxygen – An abundance of pure oxygen in an environment is hazardous around sparks and flames.
• Fuel – Flammable and combustible gasses, solvents, and materials can easily ignite.
• Ignition Source – The source can be the hot work itself when metals and materials are heated.

Hot Work Safety Enclosure (HWSE)

One way to maintain productivity and mitigate risks is to perform hot work in a Pressurized Safety Enclosure. The pressurized enclosures will keep potentially flammable gasses and materials away from the sparks, heat, and flames used in hot work.

Our Habitats

The Petro-Habitat™ is a pressurized welding enclosure, often referred to as a habitat or HWSE. It is used to manage and control risks associated with performing hot work operations in potentially hazardous areas. Our custom-designed enclosure utilizes patented panel interlocking technology to keep all personnel and the job site safe. 

Petro-Habitats are uniquely designed to be portable, modular, and they can be constructed in less than 60 minutes by our trained technicians. This allows our habitats to be housed in tight or confined spaces to perform hot work with limited disruption to the rest of the job site.

Want to learn more about keeping the job site safe while performing hot work? Contact us – we are here to keep you safe!