MK Products Cobramatic 42VAC - Manual (Page 5)

Cobramatic ® Safety - page iii
DON’T GET BURNED; COMPLY WITH
PRECAUTIONS.
1. Protective Clothing
Wear long-sleeve clothing in addition to gloves,
hat, and shoes. As necessary, use additional
protective clothing such as leather jacket or
sleeves, flameproof apron, and fire-resistant
leggings. Avoid outer garments of untreated
cotton.
Bare skin protection. Wear dark, substantial
clothing. Button collar to protect chest and
neck, and button pockets to prevent entry of
sparks.
2. Eye and Head Protection
Protect eyes from exposure to arc. Eyes may
be damaged by radiant energy when exposed
to the electric arc, even when not looking in the
direction of the arc. Never look at an electric
arc without protection.
Welding helmet or shield containing a filter
plate shade no. 12 or denser must be used
when welding. Place over face before striking
arc.
Protect filter plate with a clear cover plate.
Cracked or broken helmet or shield should
NOT be worn; radiation can be passed through
to cause burns.
Cracked, broken, or loose filter plates must be
replaced IMMEDIATELY. Replace clear cover
plate when broken, pitted, or spattered.
Flash goggles with side shields MUST be worn
under the helmet to give some protection to the
eyes should the helmet not be lowered over the
face before an arc is struck. Looking at an arc
momentarily with unprotected eyes (particularly
a high intensity gas-shielded arc) can cause a
retinal burn that may leave a permanent dark
area in the field of vision.
3. Protection of Nearby Personnel
Enclose the welding area. For production
welding, a separate room or enclosed bay is
best. In open areas, surround the operation
with low-reflective, noncombustible screens
or panels. Allow for free air circulation,
particularly at floor level.
Viewing the weld. Provide face shields for all
persons who will be looking directly at the weld.
Others working in area. See that all persons
are wearing flash goggles.
Before starting to weld, make sure that screen
flaps or bay doors are closed.
B. t
oxic
F
ume
P
revention
Comply with precautions in 1-2B.
Generator engine exhaust must be vented to
the outside air. Carbon monoxide can kill.
C. Fire and Explosion Prevention
Comply with precautions in 1-2C.
Equipment’s rated capacity. Do not overload
arc welding equipment. It may overheat cables
and cause a fire.
Loose cable connections may overheat or flash
and cause afire.
Never strike an arc on a cylinder or other pressure
vessel. It creates a brittle area that can cause a
violent rupture or lead to such a rupture later under
rough handling.
d. c
omPressed
G
As
e
quiPment
Comply with precautions in 1-2D.
e. s
hock
P
revention
Exposed electrically hot conductors or other bare
metal in the welding circuit, or in ungrounded,
electrically-HOT
equipment can fatally shock a person whose body
becomes a conductor. DO NOT STAND, SIT, LIE,
LEAN ON, OR TOUCH a wet surface when welding
without suitable protection.
To protect against shock:
Keep body and clothing dry. Never work in damp
area without adequate insulation against electrical
shock. Stay on a dry duckboard, or rubber mat
when dampness or sweat cannot be avoided.
Sweat, sea water, or moisture between body and
an electrically HOT part - or grounded metal -
reduces the body surface electrical resistance,
enabling dangerous and possibly lethal currents to
flow through the body.
1. Grounding the Equipment
When installing, connect the frames of each unit
such as welding power source, control, work
table, and water circulator to the building ground.
Conductors must be adequate to carry ground
currents safely. Equipment made electrically HOT
by stray currents may shock, possibly fatally. Do
NOT GROUND to electrical conduit, or to a pipe
carrying ANY gas or a flammable liquid such as oil
or fuel.
Three-phase connection. Check phase requirement
of equipment before installing. If only three-
phase power is available, connect single-phase
equipment to only two wires of the three-phase
line. Do NOT connect the equipment ground lead
to the third (live) wire, or the equipment will become
electrically HOT - a dangerous condition that can
shock, possibly fatally.
Before welding, check ground for continuity. Be
sure conductors are touching bare metal of
equipment frames at connections.
If a line cord with a ground lead is provided with
the equipment for connection to a switch box,
connect the ground lead to the grounded switch
box. If a three-prong plug is added for connection
to a grounded mating receptacle, the ground lead
must be connected to the ground prong only. If the
line cord comes with a three-prong plug, connect
to a grounded mating receptacle. Never remove
the ground prong from a plug, or use a plug with a
broken ground prong.
2. Connectors
Fully insulated lock-type connectors should be
used to join welding cable lengths.
3. Cables
Frequently inspect cables for wear, cracks, and
damage. IMMEDIATELY REPLACE those with
excessively worn or damaged insulation to avoid
possibly lethal shock from bared cable. Cables
with damaged areas may be taped to give
resistance equivalent to original cable.
Keep cable dry, free of oil and grease, and
protected from hot metal and sparks.
4. Terminals and Other Exposed Parts
Terminals and other exposed parts of electrical
units should have insulating covers secured
before operation.
5. Electrode Wire
Electrode wire becomes electrically HOT when
the power switch of gas metal-arc welding
equipment is ON and welding gun trigger is
pressed. Keep hands and body clear of wire
and other HOT parts.
6. Safety Devices
Safety devices such as interlocks and circuit
breakers should not be disconnected or
shunted out.
Before installation, inspection, or service of
equipment, shut OFF all power, and remove
line fuses (or lock or red-tag switches) to
prevent accidental turning ON of power.
Disconnect all cables from welding power
source, and pull all 115 volts line-cord plugs.
Do not open power circuit or change polarity
while welding. If, in an emergency, it must be
disconnected, guard against shock burns or
flash from switch arcing.
Leaving equipment unattended. Always shut
OFF, and disconnect all power to equipment.
Power disconnect switch must be available
near the welding power source.