Arc welding shock: leads, stinger, and ground
Electrical 5 min 29 CFR 1926.351
Why it matters
A welding machine can push enough current to hurt or kill you, and it is easy to forget that. Sweat, wet gloves, cracked leads, and a ground clamp hooked to the wrong thing are how the shock finds you.
The talk
Stick welding is low voltage compared with a panel, so people get casual. They weld in a wet trench in soaked gloves. They lean their chest on the steel they are welding. They drape the stinger over a shoulder or tuck it under an arm while they flip the hood down. They hang the stinger on a rebar cage with a rod still in it. On a hot day with sweat running, your skin lets more current through. Being wet, tired, and leaning on the work is when a shock finds you.
The rules start with the gear. Use a stinger built for arc welding and rated for the current, with the parts you grip fully insulated. Leads must be fully insulated, flexible, and sized for the job. For the first 10 feet from the stinger, the lead can't have repairs or splices unless they use standard insulated connectors or splices as good as the cable. A cable that needs repair does not get used. The machine frame has to be grounded. Never use a pipeline carrying gas or flammable liquid, or a conduit with wires in it, as your ground return. If a structure is your ground and you see sparks or heat at a joint, stop and fix the connection.
Habits matter as much as gear. When you set the stinger down, pull the rod and hang it where it can't touch you, the work, or anything metal. Don't dip a hot stinger in water to cool it. Turn the machine off when you leave for any real length of time or when you move it. Wear dry gloves, and stand on a dry mat or board when it's wet. Keep leads out of puddles and away from truck tires and sharp edges. Put the ground clamp close to the weld on clean metal. Report any bad lead, cracked stinger, or loose lug to the foreman, and tag it out of service.
Key points
- A welding machine can shock you, more so when you are wet.
- Use a stinger rated for the current, with insulated grips and jaws.
- Leads must be fully insulated, with no repairs in the first 10 feet unless done with proper insulated connectors.
- A lead that needs repair does not get used.
- Ground the machine frame.
- Never use gas or fuel pipelines or electrical conduit as the ground return.
- Pull the rod and hang the stinger safely when you set it down.
- Turn the machine off when you leave it or move it.
Do this
- Check leads, stinger, and lugs for cracks and bare spots before you start.
- Wear dry gloves and change them when they get soaked.
- Stand on something dry when the ground is wet.
- Clamp the ground close to the weld on clean metal.
- Tag and report damaged gear.
Do not do this
- Do not drape the stinger over your shoulder or tuck it under an arm.
- Do not dip a hot stinger in water.
- Do not lean your body on the steel you are welding when you are wet.
- Do not clamp the ground to a gas line, fuel line, or conduit.
- Do not use a lead with bare wire showing near the stinger.
Talk about it
- Where on this job do we weld in wet conditions, and what will we stand on?
- Where are we putting the ground clamp, and what pipes are near it?
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