Safety Tips

This is a very important area which we like to cover for anyone that’s going to operate on a plasma cutter. Since the cutting force or power of one of these machines are so strong and powerful, therefore you will want to use it with extreme caution to prevent any possible accidents from occurring.

On this page, we have provided some helpful safety tips, advice and operational guidelines. We sincerely hope that you will take some time to read it, because at the end of the day, our primary goal is to help prevent any serious harm or injuries to anyone that’s going to be doing some plasma cutting.

And Yes! You can definitely die from using such equipment if you are not careful and this is not just coming from us. There are several real life stories out there where people have actually died…..YES…DEAD….from using a plasma cutter. Read This Yourself!

Get the point?

Good!

1) Eye Protection – Since the plasma cutting arc produce highly intense flare, fumes and rays. It is very important that you wear eye protection gear such as the face welding shield or welding goggle to prevent your eyes from getting burn or damage by these rays. It is also a good practice to alert anyone that might be within close range and can expose themselves to these dangers.

2) Ear Protection – A plasma cutting system can produce high level of noise, so you will want to wear some type of ear plug to prevent any harmful pitch damaging your ear drum. Yes! Long term exposure can lead to irreversible damages!

3) Clothing – Like operating in any kind of machinery, it is very important that you wear protective clothing. As explained before, the plasma arc can produce some visible and invisible rays that can actually damage your skin, so you will want to wear clothes that will help protect your skin from these type of exposure. Another reason is because the plasma system generate a lot of voltage and electro magnetic field, so wearing the right clothing can prevent yourself from these harmful sparks, if not deadly shocks.

4) Shock Resistant Gloves – As explained above, in order for the plasma system to function, it requires a lot of voltage and therefore as the system runs, it will generate an electric circuit around the working area, mostly the cutting piece and the torch tip of the arc. You should never touch any of these or anything that’s touching these, as the shock can be extremely harmful. You will want to wear something like the shock resistant gloves to reduce the damage to the minimal, in case you accidently touch the work piece during operation.

5) Avoid Wet Environment – You should NEVER operate a plasma cutter in a wet or moist environment. This is for the very same reason that plasma cutters operates under very high voltage and exposure to wet environment and surfaces can be fatal. It is also advisable that you keep your working area dry at all times.

6) Beware of Fire – Since the whole operation generates flying spark, including but not limited to ultra violet and infrared rays. You should make sure that there are no flammable materials around you. For example dry paper, gas tank etc.

7) Toxic Gas and Air – Cutting through metal and similar materials can produce toxic fumes and gases, therefore it is ideally that you work in a well ventilated or open work area to avoid yourself from breathing in too much toxic gas which can create health problems. It is also advisable that you wear some type of respiratory protection gear, like those thin breathing masks or respirator.

8) Insulation – Avoid unnecessary electric shocks by wearing correct safety shoes and it is also important that you have a dry mat or covers where you can stand on to reduce the earth and ground physics.

9) Use Common Sense – Many safety measures are based on common sense. For example, if you believe the plasma cutting machine is broken or faulty, then please do not use it and consult or even return the product to your manufacturer for proper safety checks. This is just one example of using common sense, so please use it!

Now that you know how to operate on a cutter safely, you may want to know a little history.