Job Hazard Analysis: Copper pipe soldering

A general example for this task. Your JHA should reflect your crew, equipment and site — review it with a competent person before work starts.

Steps, hazards and controls

1. 1. Set up the work area and check for hot work hazards

   • Fire from torch flame reaching wood framing, insulation, paper-faced drywall, or sawdustHigh
     • Use press fittings or push fittings instead of a torch where the job allows.
     • Clear combustibles at least 35 ft from the joint, or cover what can't move with a fire-resistant blanket.
     • Put a charged 2A:10B:C fire extinguisher and a spray bottle of water within reach before lighting the torch.
     • Check the other side of walls and floors for wiring, insulation, or stored material.
   • Damage to hidden electrical wiring or gas lines near the pipe runMedium
     • Locate and mark wiring and gas lines before cutting or heating.
     • Keep the flame and heat shield away from cables; ask the electrician to shut off the circuit if wiring is within 12 in.
   • Falls from a stepladder when reaching overhead pipeMedium
     • Use a 6-ft fiberglass stepladder fully opened and locked on a flat floor.
     • Do not stand on the top step or top cap; move the ladder instead of overreaching.

2. 2. Drain the line and cut the copper pipe

   • Hot water or pressure release when opening an existing lineMedium
     • Shut off and tag the supply valve and water heater, then open the lowest faucet to drain.
     • Keep your face away from the cut and have a bucket ready.
   • Cuts from sharp pipe ends and burrsLow
     • Use a wheel tubing cutter instead of a hacksaw where it fits.
     • Ream and deburr every cut end; wear cut-resistant gloves while handling cut pipe.

3. 3. Clean the pipe and fittings and apply flux

   • Skin and eye irritation from paste fluxLow
     • Read the flux SDS and label before use; use water-soluble flux.
     • Apply flux with the brush, not your fingers; wash hands before eating or smoking.
     • Wear safety glasses and nitrile gloves.

4. 4. Light the torch and solder the joints

   • Burns from the flame, hot pipe, and dripping molten solderHigh
     • Use a torch with a self-igniter and a trigger shutoff; never light it with a lighter near your hand.
     • Solder overhead joints from the side, never directly under the joint.
     • Shut the torch off and set it on its base when you stop; never lay a lit torch down.
     • Wear leather gloves, long sleeves, and safety glasses.
   • Fire from flame or heat reaching framing behind the jointHigh
     • Place a fire-resistant heat shield cloth behind every joint near wood or insulation.
     • Point the flame away from framing and keep the extinguisher within reach.
   • Inhaling flux and solder fumes in tight spaces like crawl spacesMedium
     • Use lead-free solder on all water lines.
     • Open doors and windows or set up a fan to move fumes away from your face.
     • Keep your head out of the smoke plume.
   • Gas leak or cylinder damage from propane or MAPP cylinderMedium
     • Check the torch head connection for leaks with soapy water before lighting.
     • Keep cylinders upright, away from the flame, and out of vehicles and closed boxes when not in use.

5. 5. Let joints cool and wipe them clean

   • Burns from touching hot pipe and fittingsMedium
     • Let joints air-cool or cool them with a wet rag; do not grab pipe with bare hands.
     • Tell the crew which pipe was just soldered.

6. 6. Turn water back on and test for leaks

   • Water spraying from a failed joint onto electrical equipmentMedium
     • Open the supply valve slowly and watch every new joint.
     • Cover nearby outlets and panels, and shut the valve right away if a joint leaks.

7. 7. Fire watch and cleanup

   • Smoldering fire inside walls or ceilings after work stopsHigh
     • Keep a fire watch for at least 30 minutes after the last joint; feel walls and check behind the heat shield.
     • Do not leave the site until the fire watch is done.
   • Cuts and trips from pipe scraps and tools on the floorLow
     • Pick up pipe scraps and solder drops into a scrap bucket.
     • Store torch cylinders upright in a ventilated area, away from heat.