Galvanizing Plant Safety

Safety at the Galvanizing Plant for Visiting Inspectors

Occasionally, visitors are asked to perform inspections or oversight at a hot-dip galvanizing facility. Each hot-dip galvanizing facility is unique and presents its own potential safety hazards. These hazards may require use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and the type of PPE used depends on the work environment. PPE commonly used at a galvanizing facility include a hard hat, safety glasses, hearing protection, gloves, coveralls, high-visibility vests, and safety footwear. For additional precaution, it is not uncommon for the galvanizer to restrict access or require you be accompanied in certain areas of the facility.

Some universal guidance when working in a hot-dip galvanizing plant includes but is not limited to:

• Read all signs for chemical and physical dangers
• Watch where you step and watch for trip hazards
• Minimize interactions with forklifts. Listen for forklifts; Make eye contact with forklift operators and walk in predicable, designated footpaths
• Do not walk under suspended loads
• Do not stand near the galvanizing kettle during immersion of the steel
• Do not touch galvanized steel without confirmation the parts have been cooled – parts are hot even though they may not appear to be hot
• Avoid heat stress by avoiding the kettle area -- high temperatures can be felt around the galvanizing kettle no matter what time of year
• Avoid working at height or on a truck