Hot air guns v hair dryers

[Simon Morriss]

Dear All

I have been posed a problem around the topic of hot works.  At work there is a requirement to use hot guns which I believe, as well as many other fire officers, must be controlled.  However we also use hair dryers which don’t.

My problem is to create a statement that effectively puts hot guns in the frame for a hot permit and the hair dryers out.  The statement must not be open to interpretation either.  I have made some investigation and I will probably go down the line of temperature out put.  Hair dryers don’t go over 100C where hot guns will go up to 600C thus the need for control.  With this in mind I am going to set a cut off at 110C.  So anything over 110C will need a permit.

I would like to back this up with research of this subject on the line of hair dryers causing fire from the heat they produce not from going wrong.

Is any one aware of such research which could be sent in my direction?

I did consider regulating this on the Wattage of the machine but for the same size wattage you can get temperatures from 40 to 600C so that was a non starter.

Your help will be appreciated.

Simon
 :?

[Chris Houston]

Assuming hair dryers are not a likely source of fires, could you not simply state that "Hot Work Permits are not needed for the use of Hairdryers etc"?

[Simon Morriss]

Yes you are right, my concern is, and perhaps I getting too worried, is people trying it on and using other bits of kit and claiming they are hair dryers.

Probably unlikely but you never know.

[Mr. P]

In my youth many years ago... before the world of firies.
When first married I needed to reseal around the bath.  'Borrowed' my wifes' hair dryer to prepare for new mastic. Hair dryer literally became molten mess and electrics went off (luckily) as it burst into flames.
Logical reason... too long usage, keeping it too close to what i was trying to dry.
My question to you is, why are hair dryers being used in an industrial mode which is not their intended purpose?

Regards

[fireftrm]

Good point from Mr P about the intended use.

Am I alone in having attempted the emergency drying of clothing (socks being an exmaple) using the hairdryer? If you have tried then you know they cut out as soon as they get too hot, or the airflow is inhinbited.

What do you use hairdryers for? The only recommended use is drying hair (the name being a slight giveaway) if taken for other uses banning them from the workplace would seem the most sensible option.

If you require a heated air source of up to 100 C then examination should be made of alternative equipment, rather than domestic hairdyers!

[Simon Morriss]

The hair dryers are used to heat shrink plastic sleeving onto pins which will be used to mount objects for display.  The plastic is needed to protects the items.

If you can come up with other methods that would solve my problem.

Simon

[Chris Houston]

If you do a quick search on google for heat gun or hot air gun, you get things like this:

http://www.tooled-up.com/Product.asp?PID=123318

Might be more appropriate, but not really my area of expertise.  Perhaps other curators would know.

[messy]

The hair dryers are used to heat shrink plastic sleeving onto pins which will be used to mount objects for display.  
Simon

I am glad you cleared that up as I was beginning to wonder what sort of hairdresser would use a hot air gun!!!!

[Simon Morriss]

Thanks Chris

This type of equipment I will be controlling with a hot permit.  My problem was documenting the difference between the hot gun and hair dryers so there is total clarity.

Thanks