🔍 Key Concepts

• Tool construction and materials for use in potentially explosive atmospheres • Electrical vs pneumatic power sources and which one needs grounding for shock protection • Proper maintenance and safe securing of pneumatic needle guns (needles and hose connections)

💭 Think About

• Which type of hazard does grounding normally protect against, and does that apply to air‑driven tools? • If a tool is advertised as safe in explosive atmospheres, what would you expect about all of its parts that could strike steel—are they usually standard steel or a special alloy? • Think about how needle guns wear: when the needle tips get shorter and more blunt, what happens to the effectiveness and safety of the tool, and what kind of replacement rule would make sense?

✅ Before You Answer

• Confirm whether pneumatic tools conduct electricity in a way that requires equipment grounding like electric tools do • Consider whether striking steel needles can realistically be made non‑sparking and still work for heavy chipping work • Recall that quick‑disconnect couplings near whipping air hoses can be a hazard if they fail—think about whether regulations usually require or discourage them at the tool end