US Patent 10975998 Safety plate

A safety plate has a first, concave side for abutting a pipe, a second, convex side opposite the first, concave side, an arcuate portion interposed between a first linear portion and a second linear portion, a first edge on the first arcuate portion, and a second edge on the second arcuate portion; wherein the distance between the first and second edges is less than an exterior diameter of the pipe. A method of using a safety plate involves forcing the first side of the safety plate to abut the pipe, the safety plate extending around at least half of the circumference of the pipe.