It’s important to make sure that you’re safe when welding – Here’s why

Is Welding Hazardous To Your Health

Welding is an activity that can be both dangerous for the people performing the activity as well as those around them. This is why it’s important to be aware of the dangers and risks that you’re undertaking when you’re performing a weld as well as understand the steps you should take in order to protect yourself.

Shock is real

When you’re arc welding, you’re using actual electrical circuits to make pools of molten metal. Which is why when you’re welding you put yourself at danger of electric shock. Electric shock is considered one of the most dangerous hazards received by welding and can also result in a variety of dangerous injuries such as direct shock or falling after receiving a shock. Also keep in mind that you open yourself up to receiving a secondary shock if you happen to touch a piece of the welding circuit directly after touching the metal you’re welding.

Working in these conditions can also open you up to a number of hazards:

  1. Working in wet conditions
  2. Working in wet clothes
  3. Working on metal structures or floors
  4. Working in cramped conditions where you have to crouch, lie, kneel

Welding is noisy

When you’re welding you will very likely be exposed to a variety of different loud noises. A noise that’s considered to be loud is one that’s over 85 dB(A). With that in mind a noise that you’ll hear during a welding activity will likely be well over 100dB(A). Noises of this magnitude will very easily damage one’s ears and ability to hear.

Both immediate and regular exposure to noises of this magnitude can result in permanent hearing loss.

Side effects of noise Induced hearing loss include:

  1. Increased blood pressure
  2. Increased heart rate
  3. Occasional dizziness, or vertigo
  4. Tinnitus(Ringing in the ears)

There is also the chance of meeting UV or IR Radiation

If you look at an intense bloom of UV light when you weld (without the right PPE or Welding curtains) you can get a condition known as arc-eye. There are a wide number of factors that affect the level of severity from a flash-burn injury including: duration, distance, and the angle of penetration. Being exposed to arc flashes for a long period of time could also result in both cataracts and a loss of sight.

Other types of eye damage are:

  1. Foreign materials moving into the eye, such as sparks, grit, and dust
  2. The contraction of conjunctivitis from particulate fumes and gases

Exposing yourself to gases and fumes

When you’re welding you will be exposed to gaseous fumes, such as nitrogen oxides, ozone, carbon monoxide, and nickel oxides which can enter your lungs quite easily. The damage that these fumes can have on your body can vary depending on the fume, it’s concentration, and the time you were exposed to it.

Sicknesses contracted during exposure to gases and fumes include:

  1. Pneumonia: Being exposed to gases on a regular basis can result in a severe case of Pneumonia. Typically one can receive antibiotics that are capable of stopping the spread of infection but, keep in mind that you will likely have to be hospitalized for a period of time during recovery.
  2. Asthma: Exposure to nickel and chromium oxides from stainless steel and nickel alloy can result in asthma.
  3. Cancer: All welding fumes are considered to be carcinogenic
  4. Metal Fume Fever: Hot work on metal and steel can result in symptoms similar to that of the flu.
  5. Lung and throat irritation: Things including dryness, throat tickles, tight chest, and coughing.

Severe burns

Being in a close proximity to high temperature arcs, Ultraviolet rays, and pools of molten metal means that you can very easily receive severe burns while you’re welding. These are burns that can result in damage to the eyes and skin and can be very harmful.

Keep in mind that burns of this degree typically occur when welders don’t take precautions when they’re welding. This is bad for obvious reasons.

Examples of burns from Arc Flash

6 ways to stay safe while welding

It’s key to make sure you ensure your own safety when you start welding. If you disregard any safety precaution while you’re welding, you can land yourself in a ton of trouble. Below are the safety precautions you should take when you weld.

1. Make sure you wear your personal protection equipment

Every employer you have during your professional welding career must provide you with personal protective equipment (or ppe).  These things include:

  1. Welding helmets: Welding helmets are what keeps you safe from particles, UV radiation, hot slag, debris, and chemical radiation. It’s incredibly important to make sure that you’re wearing the correct lens shade for the work you’re doing. The manufacturer should include guidelines on adjusting the lens filter until you have the correct visibility. Also make sure to include a hood under your helmet that will allow you to protect the back of your head.
  2. Respirator: These protect you from oxides and fumes that are created by the welding process. Make sure that your respirator is right for the work you’ll be doing.
  3. Fire retardant clothing: This form of clothing will keep you safe from heat, radiation, and fire that will be created while welding. These clothes should be void of cuffs, and your pockets should be covered with flaps or tape. Also make sure to not wear clothes that are made of synthetic materials. It’s best to wear clothing made of leather or flame-resistant cotton.
  4. Protect your ears: Having the roper ear protection will make sure that your ears are protected from hazardous noises. The ear protection you wear must be suitable for the types of noises that you’ll hear during work.
  5. Gloves and boots: Wearing insulated flame-retardant gloves as well as rubber-soled, steel toed boots will protect you from heat, electric shock, fire, as well as falling objects.
Do this to ensure that you have full protection while using PPE
  1. Don’t roll up your sleeves or pants: If you roll up the extremities on your clothing you take away the protection your PPE provides you with.
  2. Don’t remove your helmet when you’re welding: The purpose of having a welding helmet is to provide your head with protection when you’re welding. Removing the helmet when you’re less than 10 meters away will mean that you’re still susceptible to arc-eye.

2. Get trained properly

It’s important to make sure that you’re trained properly. Doing so will make sure that you have a solid understanding in how to use your safety gear.We don’t want you to believe however, that to be good at welding you have to take a course, that simply isn’t true. There are online tutorials and manuals any dedicated individual could use to learn to weld.

For example, individuals such as those below make tutorials to show people how to perform a certain welding action.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLUXaLT6hIo

Video (1 of 4 on the topic) by ChuckE2009 on how to TIG Weld Steel.

We have access to a number of welding courses as well as a few e-learning opportunities.

3. Make sure that you’re in a properly ventilated area

Due to the noxious fumes you’re likely to come into contact with during your welding career, it’s important to in a well-ventilated area when you do so. There are a number of ventilation strategies you could make use of as well as respirators if you need a bit more.

Types of ventilation strategies: 

Mechanical Dilution Ventilation 

Mechanical Dilution Ventilation is like Natural Dilution Ventilation in that you reduce the concentration of contaminants in an area by adding air. Unlike the aforementioned ventilation method, Mechanical Dilution Ventilation uses things such as roof exhaust fans, wall fans, and/or other forms of mechanical ventilation methods to reduce the concentration of contaminants in a welder’s air path.

Natural Dilution Ventilation

Dilution Ventilation is done by adding fresh air to a specific area. Natural Dilution Ventilation is done by opening windows or doors (or some other non-conventional form of ventilation. This process reduces the concentration of contaminants (and eventually ets rid of) in the air. It’s considered the least effective because you have no control over the movement of the contaminants through the air.

Local Exhaust Ventilation

Local Exhaust Ventilation basically removes contaminants before they have the ability to mix with the air.

A few types of Local Exhaust Ventilation are:

4. Rid yourself of all possibly flammable materials

Due to the open flame and heat generated when welding it’s important to make sure that your area is void of flammable materials. Sparks, molten material and splatter could result in the material starting a fire.

5. Avoid Stress Injuries

Certain pieces of equipment are better suited for use when you’re welding. A perfect example of this would be how, because auto-darkening welding helmets reduce neck fatigue because welders don’t have to move their head’s down to close the hood and they’re lighter.

6. Use a Boom-Mounted Wire Feeder

Boom mounted wire feeders are efficient and relatively efficient.

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