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<\/p>\nWelding operations present several hazards to both those undertaking the activity and others in the vicinity. Therefore, it\u2019s important that you are aware of the risks and hazards welding poses, and understand what precautions you can take to protect yourself.<\/p>\n
Some examples of the hazards associated with welding are outlined below. It\u2019s important to note that this is not an exhaustive list of welding hazards.<\/p>\n
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Undertaking welding activities will expose you to invisible gaseous fumes, including ozone, nitrogen oxides, chromium and nickel oxides, and carbon monoxide which can easily penetrate into your lungs. Depending on the gas or fume, the concentration, and duration of your exposure, the resultant damage can be severe.<\/p>\n
There is no minimum safe exposure limit for welding fume. <\/strong>Employers are legally required to effectively control exposure to all types of welding fume, including that from mild steel welding.<\/p>\n All organisations carrying out welding activities must ensure effective engineering controls are in place and correctly used to suitably control welding fumes, including when welding outside. Employers must also provide welders with adequate and suitable respiratory protective equipment (RPE), if engineering controls are not sufficient on their own, to control all fume exposure. More information on control methods will be discussed later in this article.<\/p>\n Illnesses caused by welding fumes and gases include:<\/strong><\/p>\n Fires and explosions are two of the main hazards associated with welding and other hot work activities. Where these are not effectively managed, severe consequences can occur, including serious or fatal injuries and destruction of property.<\/p>\n During the arc welding process, live electrical circuits are used to create a pool of molten metal. Therefore, when welding, you are at risk of experiencing an electric shock.\u00a0Electric shock is the most serious hazard posed by welding and can result in serious injuries and fatalities, either through a direct shock or from a fall from\u00a0height after a shock. You are also at risk of experiencing a\u00a0secondary electric shock<\/strong>\u00a0should you\u00a0touch part of the welding or electrode circuit at the same time as touching the metal you are welding.<\/p>\n You are particularly at risk if you work in\u00a0electrically hazardous conditions. These include welding:<\/strong><\/p>\n When carrying out welding activities, you are likely to be exposed to loud, prolonged noises. A loud noise is considered to be above\u00a085 dB(A), and welding activities such as flame cutting and air arc gouging can produce noise levels of over 100 dB(A). This can be very damaging to the ears and can result in hearing impairment.<\/p>\n Regular or immediate exposure to loud noises can cause permanent noise-induced hearing loss.<\/p>\n Noise-induced hearing loss can have the following side effects:<\/strong><\/p>\n Looking at the intense bloom of UV light produced when welding, without appropriate PPE or welding curtains, can result in a painful and sometimes long-lasting\u00a0condition called\u00a0arc-eye<\/a>. Many factors can affect the severity of a flash burn injury, such as distance, duration and the angle of penetration. Long-term exposure to arc flashes could also potentially result in cataracts and lead to a loss of vision.<\/p>\n Other forms of eye damage include:<\/p>\n The combination of high-temperature welding arcs, UV rays and molten metal means you are susceptible to severe burns when welding. These burns can affect the skin or eyes and can be very serious. They can also happen\u00a0very<\/strong>\u00a0quickly.<\/p>\n Burns usually occur when welders think they can skip taking\u00a0precautions for a few quick welds. This is bad practice. If you follow our precautions outlined below, you should be able to prevent burns.<\/p>\n Our Welding Health and Safety Training Course<\/a> raises awareness of the risks presented by welding operations. It helps you to understand the risks that must be avoided and provides knowledge of how to carry out your welding activities safely.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Ensuring high levels of safety is vital when undertaking any welding activity. Your employer has a legal responsibility to ensure that the risks in your workplace are assessed, controlled and monitored. They must ensure that a risk assessment is undertaken for your workplace and work activities, either by themselves or another competent person.<\/p>\n The information below provides more information on some of the control measures that may be used in your workplace. This is not an exhaustive list.<\/p>\n As of their 2019 Safety Alert, the HSE has strengthened its enforcement expectation for all welding fumes, including mild steel welding. Employers must ensure that suitable controls are in place for any welding activities, no matter the activity duration.<\/p>\n Employers must enforce suitable engineering controls, such as Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV), for all indoor welding. General ventilation is not<\/strong> an adequate control to reduce exposure to welding fumes. Where engineering controls alone cannot adequately control exposure, suitable RPE must be provided. RPE must be provided to workers welding outdoors to protect them from exposure.<\/p>\n The HSE will no longer accept any welding undertaken without suitable exposure control measures in place, regardless of duration. <\/strong><\/p>\n All welders must be appropriately instructed and trained on any control measures, and must be competent in their duties. As an employee, you must comply with any control methods your employer enforces and to work in line with the training and instruction provided to you.<\/p>\n Further information on engineering controls, including LEV systems, can be found in our training course: Welding Health and Safety Training Course<\/a><\/p>\n Your employer or manager has a duty to provide you with appropriate\u00a0Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)<\/a>. The PPE you receive will likely include:<\/p>\n Employers have a legal duty to ensure their workers are effectively trained in their duties. They must also ensure that employees and, where necessary, those in the vicinity are effectively briefed.<\/p>\n Any relevant information about the equipment you use, or your work activities, must be communicated to you and training must be provided where necessary. This includes information on the risk assessments and control measures used in your workplace.<\/p>\n You have a legal responsibility to work in a way that ensures your health and safety and the health and safety of those around you. It\u2019s essential that you:<\/p>\n You should carry out visual checks of your welding set before every use to ensure that the welding and current return cables are undamaged, all connectors are clean, undamaged and correctly rated for the required current, and that the conductor is thick enough to carry the current safely.<\/p>\n Information on how to carry out these checks should be provided to you as part of the training and information you receive from your employer.<\/p>\n You should never use welding cables, plugs, clamps or torch\/electrode holders with damaged insulation.<\/p>\n Generally speaking, any employee exposed to welding fumes should have regular health surveillance. Health surveillance is essential for ensuring that ill health effects are detected early, and can help employers to identify areas where their control measures may be insufficient. You should cooperate with any health surveillance requirements your employer enforces.<\/p>\n In this article, we have identified and explained many of the hazards posed by welding activities. It’s vital to follow all the controls enforced by your employer when undertaking your work activities, to ensure that you can carry out your role safely.<\/em><\/p>\n Being aware of the most common welding hazards and the necessary precautions ensures a safe working environment. Our guide covers the essentials.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":6490,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[91,85],"class_list":["post-22933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-safety","tag-safety-management","tag-site-safety"],"acf":{"schema_disabled":false,"schema_properties_FAQPage_question_answer":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_tools":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_supplies":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_steps":null,"schema_properties_WebPage_cssSelector":null,"schema_sameAs_repeater":null,"schema_custom_json_repeater":null,"schema_custom_json_override":false},"yoast_head":"\n\n
Fires and Explosions<\/h3>\n
Electric Shock<\/h3>\n
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![\"Poor](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/welding-bad-practice-K.jpg\")
<\/h2>\nNoise Hazards<\/h3>\n
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Exposure to UV and IR Radiation<\/h3>\n
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![\"Welding](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/welding-K.jpg\")
<\/h3>\nBurns<\/h3>\n
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<\/div>\nNeed Welding Safety Training?<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\nWelding Safety Precautions<\/h2>\n
Make proper use of engineering controls and respiratory protective equipment (RPE)<\/h3>\n
Always Wear Appropriate PPE<\/h3>\n
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![\"avoiding](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/welding-protection-K.jpg\")
<\/p>\nFollow any training, communication and housekeeping information your employer has provided<\/h3>\n
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Carry out the required pre-welding checks<\/h3>\n
Cooperate with any health surveillance requirements<\/h3>\n
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\nWhat to Read Next:<\/h3>\n
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