Welding Safety

Welding Safety
𝖲 Health Hazards
𝖲 Electrical Hazards
𝖲 Fire & Explosion
Hazards
𝖲 Trips and Falls
𝖲 Compressed Gas
Hazards
𝖲 Identifying Hazards
Health Hazards
𝖲 Gases and Fumes…
𝖲 Welding “Smoke” is a mixture of very fine
particles called fumes and gases
𝖲 Welding “Smoke” contains fumes and gases
including…
Chromium, nickel, arsenic, asbestos, manganese, silica,
beryllium, cadmium, nitrogen oxides, phosgene,
acrolein, flourine compounds, carbon monoxide, cobalt,
copper, lead, ozone, selenium, and zinc
Health Hazards…Gases & Fumes
𝖲 Generally, gases and fumes come
from…
Base material & filler material
Coatings & paints
Shielding gases & chemical
reactions Process & consumables
used Contaminants in the air
 Health Hazards
𝖲 It is difficult to list all the health effects of
welding exposures because the fumes may
contain so many different substances that are
known to be harmful
𝖲 The individual components of welding
“smoke” can affect just about any part of
the body, including the lungs, heart,
kidneys, & central nervous system
Health Hazards
𝖲 Exposure to welding “smoke” may have…
𝖲 Short-term effects…
Effects happen at or very soon after exposure
𝖲 Long-term effects
Effects may happen after repeated overexposures
or an extended time after the exposure
Short-term exposures

𝖲 Exposure to zinc, magnesium, copper

and copper oxide can cause metal
fume fever
𝖲 Symptoms of metal fume fever may
occur 4 to 12 hours after exposure
𝖲 Symptoms include…
Chills, thirst, fever, muscle ache, chest
soreness, coughing, wheezing, fatigue, nausea, and
metallic taste in mouth
Short-term exposures
𝖲 Welding “smoke” can
irritate the eyes, nose,
chest and respiratory tract
𝖲 Welding “smoke” can
cause coughing, wheezing,
shortness of breath,
bronchitis, pulmonary
edema, and pneumonitis
𝖲 Welding “smoke” can
cause nausea, loss of
appetite, vomiting,
cramps, and slow
digestion
Long-term exposures
𝖲 Studies of welders, flame cutters, and
burners have shown that welders have an
increased risk of lung cancer…
𝖲 and…possibly cancer of the larnyx and urinary
tract
𝖲 Remember… welding “smoke” can
include cancer causing agents such as…
cadmium, nickel, beryllium, chromium, and
arsenic
 Other Health Risks…
𝖲 Heat exposure…
Heat stress, heat stroke
𝖲 Burns, eye injuries from hot slag, metal chips, sparks,
and hot electrodes
𝖲 Shirts
keep collar and sleeves buttoned to keep out sparks and
remove pockets or tape them shut
𝖲 Pants
no cuffs and come over shoe tops
 DANGER
DO NOT
Other Health Risks… WATCH
ARC
𝖲 Visible light, and ultraviolet and infrared
radiation
𝖲 Intense light can cause damage to retina
𝖲 Infrared radiation may damage the
cornea and result in cataracts
𝖲 Invisible UV light can cause “arc
eye” or “welders’ flash”
May include sandy or gritty eye, blurred
vision, intense pain, tearing, burning and
Other Health Risks…
𝖲 Permanent eye damage
𝖲 Skin burns
𝖲 Skin cancer
𝖲 Noise
Can result in stress, increased blood pressure, may
contribute to heart disease, tiredness, nervousness, and
irratability
Electrical Hazards
𝖲 Even though welding generally uses low
voltage, there is still a danger of electric
shock
𝖲 Wet work areas, Cramped work spaces
𝖲 Falls, fractures and other accidents can
result from electrical exposure
𝖲 Even small shock can cause brain
damage
Electrical Hazards
𝖲 Always use dry gloves
𝖲 Always wear rubber soled shoes
𝖲 Always use insulating layers
𝖲 Protect yourself from surfaces that conduct electricity
𝖲 When working on electrically powered machinery, make
sure the frame is grounded
𝖲 Keep insulation on all welding
equipment and components dry and in good
condition
𝖲 Don’t change electrodes with bare hands, wet gloves or
 Fire and Explosion Hazards
𝖲 Intense heat and sparks can cause fires
or explosions if in the vicinity of
combustible or flammable materials
𝖲 Welding and cutting should only be
performed in areas free of combustible materials
such as trash, wood, paper, textiles, plastics,
chemicals, and flammable dusts, liquids and
gases
 Fire Prevention and Protection

𝖲 Cutting torch temperatures can exceed

5000 degrees F
𝖲 Suitable fire extinguishers shall be
maintained in a state of readiness
𝖲 Fire Watchers are required whenever
welding and cutting is performed in
locations where other than a minor fire
might develop
 Fire Prevention and Protection
𝖲 Fire Watchers are also required when:
Appreciable combustible materials, in
building construction or contents,
are closer than 35 feet to the point of
operation
Appreciable combustible materials more
than 35 feet away but are easily ignited by
sparks
A fire watch shall be maintained for at
least one half hour after the completion of
welding or cutting operations
 Fire and Explosion Hazards
𝖲 Never weld or cut on containers
that have held a flammable or
combustible material unless the
container is thoroughly cleaned or
filled with an inert gas
𝖲 A fire inspection should be
performed prior to leaving a work
area and for at least 30 minutes
after the operation is completed
𝖲 Fire extinguishers should be
nearby, of proper size, type and
number for the hazards involved
Case Study
Arc welder dies in explosion while using an old
barrel as a worktable
𝖲 A 38-year-old male arc welder died as a
result of an explosion at a construction
company.
The victim was arc welding some brackets on the back of the
truck.
He was apparently welding with a wire welder and used a
metal 55-gal barrel as a worktable while welding.
Apparently the heat or sparks from the welding ignited
residual vapors and/or material in the barrel, causing it to
explode.
The explosion knocked the victim down, and started a fire in
the immediate area.
 Case Study
Recommendations
𝖲 Ensure welders are
suitably trained in safe
operation of equipment
and process.
𝖲 Ensure that welding
should not be performed
on or near used drums,
until they have been
thoroughly cleaned.
𝖲 Develop, implement, and
enforce a written safety
program, including HOT
WORK.
𝖲
Trips and Falls
𝖲 To prevent trips and falls…
Keep work areas clear of equipment,
machines, cables, and hoses
Always properly maintain and use
handrails
Always use and maintain safety lines, harnesses
and lanyards
Always make sure that scaffolds are
properly assembled and used
Compressed Gas Hazards

𝖲 Gas welding and cutting use

a fuel gas and oxygen which
are stored in high pressure
cylinders
𝖲 Most fuel gases are
explosive
𝖲 Pure oxygen will increase
the flammability of any
Identifying Hazards
𝖲 Identify hazards and potential hazards
prior to beginning hot work
𝖲 Read the MSDS sheet to identify the
hazardous material used in welding and cutting
products, and the fumes that may be
generated
𝖲 Make sure that you know what you are
welding before beginning
Reducing Hazards
𝖲 After a specific hazard(s) has been
identified… You can implement appropriate
control method(s) You can use appropriate PPE

PPE
CONTROL
 Engineering Controls and Work
Practices
𝖲 UV shields between
the worker and other
operations can protect
against exposures
𝖲 Use work area
barriers to protect
others working in the
same general area
𝖲 Barriers can also
reduce noise
Filter Lens Shade Numbers
𝖲 Soldering = #2
𝖲 Torch Brazing = #3 or #4
𝖲 Light cutting up to 1 inch = #3 or #4
𝖲 Medium cutting 1 inch to 6 inches = #4
or #5
𝖲 Heavy cutting over 6 inches = #4 or #6
𝖲 Light gas welding up to 1/8” = #4 or #5
𝖲 Medium gas welding 1/8” to ½ “ = #5
Protective Clothing
𝖲 Fire resistant gauntlet
gloves
𝖲 Headcap
𝖲 High top hard toed shoes
𝖲 Leather apron
𝖲 Faceshield
𝖲 Flame retardant clothing
𝖲 Safety Glasses
Hearing Protectors
𝖲 Ear plugs and/or muffs should be worn during
noisy operations such as air arcing or grinding
𝖲 Most welding operations are noisy
 Respirators

𝖲 Must be specific to the hazard

𝖲 Must be fitted, cleaned, stored and maintained in
accordance to regulation and manufacturers
specs
𝖲 NIOSH recommends respirators whenever a
carcinogen is present
Basic Safety Rules
𝖲 1. Before you start make sure personal safety is
followed.
𝖲 2. Make sure you have had instruction
𝖲 3. Release adjusting screw on regulators before opening
valves
𝖲 4. Stand on the opposite side of the
regulator when opening a valve
𝖲 5. Open cylinder valve slowly, oxygen first all the way
open acetylene just a quarter of a turn
𝖲 6. Do not use or compress acetylene at pressure higher
 Basic Safety Rules
𝖲 7. Set working pressures as desired.
𝖲 8. Light acetylene first, shut it off first
𝖲 9. Never use oil on regulators or any equipment
𝖲 10. Do not use oxygen as a substitute for compressed air
𝖲 11. Keep heat, flames and sparks away
from combustibles.
𝖲 12. Keep hoses out of sparks or spatter to
prevent leaks