Welding hazards: How to keep everyone safe

There's no doubt that welding is a dangerous job. From toxic gases and fumes to burns and electrical shocks, there are numerous welding hazards that pose a serious threat to the health and safety of these workers. If an accident occurs at your facility, your employees could be gravely harmed, putting them out of commission and throwing your business into turmoil. So let's talk about the true nature of welding risks and how you can protect these vital employees. 

As welders work, they create sparks and an incredible amount of heat. This heat leads to welding hazards for workers, like getting shocked or inhaling gases and vapors.

If you don't have protective measures in place, you are putting both your staff and your business at risk. Unsafe work environments inevitably lead to more sick days, while also dealing a blow to workplace morale. In serious cases, welders may become unable to work – permanently.

To avoid these outcomes, here are five welding hazards you should be looking out for within your facility, along with tips on how to reduce these risks. 

1. Gases and fumes

Welding creates harmful byproducts in the form of toxic gases and vapors. Long-term exposure to these fumes can lead to a wide variety of health risks for welders.

For example, metal fume fever is an illness that welders can contract when zinc and galvanized metal react with each other. This disease causes a number of nasty symptoms: 

• Night sweats,  
• Body aches,  
• Fatigue,  
• Nausea. 

The human nose works as a filter for many types of dust, but when it comes to smoke and fumes from welding, it simply isn't up to the task. Welding produces toxins that are so fine, they can pass through the nasal filters and under the paranasal sinuses and throat, eventually coming to settle deep in the lungs.

How to protect your staff:

The key to solving this issue is ventilation and PPE. Respiratory masks and a large cooling fan to blow away the fumes can make a big difference. 

However, these measures aren't nearly as effective as an industrial air cleaning system, which will take care of harmful particles at the source, eliminating them from the air before they can be breathed in. Air purification systems can clear away those tiny but dangerous particles that make it past standard extraction systems. 

2. Noise pollution

Welding is not quite as noisy as some other activities, like grinding metal, but that doesn't mean the sound of it isn't harmful. In fact, welding can be loud enough to cause minor nerve cell damage, which over time can lead to hearing loss. 

Noise pollution is a welding hazard that often flies under the radar, because it can take years for hearing issues to show up. However, by the time workers have noticed their hearing loss, it is too late; the damage is permanent. 

How to protect your staff:

Give your staff high-quality ear protection, and require them to wear it while actively welding. 

3. Electric shock

Whenever welders are undertaking electrical work, they are at risk of receiving a shock.

This occurs when welders touch two metal objects that have an electrical current running between them, thus absorbing some of the shock. For example, imagine a worker is holding a bare wire in one hand and another bare wire in the other. They will be shocked as the electrical current passes from one wire, through their body, to the other. 

How to protect your staff:

• Provide welders with dry gloves that are in good condition. 
• Educate welders on the dangers of touching an electrode or the metal parts of an electrode holder with their bare skin or wet clothing. 
• Make sure the floor is well insulated. 
  
  
  

4. UV radiation

We all know the dangers of UV radiation from the sun, but welders face this same danger on the job. As they carry out their work, their eyes and skin are exposed to radiation. Over time, they may suffer skin disorders or even permanent eye injury as a result.

Perhaps you've heard of "welder's tie," which refers to the sunburn welders often get between their shirts and masks. Though this term is often used in jest, it's no laughing matter; burns like these are a serious welding hazard. 

How to protect your staff:

There is only one solution to prevent this welding hazard: You must give your staff protective eye shades and overalls to keep them safe. Make sure the eyewear has shields on the side, to prevent damage from flying particles. 

Hand-held face shields or helmet-type shields provide the most protection from arc radiation. With this form of PPE, a hard plastic or fiberglass shade will slip into a window on the front of the shield, so it can easily be removed or changed. This can shield welders from sparks, shock, heat, and flames – talk about total protection!

5. Fires and explosions

Saying that "heat" is a welding hazard doesn't quite capture the seriousness of the issue. Heat from welding is so extreme that fire hazard is a constant danger. If any tubing is leaking, oxygen and fuel gas can mix, leading to a potential explosion. Beyond that, sparks from welding are so hot that they can often ignite a fire if they come into contact with something flammable.

When dust particles are caught in the heat of the welding arc, or if they come in contact with a hot spark, they may oxidize without warning, which could cause a flash fire or even an explosion. 

How to protect your staff:
Make sure your welding area is fully separated from spaces where there are combustible materials like gasoline, oil paints or paper products.

Even if you keep the welding area free of dust as best you can, remember that dust particles can easily travel through unfiltered air from one part of your facility to another. You need a solution that eliminates hazardous dust everywhere, not just at the welding station.

Welding hazards can impact anyone working in the facility, even those who don't work anywhere near the welding station. This is because welding fumes are incredibly small and light, so they can remain in the air for days and travel long distances. Even a small puff of air is enough to send welding fumes soaring across your facility. As a result, workers who have nothing to do with welding are likely breathing in harmful fumes and vapors. 

Zehnder ran a small study that showed the highest concentration of welding fumes in many facilities is in hallways where there is a lot of foot traffic – spaces where people are unlikely to wear protective masks. 

To resolve the issue, you need measures in place that protect everyone, welders and non-welders alike.

If your you don't protect your staff from welding hazards, you can expect a number of unfortunate business consequences: 

• More sick days and lower productivity
• Higher staff turnover,
• A damaged corporate image.

Fortunately, with the right measures in place, you can reduce the impact welding hazards have on our business. Zehnder Clean Air Solutions offers industrial air purifiers that can make welding dangers a thing of the past. 

Our state-of-the-art air cleaners eliminate harmful dust and toxins from the air, no matter where these particles tend to accumulate. The fumes and particles will be removed from the air before anyone breathes them in.