Welding, cutting, and brazing are hazardous activities that pose a unique combination of both safety and health risks to more than 500,000 workers in a wide variety of industries. The risk from fatal injuries alone is more than four deaths per thousand workers over a working lifetime.
Health hazards from welding, cutting, and brazing operations include exposures to metal fumes and to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Safety hazards from these operations include burns, eye damage, electrical shock, cuts, and crushed toes and fingers.
A more detailed summary of welding health risks can be found on OSHA’s web site, here.
Because of the many risks associated with welding, it is imperative to know what kind of personal protective equipment (PPE) is needed to prevent injury.
Head and Face Protection
Welding helmets with filter lenses are considered secondary protection and must be used together with safety glasses or goggles with side shields. Select the filter shade or lens from those listed in the chart in the OSHA standard for eye and face protection, 1910.133 (a) (5). Green glass filters and lenses are one option. They contain ferric and ferrous iron, which absorb UV and near-UV radiation.
You might also consider auto-darkening filters, which adjust to changes in light as you work, automatically switching the filters between light and dark when a stimulus, such as a welding arc, activates the light sensors.
A flame-retardant hood adds protection for the face, head, and neck. All eye and face protection must work in conjunction with head and respiratory protection, and it's imperative that the equipment fits and is comfortable.
Protective Clothing and Gloves
The amount of body and hand protection needed varies with the particular welding processes being executed. Protective garments include capes with sleeves, chaps and leggings, bib and waist aprons, coveralls, spats, bib screens, and hoods.
Spats, which protect tops of shoes from sparks, strap into place or come attached to leggings or pants. Bib screens attach to the back of hard hats. Hoods cover the entire head. Gloves must meet both dexterity and heat protection requirements and must be able to shed sparks.
Heavy, flame-resistant materials such as woolen clothing or heavy cotton are preferable to lighter materials because they're more difficult to ignite. Leather over-garments and gloves are best at resisting heat and sparks, and chrome-tanned leather works better than leather tanned by other methods.
Leather also can provide a thermal barrier. Note that a 30-inch standard leather welder's coat weighs about 6 pounds. Newer, lighter-weight, breathable materials are making their way into the market slowly. These materials include Nomex® Aramid, which is both flame- and spark-resistant; Indura Proban®, which is 100 percent cotton and flame-resistant; and Tuffweld®, made of flame-resistant, manmade materials. The same 30-in. coat made of any of these products weighs only 1 pound--quite a difference, especially in the hot summer.
Respiratory Protection
OSHA says that wherever possible, employers must eliminate contaminants through engineering controls, such as general and local ventilation, enclosure or isolation, and substitution of a less hazardous material or process.
You can reduce airborne contaminants by using various ventilation controls, such as roof or ceiling exhaust fans, as well as respiratory equipment. American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z88.2 and ANSI Z88.6 set proper standards for selecting and using respirators. All respirators from leading manufacturers meet or exceed NIOSH requirements.
Reference
Copeland, Julie. (2002). What the Well-Dressed Welder is Wearing: How to Protect Yourself From Head to Toe. Retrieved on August 29, 2008, from http://www.thefabricator.com/Safety/Safety_Article.cfm?ID=11
