Understanding the health and safety issues specific to the Welding and Cutting industry

Steady improvements in health and safety standards in Europe have been undeniably beneficial, but it sometimes feels as if there is an ever-increasing burden of legislation, regulations and official guidance. Cutting and welding are inherently hazardous due to hot surfaces, noise, vibration, dust, fumes and arc flash. Typical working environments may also have trip hazards due to trailing cables, there may be personnel working at height, and there could be risks associated with working in enclosed spaces.

Not surprisingly, a great deal of health and safety legislation, regulations and guidance has an impact on welding and cutting operations. For instance, the last two years has seen the implementation of European Directives covering work at height, vibration and noise. In addition, the UK's Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has launched guidance and initiatives relating to PPE (personal protective equipment), risk assessments, back injuries, and RPE (respiratory protective equipment).

It is generally accepted that PPE should only be used when workplace risks cannot be eliminated or adequately reduced but PPE is often essential for welding and cutting. Many general suppliers of PPE do not fully understand the specific requirements relating to welding and cutting - and specifiers and purchasers of PPE for welding and cutting do not necessarily appreciate the differences between the various products available. When sourcing PPE for welding and cutting, it therefore makes sense to use a supplier that specialises in that field. ESAB, for example, is the world's leading supplier of welding and cutting equipment and consumables, and also offers one of the largest ranges of welding and cutting PPE.

Auto-darkening helmets are very popular today, but some low-cost products do not perform as well as might be expected. For example, auto-darkening filters switch faster at higher temperatures. So manufacturer quoting a switching time of, say, 0.0001s may not state that this is at 55 degrees C, which is not a temperature at which most welders will be working. These low-cost products probably still meet the requirement of the EN 379 standard, but a welder working all day with one of these will notice the difference due to the small amount of additional light that allowed through the filter by the slower switching time. Furthermore, for products with a bright state 3, the amount of light reaching the eyes actually increases by an additional factor of 2.7. Remember that tired eyes and worker discomfort lead to reduced productivity and more mistakes.

Heavy helmets and off-balance headgear can lead to neck strain, discomfort and headaches, resulting in lower productivity and more mistakes and rework. Five minutes a day of lost production due to worker discomfort adds up to 19 hours over a year. At a cost of €16 per hour, this equates to a loss of €304 per year.

A full respiratory system is recommended to protect against welding fumes. If welders are using ESAB Eye-Tech auto-darkening helmets or the Albatross passive helmet, these can be fitted with either the ESAB Air 160 or Air 190 respiratory systems that feed filtered air to the welding helmet. Nevertheless, it is appreciated that some applications are better served by at-source extraction such as the ESAB Carryvac 2 portable extraction unit.

Working in enclosed spaces can present unseen risks from oxygen depletion and build-ups of shielding gases. Inhaling an atmosphere that contains reduced levels of oxygen (or none at all) can lead to a loss of consciousness, with death following soon after. It is therefore best to use gas monitors to check the oxygen concentration before entering a confined space (various types are available). An alternative is to use breathing apparatus that delivers a supply of fresh air to the welder's helmet from outside the enclosed space.

Anti-spatter sprays offer huge productivity advantages in terms of reduced post-weld cleaning, but many of the products on the market today still contain dichloromethane, a hazardous substance. However, ESAB's Eco-Tech anti-spatter spray is highly effective and does not harm workers' health or damage the environment. Eco-Tech spray is classified as non-toxic, is safe if it comes into contact with skin and produces no fumes or combustion residues. It is also non-combustible, uses pure air as the propellant, and contains no solvents.

The examples above describe methods of achieving high standards of health and safety in relation to welding arc flash, fumes, enclosed spaces and weld preparation. Other areas that also warrant close attention include hearing protection, eye protection (during grinding and post-weld cleaning operations in particular), UVprotection by means of skin creams, safety footwear, gloves/gauntlets and clothing.

Suitable products for all of these aspects of health and safety in the welding and cutting environment are contained in a new brochure available for downloading: 'PPE and Welding Accessories' contains 90 pages of detailed information and full-colour photographs of one of the most comprehensive product ranges in the welding and cutting industry.