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New Workers, Training Needed
Safety in Welding, Cutting, and Allied Processes

In response to the shortage of skilled welders that continues to strain businesses across the nation, the American Welding Society (AWS) has joined forces with area businesses, unions and high school educators to propose a first-ever Welding Advisory Council.

Recruitment of younger people into the welding industry is reported to be one of the main problems currently facing the industry.

AWS estimates that nearly half of the skilled welder workforce is approaching retirement, leaving North America to cope with a shortage of more than 200,000 skilled welders by 2010.

In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, the number of welders employed in the U.S. has already declined about 10 percent, from 594,000 in 2000 to 576,000 in 2005.

“One of the welding industry’s biggest challenges today is attracting young talent, which is attributable in large part to its tarnished image,” said Dennis Klingman, AWS Education committee chairman.

“Many people still associate welding with black and white photos of tired welders covered in scuff marks and dressed in soiled clothing. But the welding industry has undergone dramatic changes with the advancement of technology, and is no longer confined to the dark and dirty setting reminiscent of last century’s industrial era.”

Welding is the joining of two or more materials through heat or heat and pressure, forming a bond between two pieces of metal.

The American Welding Society (AWS) says its mission is to advance the science, technology and application of welding and allied joining and cutting processes, including brazing, soldering and thermal spraying. Despite these technological advances, many welding, cutting and allied processes produce fumes and gases that may be harmful to the health of those working in such processes.

With a new generation of welders needed for industry, safe practices and training are essential. The AWS offers the following safety fact sheet on gases and fumes:

• Fumes are solid particles that originate from welding consumables, the base metal, and any coatings present on the base metal;

• In addition to shielding gases that may be used, gases are produced during the welding process or may be produced by the effects of process radiation on the surrounding environment;

• Acquaint yourself with the effects of these fumes and gases by reading the-Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) for all materials used(consumables, base metals, coatings and cleaners);

• For help, consult a recognized specialist in Industrial Hygiene or Environmental Services;

• The amount and composition of these fumes and gases depend upon the composition of the filler metal and base material, welding process, current level, arc length and other factors.

Possible Effects of Overexposure

• Depending on material involved ranges from irritation of eyes, skin, and respiratory system to more severe complications. Remember, steel melts at 2,800º F;

• Effects may occur immediately or at some later time;

• Fumes can cause symptoms such as nausea, headaches, dizziness and metal fume fever;

• The possibility of more serious health effects exists when highly toxic materials are involved. For example, manganese overexposure can affect the central nervous system resulting in impaired speech and movement;

• In confined spaces the gases might displace breathing air and cause asphyxiation.

How to Avoid Overexposure

• Keep your head out of the fumes;

• Do not breathe the fumes;

• Use enough ventilation or exhaust at the arc, or both, to keep fumes and gases from your breathing zone and general area;

• In some cases, natural air movement provides enough ventilation and fresh Air;

• Where ventilation is questionable, use air sampling to determine the need for corrective measures;

• Whenever the following materials are identified as other than trace constituents in welding, brazing, or cutting operations, and unless breathing zone sampling under the most adverse conditions has established that the level of hazardous constituents is below the allowable limits specified by the authority having jurisdiction, special ventilation precautions shall be taken: Antimony, Arsenic, Barium, Beryllium, Cadmium, Chromium, Cobalt, Copper, Lead, Manganese, Mercury, Nickel, Ozone, Selenium, Silver, Vanadium.

Safety in Welding, Cutting, and Allied Processes.

• Use mechanical ventilation to improve air quality;

• If engineering controls are not feasible, use an approved respirator;

• Work in a confined space only if it is well ventilated, or while wearing an air supplied respirator. Fumes from Welding or cutting and oxygen depletion can alter air quality causing injury or death. Be sure the breathing air is safe:

• Follow OSHA guidelines for permissible exposure limits (PELs) for various fumes;

• Follow the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists recommendations for threshold limit values (TLVs) for fumes and gases;

• Have a recognized specialist in Industrial Hygiene or Environmental Services check the operation and air quality and make recommendations for the specific welding or cutting situation.

U.S. government agencies estimate that there are about 2,000 eye injuries each day in American workplaces. Most injuries are caused by not wearing eye protection or wearing the wrong kind of eye protection needed for the job. Additionally, nearly 70 percent of eye injuries are caused by flying particles.

for all materials used(consumables, base

metals, coatings and cleaners);

• For help, consult a recognized specialist

in Industrial Hygiene or Environmental

Services;

• The amount and composition of these

fumes and gases depend upon the composition

of the filler metal and base material,

welding process, current level, arc

length and other factors.

Possible Effects of Overexposure

• Depending on material involved ranges

from irritation of eyes, skin, and respiratory

system to more severe complications.

Remember, steel melts at 2,800º F;

• Effects may occur immediately or at

some later time;

• Fumes can cause symptoms such as nausea,

headaches, dizziness and metal

fume fever;

• The possibility of more serious health

effects exists when highly toxic materials

are involved. For example, manganese

overexposure can affect the

central nervous system resulting in impaired

speech and movement;

Nature of the Hazard

The major eye and face hazards during

welding and cutting include arc and heat

rays, flying metal, slag from chipping, dirt

and particles from grinding. Because these

hazards are so common in welding and

cutting environments, proper selection and

consistent use of eye and face protection

are vital to avoid injury and blindness.

Avoiding Eye and Face Injuries

• Select the proper protection for the job

— including other work going on nearby.

Eye and face protectors for welding and

related tasks, such as grinding and chipping,

should comply with the requirements of

ANSI Z87.1. Look for labels or markings

indicating compliance. Depending on the

specific work task, appropriate eye/face protection

may include safety glasses with side

protection (side shields or wrap-around

frames), goggles, face shields, welding helmets,

curtains or combinations of the above.

• Always wear safety glasses with top and

side protection under your welding helmet;

• Keep eye and face protectors in place

whenever the hazards are present. Not using

them is the main cause of eye injury;

• Use the correct shade of filter in your

welding helmet or goggles;

• Be sure eye protection devices are not

damaged or missing parts, and be sure

they fit properly;

• Whenever radiation or flying particles and

spatter are a hazard, welding helmets

should be selected that protect the face,

forehead, neck and ears. Additional protection

may be needed for overhead welding,

where spatter and rays can bounce back

from nearby surfaces, and where hazards

are created by nearby workers;

• Where feasible, welding areas should

be isolated from other work areas by

partitions or curtains designed to absorb

harmful welding rays.

For all types of electric arc processes,

a welding helmet complying with ANSI

Z87.1, equipped with the correct shade

filter, is required. In recent years welders

have been able to choose between traditional

“fixed-shade” welding filters and

the newer “auto-darkening” filters. FSM