Fume-hazards,better Safe than Sorry.SOLUTIONS with Effective, Practical Advice
Fumes and gases contain hazardous substances which can undermine, in the long term, the health of welders or bystanders unless suitable precautions are implemented. Fumes include metallic and other solid suspended particles likely to remain for a long time in the air. Fume-hazards come from the fumes being breathed in, with the particles of carcinogenic substances being deposited in the lungs and in the respiratory tract. The Fume-hazards will depend on the type of welding, the materials (base metals, surface coatings, electrodes) to be welded, and the environmental conditions (outside or in a confined space). (Sponsored Links) Safety regulations may speak of protection from overexposure from fumes and gases, intending reference to the specific limits established by regulating agencies. However this definition is misleading, because practical means are lacking to determine if a certain concentration of contaminants exceeds or not the limits. [Note: It is true that the following documents are available from AWS: Unfortunately, IMO, these cannot be considered practical means for continuous monitoring of shop conditions. E.L.] The difficulty with the issue of Fume-hazards is that the welders themselves, those who should be most interested in effective implementation of preventive measures, risk to dismiss the danger as theoretical at best and not imminent and real. This is because the ill effects may not be immediate but cumulative in a long time. Welders may be under pressure imagined or real from their employer to work in whatever conditions available, without caring for their health and rights. They may relinquish their rights to insist that proper Fume-hazards prevention means be put in place and operational. Welders have the largest part of responsibility in caring for their own health. A sloppy welding environment should not be tolerated even in those parts known as third world. Welders should know that little recognition of responsibility from the part of the employer or of Courts can be expected once the welder's health is severely compromised. Manipulative lawyers will argue that the cause and effect condition between fume presence and health damages is not demonstrated, and furthermore that certain life habits of the welder (like smoking) or coexistent ailments may have aggravated the clinical picture to the point that the main thesis (the employer's responsibility) is untenable. The time to act is while welding. If working condition are unsafe, the maximum effort must be done to improve them until they are no more dangerous. A negligent shop management may care only to pass the infrequent shop inspections without being requested to invest significant money in unproductive expenses. Welding should be avoided in enclosed spaces where concentration could build up to dangerous levels unless proper measures are implemented to remove Fume-hazards. The best prevention would be to provide adequate ventilation, but there is a limit that should not be approached, where shielding gases or protective atmospheres might be removed from the weld too early, when their action is needed to produce sound welds. That is why welding outdoors could be preferred, except that suitable shielding should be provided locally around the welds, to guarantee at any time adequate coverage of the welds by protective atmosphere. If sufficient ventilation is not assured at all times, then local fixed or movable hoods with fume extractors, or exhaust fans should be provided to remove positively Fume-hazards from the space where welders work. Wherever the conditions are such that adequate ventilation cannot be assured or fume extractors are impractical, personal respiratory protective equipment should be made available to all workers. Uncontaminated air is thereby positively supplied through masks or welding helmets. Welders however might feel encumbered or hampered by the heavy equipment: they should be properly instructed and trained, and supervised to comply with the requirement to use such Fume-hazards protective aids. See: The following documents should be consulted and every effort should be exerted to implement the essential requirements to protect all welders from Fume-hazards. Occupational Safety and Health Guideline for Welding Fumes Welder’s Guide to the Hazards of Welding Gases and Fumes Safety and Health - Fact Sheet No. 1 October 2005 A Guide to Welding Fume Control A Guide to Health Hazards and Hazard Control An Education in Welding Fume Extraction Welding fume exposure database AWS FGW Any questions or comments or feedback? Write them down and send them to us by e-mail. Click on the Contact Us button in the NavBar at top left of every page.
To reach a Guide to the collection of the most important Articles from Past Issues of Practical Welding Letter, click on Welding Topics. Important AnnouncementWhen you need Welding-metallurgy knowledge
 BUILT BY:
Click on this Logo NOW! No better way to get to know SiteSell, Specific questions about SiteSell? Copyright (©) 2010, 2011 by Elia E. Levi and |
