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MIG vs TIG vs Stick Welding When it comes to welding, the type of welding you choose can make all the difference. The three most
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Welding Safety Basics: Essential Guidelines for Beginners
Welding is a highly involved and skilled trade, that has many benefits and is an essential job, but it carries significant risks due to heat, light, and fume exposure. Ensuring your safety is not about just wearing the correct personal protective equipment (PPE) but about understanding procedures and following them to minimize harm to you or someone around you.
In this blog, we will explore essential practices that will help keep you protected.
Why Welding Safety is Crucial
Welding involves direct exposure to heat, light, radiation, and harmful fumes. Without proper safety precautions in welding, welders could be subject to injuries such as burns, sight damage, respiratory issues, and other long-term effects. Follow the Australian Safety Guidelines, and occupational work health and safety measures.
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for Welders
According to Work Safe Australia, effective PPE is essential to minimize and mitigate risks. Here’s a list of the recommended gear:
- Welding helmet with filter lens: A welding helmet is the most important piece of equipment to defend against eye injuries. The helmets should follow the standards guide of the Australian and New Zealand Safety Standards AS/NZ 1338 and AS/NZ 1337. Auto-darkening helmets are also popular for their ease of use.
Browse the range of welding helmets at Gentronics.
welding safety
Figure 2. Welding masks and protective equipment
- Welding gloves and jackets: Heat-resistant gloves protect hands from sparks, while a long-sleeve that is fire-resistant protects, the arms and the torso from heat and light exposure. Ensure gloves and jackets can provide heat protection and cut resistance, although not a government-mandated standard, it is a benchmark all welders should aim to meet.
- Respiratory Protection: Welding fumes can contain hazardous and carcinogenic particulates, so a welding helmet with a respirator is the best choice. A powered air welding respirator gives the welder a minimum protection factor of 50 which is 5 times the level of protection offered by disposable half mask respirators. When using respirators, ensure the correct mask is chosen for the job. They should be low profile enough to fit comfortably under a helmet ensuring safety and clear vision.
- Ear protection: Processes like plasma arc welding produce noise levels from 85 decibels, which is considered the hearing level threshold, but arc welding can produce noise levels from 98 to 112 dB which is class 3. Hearing protection such as earmuffs should comply with the AS/NZS 1270 standard for noise exposure to prevent hearing damage.
- Preparing a safe welding environment
A well-organized workspace significantly reduces accident risks in the workspace. Ensure that it is clutter free of flammable, and electrical equipment. Ensure fire combat equipment such as fire extinguishers are nearby, and maintain air quality through technology such as fume extractors.
- Health risks of welding and how to mitigate them.
- Ultraviolet and infrared radiation exposure. Radiation as such can cause permanent skin and eye damage. Proper PPE, like UV-filtering helmets and gloves plays a crucial role in minimizing these risks.
- Electromagnetic interference. Welders with pacemakers and other electronic medical devices should seek advice from medical professionals before welding as it could interfere with these devices.
welding safety
Figure 3. Welding in a workshop
Welding is an essential trade, that can be interesting but requires attention to detail, and carefully observed safety procedures. Following basic PPE standards, and observing the minimum safety protocols for Australian and New Zealand Work Safe Practices welders can minimize and mitigate health risks and maintain a safer working environment.
Australian safety standards mentioned above include:
AS/NZS 1337 and 1338 eyes and face protection
AS/NZS 1716 for respiratory devices
AS/NZS 2161 for hand protection
Find essential protective equipment for welding safety at Gentronics here.
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