Blackwoods, one of Australia's largest suppliers of industrial and safety supplies, shared how the company protects workers from welding fumes.   

Take a look at this list: cancer (lung cancer, throat and urinary tract), bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma, emphysema, skin diseases, and damage to the central nervous system and kidneys. If someone is exposed to welding fumes, these health problems may occur.

Although welding is a task performed in many industries and may be inadvertently ignored, the reality and seriousness of these health problems were emphasized in 2017, when the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reviewed all welding generated by welding. The smoke and dust are reclassified as "carcinogenic to humans". In short, if you are not properly protected and do not follow proper safety measures, welding can be a dangerous occupation. An inherent challenge to the above problems is that some of these health problems may not appear for many years.

In Australia, there are pollutant exposure standards. The general standard for welding fumes is measured in the welder's helmet ("breathing zone") when worn, and the time-weighted average (TWA) used for eight hours per day during a five-day work week must not exceed 5mg/m3. This does not include other types of smoke, such as chromium and copper, which have lower levels.

According to Dino Paris, head of the Blackwoods welding, gas and abrasive technology expert team, Australia's understanding of safety practices and obligations related to welding fumes is constantly improving.   

"In the past 24 months alone, we have seen a significant increase in inquiries from safety consultants, production managers, workshop leaders, etc. regarding welding PAPR (electric air purifying respirators), welding fume control systems, and related PPE," Paris Say.   

To support these inquiries, many customers have invited Blackwoods' joint technical safety and welding, gas and abrasive teams to participate in order to obtain industry best practice guidance. Through on-site assessments, our team of experts enables customers to conduct hygiene assessments, to reassure them, or to provide applicable and practical solutions.

When providing on-site assessment, a five-layer control hierarchy method was applied:

1. Elimination: eliminate the danger (smoke) 2. Replace: replace the danger 3. Engineering control: isolate the hazard by maintaining the designated (welding) area, and control to minimize or eliminate the smoke 4. Management: change the process, consider shifting and Allow workers to minimize or eliminate locations where they are exposed to smoke 5. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Use appropriate protective clothing and breathing equipment.

The controls are listed in order from the most effective to the most ineffective. In almost all cases, these controls need to be combined to best protect the welder.  

The Blackwoods team of technical experts can assist in the hygiene assessment of the workplace to ensure safety, or assist in the determination of tailor-made solutions to ensure welder safety.  

Welding fumes consist of solid particles and gases and are dangerous. In fact, it can cause serious illness and/or death. Every employer needs to thoroughly understand the dangers and act accordingly. This means that every worker who may be exposed to welding fumes in the workplace needs to take appropriate safety measures. As part of safety practices, workers must wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), including welding helmets, gloves, jackets, hats, and shoes.

In addition, it is important to understand the importance of welding fume management and control, including optimization, isolation, ventilation/exhaust and safe work practices. While welding has become the focus of increasing attention from workplace safety authorities, these control measures can protect workers, workshops and minimize risks for employers.

Lincoln Electric offers a range of air extraction options to isolate workers from harmful fumes. These include portable and fixed fume extractors, fume extraction arms with centralized collectors, and fume extraction welding torches, which can help capture and remove fumes from the source before they reach the welder’s breathing zone.

“People often say that welding fume extraction is an unproductive investment. That’s not true. It does have a positive impact on welders’ productivity and comfort. When you create a safe workplace, you can And externally enhance the company’s image. But more importantly, it will lead to more motivated employees, higher efficiency and higher quality of welding work,” said Charles Elbayeh, National Product Manager, Equipment, Lincoln Electric Company (Australia).

Welding materials, consumables used and even welding process are all key factors that need to be considered when choosing the right system.   

There are more than 80 different types of welding and related processes. This means that any welder, from intern to expert, has a lot to do. Unfortunately, in any of these more than 80 activities, if there is no protection, welders may also inhale toxic fumes.

As welding fumes are listed as "carcinogenic to humans" by IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer), the welding industry continues to undergo major safety changes. The core of any change is to understand that all welding processes require a risk assessment, and in the case of welding fumes, a control level must be applied.

Regarding PPE, every employer should consider using an auto-darkening welding helmet integrated with an electric air purifying respirator (PAPR). Many Australian companies are mandatory to wear welding helmets with PAPR.   

Statistically speaking, they tell a story that cannot be ignored: their required minimum protection factor (RMPF) is 50, which means that they provide breathing air that is at least 50 times cleaner than the air that welders breathe without protection. . In contrast, if worn and worn correctly, the RMPF of a disposable half-face respirator is 10. 

Electric air purifying respirators have a wide range of uses. They allow the welder to move unrestricted, providing clear vision, comfort, eye and face protection, and of course breathing protection. They are valuable in a variety of environments where welders may use materials such as aluminum, stainless steel, galvanized steel, and applications including MMA, GMAW, FCAW, SAW, and TIG.

"In terms of control levels, PPE is often referred to as the last resort. When welding, you must always wear suitable PPE. Even if welders operate within the workplace exposure standards for welding fumes, they may still inhale up to 11 grams per year. Smoke and dust. 11 grams of material is directly linked to human contact with the development of cancer," said David Chippendale, AWS Marketing and Sales Director.  

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