Welding Safety Precautions

1. Always Wear Appropriate PPE

Your employer or manager has a duty to provide you with appropriate Personal Protective

Equipment (PPE). The PPE you receive will include:

Welding helmets with side-shields. Welding helmets protect you from UV radiation,

particles, debris, hot slag and chemical burns. It’s important that you wear the right lens shade for the work you are carrying out. Follow the manufacturer’s guidelines and

gradually adjust the lens filter until you have good visibility that does not irritate your

eyes. You should also use a fire-resistant hood under your helmet to protect the back of your head.

Respirators. Respirators protect you from fumes and oxides that the welding process

creates. Your respirator must be suitable for the work you are carrying out.

Fire resistant clothing. Fire resistant clothing protects you from heat, fire and radiation created in the welding process and shields you from burns. It should have no cuffs, and pockets must be covered by flaps or taped closed. You should not use synthetic clothing. Instead, opt for leather and flame-resistant treated cotton.

Ear protection. Ear protection protects you from noise hazards. It’s important you wear ear protection that is appropriate for the noise created in your workplace, and use fire resistant ear muffs if there is a risk of sparks or splatter entering the ear.

Boots and gloves. Insulated, flame resistant gloves and rubber-soled, steel toe-capped safety shoes shield you from electric shocks, heat, fire, burns and falling objects.

To receive full protection from your PPE, you must not:

Roll up sleeves or trousers. Rolling up your clothes will leave you

susceptible to molten metal or sparks getting caught in the folds,

which could potentially lead to severe burns. You should also never

tuck your trousers into your work boots.

Remove your helmet while welding. You must always wear your

helmet when welding and when in the vicinity of another welder.

While the intensity of the radiation produced decreases the further

you are from a welding arc, those less than 10 metres away are still

susceptible to arc-eye. Therefore, it’s important that you remain

behind welding curtains or wear the correct PPE, even if you aren’t

the worker carrying out the welding operation.

Receive Appropriate Training

Prior to starting any welding work, it’s important that you receive adequate

training in the use and safety of your work. E-learning courses provide an

easy, cost-effective and flexible training opportunity.

Ensure Your Workspace is Well Ventilated.

Good ventilation is important when welding as it removes airborne gases

and particles from your work area. You may need to employ a combination

of ventilation strategies to combat all the pollutants created in the welding

process. You might also need to use respirators if your ventilation

strategies don’t reduce your exposure enough.

Ensure Your Workspace is Free of Flammable Material.

You should avoid keeping flammable materials in the vicinity of welding

processes as sparks, heat and molten metal splatters produced in the

welding process could potentially set flammable material on fire.

Perform safe handling of tools, equipment and materials

Workers should be trained on safe procedures for working with tools.

However, safe practices when carrying or storing those tools may not

be thoroughly covered. Tools can pose a safety risk when they are

misplaced or improperly handled by workers. The National Safety

Council offers the following tips for safe handling of tools when they

are not in use:

Workers should never carry tools up or down a ladder in a way that

inhibits grip. Ideally, tools should be hoisted up and down using a

bucket or strong bag, rather than being carried by the worker.

Tools should always be carefully handed from one employee to

another – never tossed. Pointed tools should be passed either in their

carrier or with the handles toward the receiver.

Workers carrying large tools or equipment on their shoulders should

pay close attention to clearances when turning and maneuvering

around the workplace.

Pointed tools such as chisels and screwdrivers should never be

carried in a worker’s pocket. Accept­able ways to carry them include

in a toolbox, pointed down in a tool belt or pocket tool pouch, or in

the hand with the tip always held away from the body.

Tools should always be put away when not in use. Leaving tools lying

around on an elevated structure such as a scaffold poses a significant

risk to workers below. This risk increases in areas with heavy

vibration.