Welding Safety Hazards and How to Prevent Them

Weld safely and Know the risks

With out proper knowledge and safety precautions welding can be both dangerous and unhealthy. Most welding processes involve an arc flame, so the risk of facial and flesh burns is very high. Both the eyes and skin can be affected by the bright light and extreme temperature. Most skin burns begin similar to a sunburn, but can get much more serious. Eye burns are much more serious even in the slighter cases of damage. Additionally, the brightness of the weld area can cause flash burns in which ultraviolet light causes inflammation of the cornea and can burn the retinas of the eyes. The risk of blindness is always there if not properly protected. Welding helmets are durable and dependable, the bulk of them protects the face by drastically reducing the amount of exposure.

Welding helmets with an auto darkening lens are specifically designed for optimal protection of the eyes. Standard chinese butt welding machine manufacturers helmets protect the eyes from ultraviolet emissions released during multiple arc welding processes; exposure to these emissions result in inflammation of the cornea and is known as arc eye or ultraviolet keratitis. These dangerous ultraviolet rays can cause the same amount of damage regardless of the source be it natural or artificial. Unfortunately, the symptoms (gritty painful eyes, eyelid twitchy, very watery eyes, aversion of bright light, pupil constriction) are not recognized until hours after exposure once the damage is already done. Damage is cumulative, so the longer duration and higher frequencies of exposure will result in more serious injuries and damage. In these cases blindness is most likely to occur. However, with the proper protection of a welding helmet with an auto darkening lens injuries are easily and effectively prevented.

Tips and Solutions for Fixing Weld Porosity Issues When FCAW

Weld porosity is an common issue that is found in most welding process. Many processes have the same issues, but FCAW has a unique set of causes and solutions for weld porosity. Porosity in FCAW is caused by the same issues as in other types of welding, but the most common types of porosity are very unique to this type of welding. The three main causes of weld porosity for FCAW are:

Windy or drafty conditions

Moisture from an improperly stored electrode

Electrode stick-out

Windy or drafty conditions are the most common cause of butt fusion welding machine manufacturers porosity. This is true for just about any welding process out there. Once the shielding is lost, even if only for a brief moment, the weld joint gets exposed to the air and then you have those tiny holes that make the weld look like a sponge. FCAW is a process that does well in windy conditions, however when using dual shielding electrodes, there is the gas shielding that can be easily blown away by drafts and wind. The simplest solution is finding a way to keep any drafts from coming into the weld area. This can be as simple as using your body or hands as shields, or as complex as building barriers to ensure there are no drafts coming through the weld area. In some cases, when using a dual shield electrode it might be a good idea to increase the gas flow rate. Higher gas flow rates can be a good way to compensate for losing shielding gas, but they can also be a cause of weld porosity. The more gas that flows through the nozzle, the higher the chances are that turbulence is going to effect the shielding gas flow. Turbulence will cause the shielding gas to mix in with the air around it and become another cause of weld porosity because of oxygen in the air.

Know What You Are Welding

Welding "smoke" is a mixture of very fine particles and gases. This "smoke" can contain, such materials as chromium, nickel, arsenic, asbestos, manganese, silica, beryllium, cadmium, nitrogen oxides, phosgene, acrolein, fluorine compounds, carbon monoxide, cobalt, copper, lead, ozone, selenium, and zinc and they can be extremely toxic. Generally, welding fumes and gases come from the base material being welded or the filler material, but can also come from the paint and other materials on the metal being welded. Chemical reactions can also occur from the heat and even the arc light. These reactants can also be toxic.

Health effects of welding exposures can be difficult to list. The "smoke" may contain materials not listed or assumed. The individual components of wholesale butt fusion welding machine smoke can affect just about any part of the body, including the lungs, heart, kidneys, and central nervous system.

Exposure to metal fumes such as zinc, magnesium, copper, and copper oxide can cause metal fume fever. Symptoms of metal fume fever may occur 4 to 12 hours after exposure, and include chills, thirst, fever, muscle ache, chest soreness, coughing, wheezing, fatigue, nausea, and a metallic taste in the mouth and usually lasts a short term.

Some components of welding fumes, such as cadmium, can be fatal in a short time. Secondary gases given off by the welding process can also be extremely dangerous. Ultraviolet radiation from the welding arc reacts with oxygen and nitrogen and produces ozone and nitrogen oxides. These gases are deadly at high doses, and can also cause irritation of the nose and throat and serious lung disease.

Another reaction from the ultraviolet arc is a gas produced from chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents; this gas is called phosgene gas and even a very small amount of phosgene may be deadly.

Studies have shown that welders have an increased risk of lung cancer, and possibly cancer of the larynx and urinary tract. This risk comes from the cancer-causing agents such as cadmium, nickel, beryllium, chromium, and arsenic.

Effective Ways to Avoid Welding Arc Flash - Did You Know?

Arc flash is a common occurrence for those that use or work around electric arc welders. They are not fun at all, that's what anyone having experienced it will tell you.

What is a welding arc flash?

Welding arc flash is a burn of the eye ball's outer layer due to the intense ultra-violet radiation produced by electric welding arcs. Also, it can happen as a result of exposure to any electric arc, switchboard malfunctions to include. It's just the same as sunburn, but instead of your shoulders or back, it's on the eyeball. Like sunburn to other body parts, cells are killed and need replacing. The gritty feeling related to arc flashes is often because of the dead cells being shed from the eye surface (just the same as the peeling skin due to sunburn) that irritates the inside of eye lid. The eyes get puffy, red and weepy when the welder experiences a flash.

Like sunburn, there is no cure for the Ppr pipe welding machine arc flash. The eye drops can ease your eyes but do nothing to address the underlying problem. The welder has to wait until the healing processes of the body have finished, which can take days in serious cases.

As soon as welders are aware that they have suffered a flash, they should get medical attention. Whilst most are just mild, they can be really severe and permanently damage the eye and vision. Early medical treatment can reduce some of those more serious effects.

How to avoid welding arc flash?

Protection for welders

• Use engineering controls to guard against hazards. For instance, magnetic and clip-on shields can help lower the amount of particles, sparks, slag reaching the welder's face.

• Personal protective equipment (PPE) is necessary. Safety glasses or goggles alongside with helmets are needed for adequate protection.

• Wear coated safety goggles to protect the cornea from UV light.

• Always wear the welder's mask when welding. Make sure the goggles cover the eyes completely.

Welding Safety General

Welding is a very difficult and dangerous profession so it is important for each welder to make sure they follow general safety guidelines. In this way, you can insure not only your safety but the safety of others around you.

There are a variety of hazards that a welder will face under the normal performance of their job. Here we list a few of the hazards you may encounter and what you can do to protect yourself.

Electric Shock

Most welders will have to deal with some form of electric shock throughout the time that they weld. Although you can take precautions to keep you as safe as possible, this can happen even when you are careful.

What to do: Make sure that you weld in an area that is free of wet areas and outlets that are faulty. Use gloves where practical when you are using the torch and make sure that you are grounded by standing on rubber or wearing boots that are shock resistant. Do not touch electrical parts, including electrodes, with your bare hands.

Fumes and gases

Most Plastic pipe welding machine by the nature of the way the process works will create noxious gases and toxic fumes. This is something that is necessary for the process to do what it is supposed to do.

What to do: Make sure that the area is well ventilated where you will work and make sure that you weld in an open space. Areas that are confined make it easier to inhale the fumes and gases, which can cause the welder to pass out.

Welding Sparks

Welding sparks are a fire hazard but they are a necessary part of the job because it is the nature of how a welding torch works when it hits metal.

What to do: make sure that you weld in an area that is free of debris or materials that can cause a fire. Keep a fire extinguisher nearby just in case. Wear clothing that is fire retardant, and do not weld around container that had flammable material in them.