Welding Fumes: how to guarantee health and safety at work?

The welders face a series of risks deriving from the inhalation of dangerous substances.

The welding fumes are generated by a thermal process that creates a plume of particles suspended in the air and when the plume cools, the particles enter the breathing zone of the worker. The welding methods give rise to different quantities of fumes, containing different concentrations of dangerous substances. High-risk elements include hexavalent chromium, manganese, nickel, lead and cadmium. The particle size (0.01-1 ?m) affects the toxicity of the fumes: the smaller particles are more dangerous because they are easier to inhale deeply into the lungs. The amount and the type of welding fumes depend on the welding parameters and the base materials. It is therefore impossible to say that one method is always better or worse than another. Whatever welding process is used, TAMA AERNOVA provides specific solutions for the customer, allowing a coexistence between production needs and worker protection.

Welding fumes are a complex mixture of metals that varies in composition depending on the basic metal, the coatings, the fill materials and the process temperature. The adverse health effects associated with long-term exposure to welding fumes include acute diseases and chronic diseases. Surface coatings, residual solvents used for metal cleaning, shielding gases and gases produced by metal oxides and welding arcs are potential health threats.

ACUTE EFFECTS (short-term exposure):

• Throat, eye, ear and nose irritation
• Coughing - Fluids in the lungs (edema)
• Bronchitis and pneumonia
• Loss of appetite and nausea
• Spasms
• Metal fume fever

CHRONIC EFFECTS (long-term exposure):

• Chronic lung problems: chronic pneumonia, asthma, emphysema, silicosis and pneumoconiosis
• Rhinitis: irritation and inflammation of the mucosa inside the nose
• Involvement of the central nervous system or digestive system
• Permanent lesions to the skin or mucous membranes (e.g.: nasal laundry septum)

International health organizations recognize the importance of preventing health risks associated with gases and fumes generated during welding and thermal cutting. In many countries, strict personal exposure standards such as ISO, OSHA PEL and ACGIH TLV are strongly applied to minimize worker exposure to hazardous metal particles that may be present in welding fumes. In fact, in March 2017 the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) decreed that "there is sufficient evidence on humans that confirm that welding fumes cause ocular melanoma and lung cancer".

Ventilation and filtration are the main solutions to mitigate the exposure to welding fumes of employees. Properly designed suction and filtration systems protect workers' health and help comply with local regulations and standards.

THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS THE NECESSITY OF MORE INFORMATION:

"Nowadays everyone knows that welding fumes are very dangerous and that all necessary preventive measures must be taken. But are they really aware of the usefulness of protective measures such as IPR and local aspiration?

The answers of the welders are surprising...

In the United Kingdom a large group of welders was interviewed during a socio-economic survey. The general objective of the study was to get an overview of how welders are concerned with their safety and their physical and mental health and their opinion about the need to take preventive measures. Respondents are welders aged 18 to 60 who work in small and medium-sized companies.

High technology

A first result of the research is noteworthy: the welders working in advanced high-tech companies are more aware and better protected from the dangers of welding smoke than the colleagues of less technological companies. A welder of a technologically advanced company said that "customers exert a strong influence on society when it comes to health and safety behaviour".

Health & Safety

All respondents were aware that "health and safety" are very debated aspects and under the spotlight of public administrations. Everyone also knew very well that the regulations are much stiffer than once were and that they can no longer be ignored.

Health and safety are considered a matter of principle worthy of attention because they guarantee a safe working environment. They all appear to be convinced that stricter health and safety standards are good for everyone.

When it comes to welding, safety is seen as "protecting oneself". This is seen as a priority in welding operations due to the risks of immediate exposure that the task entails. Most respondents talked about problems such as splinters in the eyes, skin burns or cut injuries, also caused by colleagues.

Long-term problems, like lung injury, have never been mentioned at first, because they don’t cause immediate concern. The 'security' issue is considered important because the damages are frequent and the effects are immediate, while the question of 'health' is seen as distant in time and therefore less worthy of worries. Health problems are considered more theoretical than real because the impact is more gradual.

Primary defence

The welders interviewed did not care much about the dangers of soldering smoke, with some exceptions. The presence of general ventilation is often considered a primary defence against welding fumes. Furthermore, in some companies with low quality general ventilation, the problem is ignored or at most managed by RPE (group complaints).

Source extraction systems are considered an important part of the equipment to ensure the quality of the air in the workplace. A good number of welders also used several extractors simultaneously when the smoke concentrations is particularly high. Almost always the source aspiration systems were shared among all the welders and each welder was using them only for a part of the working time. This problem was justified by the welders, arguing that general ventilation is still a very good protection method. Most respondents were not familiar with the management of a source extraction system and, in particular, with the maximum smoke levels to be met. Generally, it was assumed that if the extractors were checked regularly, then it was not necessary to check the smoke level. The workers were convinced that most of the harmful fumes were still eliminated."

Source: Welders' attitude to health and safety, qualitative research relationship - https://www.plymovent.nl/blogs/las-snijrookafzuiging/lassers-over-gezondheid