Welder World Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Measures’

Sometimes you may not wearing welding jacket which may cause injury to your skin. To get away from injury, it would be better if you wear a welding jacket. To protect yourself while welding it is important that you wear protective apparels. The primary sources of injuries are: Electric Shock, Fumes, Gases, Arc Rays, Fire, Explosion, Hot parts, Flying metal, Noise and others. While welding, ultraviolet rays and infrared rays can burn your skin or harm your eyes. Sparks and spatter can burn your skin, your hair and your clothes.

In the past, welding operators used heavy, fixed-shape traditional passive helmet. Bu the trend has changed now, auto darkening helmets are worn by many operators. This type of helmet offers wide range of darkening shades, sensitivity controls, reaction speeds etc. Modern auto-darkening helmets allow you to adjust the settings based on your personal preferences and light sensitivities. Features like grind mode, multi arc sensors and delay control ensure that you are protected before, during and after welding.

Auto darkening helmets have a UV blocking lens that can protect your skin and eyes from the effects of UV rays. One more important thing to notice is that the weight of the auto darkening helmet is half the weight of the traditional fixed-shade passive helmet. It’s important to note that all premium quality auto-darkening helmets rate their helmets to provide a darkening speed of at least 1/6000 second down to 32 degrees F.

Always wear ear plugs, welding cap and bandana, head protector to protect your skin from welding. For all welding safety apparel, avoid using synthetic materials, as they will melt when struck by spatter and can cause burns. Some of the flame resistant fibers like denim and leather can provide protection and comfort. While selecting a welding jacket choose one that matches your work environment and application. If you’re welding in a non air conditioned garage in South Florida, you may feel hot in a full leather jacket. In such a situation it would be better if you wear a lightweight, flame-resistant cloth jacket or a natural fiber t-shirt and welding sleeves which are flame-resistant. If the work place isn’t much hot and you’re working for several hours everyday, then it would be better if you wear half-leather, half fabric jacket, which will provide good flame resistant and long product life.

Your hands are close to the body. To protect them from spatter you have to wear gloves. Since TIG welding requires dexterity, wear TIG gloves that are thinner and made out of softer, more sensitive leather. MIG and Stick welding produce lot of heat, sparks and spatter and do not require a high degree of dexterity, so use gloves that are made up of thicker, stiffer leather.

If you want to protect your leg, choose apparel that has a combination of both safety and comfort. Finally, choose leather footwear that covers your entire foot. High-top leather shoes and work boots, provides best protection against sparks and spatter.

There are about 2000 eye injuries reported everyday in US workplace. Most injuries occur due to lapses in the usage of protection gears. Flying particles are the reason for 70% of injuries that are related to eye. These injuries can be avoided hands down by wearing the right kind of protective gear required for the job. Welding is in itself a hazardous job. Welders work in an environment that is subject to arc and heat rays, slag from chipping, flying metal and dirt from grinding. Therefore it is most important to choose the protective gear that suits the work type and to wear it consistently. Tips to injuries:

Inspect your welding equipment for any damage. Keep your equipments void of rust by maintaining it properly. Proper selection of protective gear according to the type of work and intensity is very vital. Protective gears should be at reachable distance. Always make it a point to use the safety gears while handling the welding equipments. Wear the eye protection gears under your safety helmet. If your welding helmet has the auto darkening option, you can work peacefully without having to adjust the shade manually. Wearing the right shade of filter in your eye gear is very important. Welding areas are harmful place of work. They should be secluded from rest of the place of work by a curtain that can absorb welding rays. Read manufacturer’s instruction manual thoroughly. And follow the instructions religiously. Keep your cables away from other tools so that they last longer. Avoid usage of cables that are undersized, damaged or spliced. Look for advice of the manufacturer for periodic maintenance activities to be performed on your welding equipment. Keep your helmet down to minimize your chances of injuring your eye from flying particles. Always choose an eyewear that has side shields or goggles and a correct filter shade to protect your eyes. Make sure your safety eye gear meets the heat, filtering and impact requirements. Timely replacement of faulty components will aid in longevity of the equipment. If your welding work is more frequent then it is wise to go in for a welding apron or a welding jacket. Vinyl screens or transparent welding curtains can be used to keep you protected from the harmful rays. Keep your arc welding equipments well insulated to avoid shocks. The workplace should be well ventilated. This will bring in fresh air and flush out the harmful fumes or gases that arise out of work. Laser welding are extremely dangerous to your eyes. Please follow the safety instructions pertaining to the equipment meticulously.