Welder World Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Skin’

5 Risk Factors for Skin Cancer People Must Consider

Nearly everyone knows that skin cancer is a very real possibility, but few are aware of exactly how little it takes to prevent this potentially deadly illness. More than one million people are diagnosed each year with various forms of skin cancer. Colorado Springs residents aren’t an exception to this statistic. Here are a few risk factors you may not have previously considered.

· Ongoing exposure to UV radiation, particularly if you’re unprotected at the time, puts you at much higher risk for this condition. There are many potential sources of UV radiation that you may not be aware of, too. Sunlight is perhaps the largest source of this type of radiation, but UV lamps, some welding equipment, and even phototherapy lamps can also place you in areas where the UV radiation occurs at a much higher concentration.

· If you have a fair complexion, you’re at a much higher risk of skin cancer. Colorado Springs residents who don’t have naturally darker skin may find themselves coming down with this condition at much higher rates than those with other pigmentations. While this isn’t a primary risk factor, it’s certainly something to be aware of every time you go out in the sun.

· Some jobs may put you at greater risk of this condition. If your job involves coal tar or pitch as well as arsenic compounds, radium, or even creosote, skin cancer is a very real possibility, and your employer should provide you ongoing screenings to ensure you’re exposure rates haven’t been too high.

· Childhood may also play a role in skin cancer. Colorado Springs adults who experienced sunburns as a child are far more likely to be diagnosed with one of the many forms of skin cancer than others are. Because the UV radiation can take some time to build up in your system, by the time you reach adulthood, you could be looking at some very real consequences for serious burns as a child.

· Individuals with multiple moles are also considered to be in a high risk category. Keeping an eye on every mole you have for changes is essential, as it can help you notify health professionals in plenty of time.

Whether you’re at greater risk than others or you’ve just noticed a change in your skin that you’re suddenly concerned about, contacting the right professional help is an absolute must to diagnose and treat this condition early.

Related Welding Jobs In Colorado Articles

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.