Basic Welding Health Hazards

Welding joins two metal pieces by the use of heat and with or without pressure apply.

Common Welding Processes are:

• Arc Welding Machine
• MIG Welding Machine
• TIG Welding Machine
• Argon Welding Machine
• Welding Rectifier
• Spot Welding Machine
• Plasma Cutting Machine

Health threats by Gases & Fumes

Mainly gases and fumes come from different way:

• Base material and filler material
• Coating and paints
• Shielding gases and their chemical reactions
• Process and different types of consumable used
• Contaminants in the atmosphere
• Wrong welding techniques

Health Hazards:

Contact of welding gases and fumes may have Short time impact and Long time impact.

Short time Hazards

• Irritate the eyes, nose, chest and respiratory tract.
• Cause coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, bronchitis, pulmonary edema, and pneumonitis .
• Cause nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, cramps,  and slow digestion.

Long Time Hazards

?  Welders may chance a variety of chronic lung problems, including: Bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia, emphysema, pneumoconiosis, decreased lung capacity, silicosis, and siderosis.

Other Health Hazards:

1.       Heat exposure

• Skin burns and skin cancer

2.       Noise

• May also increased metal  stress & blood pressure, and  further cause to heart problems, exhaustion, nervousness, and bad temper.

3.  Eye damage– More than 5% eye injuries in industries and construction are associated with welding and cutting

• damage to retina
• damage to cornea, resulting in cataracts
• permanent eye damage

Summary

Article Name

Basic Welding Health Hazards

Author

Ramakant Sharma

Description

Welding gases & fumes are mixture of very fine particles of different gases and carbon particles like chromium, nickel, arsenic, asbestos, manganese, silica, beryllium, cadmium, nitrogen oxides, phosgene, acrolein, fluorine compounds, carbon monoxide, cobalt, copper, lead, ozone, selenium, and zinc.