10 Tips For Improving Welding Safety

Generally, it is the universal goal for every welding firm to use the best welding equipment and safety practices. During welding, everyone is susceptible to similar hazards, and as such, it is upon you to ensure the overall safety of both you and your co-workers. How do you do this? Herein are ten tips to improve welding safety and boost your overall productivity.

The welder’s operating manual contains essential information including how to effectively use the machines as well as procedure information. It is critical to ensure that anyone working the machines understands all its contents. In case the manual is damaged or lost, you should immediately acquire a replacement. You can get a replacement online from various manufacturers. However, be cautious not to use any article to replace the suggestions or recommendations of the manufacturer as in the original manual.

If your skin is exposed when welding, you are open to both painful and damaging effects courtesy of both the ultraviolet as well as infrared rays. Moreover, open pockets are also prone to catching sparks which can subsequently travel down your pants or shirt, if not fully buttoned. Additionally, when you are under the hood welding, the sparks can smolder and go unnoticed.

As such, it is vital that always ensure that you are fully covered, and every part is fully buttoned to avoid catching the welding sparks. Lastly, ensure that you never weld if you have any matches or butane lighters in the pockets. Why? Pants that have cuffs are susceptible to catching sparks and hence the necessity to avoid wearing such pants.

When engaging in any welding procedure, always ensure you adorn the right safety gear that includes helmets, clothing, and gloves. Ensure you always wear clothing that is flame resistant such as shirts with tightly-woven material or denim pants and a welding jacket. Unlike before, jackets for welding are fire resistant and lightweight as well as making use of pigskin leather or a blend of the two to maximize protection and enhance movement.

What’s more, safety gloves come with ergonomically-curved fingers with a wide array of designs depending on the type of welding. This includes medium-duty TIG or MIG as well as heavy-duty MIG/Stick gloves that offer added touch and skill.

When the protective gear is mentioned, most us tend to overlook the aspect of shoes. When welding, it is essential to wear the proper welding shoes. Usually, the best ones are high top leather shoes or boots. While at it, ensure that you never wear your pants over your protective shoes; as well as not wearing cloth shoes like tennis shoes. This ensures that you avoid unpleasant burning from the hot metal droppings and sparks. Check the best welding boots.

Fumes and smoke which is emitted when welding can pose health hazards. If you are welding in a relatively small area, the confined space could accumulate toxic fumes not to mention the shielding gases replacing the breathable air. As such, ensure you adorn an exhaust hood to remove whatever fumes and ensure that you have sufficient uncontaminated breathable air. 

Moreover, several materials mandate the use of respirators in the welding process. Therefore, ensure you read the electrode data sheet from the manufacturer or subsequently consult welding engineers or industrial safety experts to determine the right procedure.

During the process of welding, all it takes is a simple glare for your eyes to be exposed to the RC flash’ from the welding arc. While this is not usually any painful at first, it, however, gets painful after many hours of exposure. You need to fit the welding helmet to match with a filter shade correctly. This is to guard your face as well as the eyes during welding or watching. What’s more, you also need to use the recommended safety glasses under your helmet which has side shields and ear protection. In addition, you can also install screens as well as barriers to help protect any bystanders from getting affected by the ARC flash.

Auto-darkening helmets include sensors which make the lens turn dark. Every helmet should fulfill ANSI standards. Industrial grade helmets use speeds ranging from 1/10,000 to 1/20,000 of a second with subsequent adaptable shades with a distinct welding setting of between #9 and #13. What’s more, these helmets provide sensitivity adjustability that can come in handy when welding low amperage. Furthermore, they also boast adjustable delay controls that determine the duration the lens stays dark when stopping the resulting RC.’

However, avoid any helmets that auto darken with a reaction which 1/3,600 or 1/2,000 a second since they are not fit for any industrial use.

Compared to traditional helmets boasting standard fixed shade, auto-darkening helmets help to alleviate neck fatigue since it is lighter. Thus, allows the welder to close the hood without snapping their neck. As such, as earlier mentioned, work with auto-darkening helmets to avoid constant stress injuries. Moreover, you can save a few seconds between welds by using auto-darkening helmets, subsequently adding up to the overall minutes. 

Label and mark every place for your welding equipment. This ensures that you remain organized and operators locate things with ease. Rather than using tables that have fixed heights, you can pick with ease appropriate heights since welding tables operate using a scissor’ mechanism in changing the heights.

The use of Boom mounted wire feeders adds to the comfort, efficiency, and flexibility of any welding station. The control of wire feeders can be found at the base of 16ft or 12 ft. booms, while the drive assembly is at the end.

Booms have a 60-degree vertical movement and subsequently rotate 360 degrees establishing an exclusive 24 ft. Or 32 ft. of diameter as a work space. These feeders establish a safe workplace including reducing trip hazards created by cable clutter. Moreover, they also eliminate the need for lifting feeders. Finally, they also maximize safety and productivity.

By instilling a welding safety culture within your organization, not only will you avert any injury and health hazard risks, but you will also notice that you lose less time, and subsequently boost your overall productivity. Isn’t this the objective in the first place?