HEALTH FACTORS IN WELDING OPERATIONS

Description

VHS English Version Product Number: 1001HEVHS DVD English Version Product Number: 1001HEDVD Excellent program for welders. Explains a variety of precautions, possible health problems involved in welding operations, and tips on how to generally improve the employee's health. Excerpt: This program will discuss the general safety and health hazards associated with welding and cutting, and examine hazards and controls specific to oxy-fuel gas welding, cutting, and ARC welding. Whenever possible the focus will be on relevant standards. The hazards associated with welding and cutting arise from toxic gases and fumes, radiation, electrical circuits, and flammable and combustible materials. Chemical agents commonly encountered in welding include the fumes of nickel, zinc, iron-oxide, copper, cadmium, fluoride, manganese, and chromium, and gases such as carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen and ozone. Physical agents include visible, infrared, and ultra-violet radiation, noise, vibration, thermal energy, and electrical energy. Fumes generated during welding and cutting operations may arise from the base metal being worked on, from coatings previously applied to the base metal, from the flux present, or from the filler metal being used. Other than fumes other solid materials such as fluxes and filler metal may enter the air through fugitive dusts. Mineral and metal dusts may also be produced. Fumes may produce a variety of affects. For instance, Metal fume fever is an acute disease of short duration caused by the inhalation of metal oxide fumes such as zinc, copper, and magnesium. Symptoms include respiratory disturbances resembling an infection, influenza, fever, acute, bronchitis, pneumonia. Chills, shivering, trembling, nausea and vomiting may also occur. These symptoms most frequently occur after the first exposure following a period of relief such as a Monday after a weekend off. In addition welders exposed to fumes containing such substances iron, chromium, chromates, lead, and aluminum, may suffer damage to the lungs, lung cancer, possible nervous system problems, and irritation to the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs. Injuries to the eye occur when eye protection is either not properly worn, or not worn at all to protect against the electrical welding arc. These injuries include keratitis, penetration and retinal injury such as welder’s flesh. Exposure of the skin to ultraviolet radiation from welding and cutting can result in a skin burn resembling a severe sun burn. Chronic dermatosis may also result from welding torch radiation. Hearing loss may be suffered due to hazardous noise level or traumatic injury to the ear caused by flying metal. Another hazard resulting from welding and cutting is reduced muscle power and pain in the shoulders. These are caused by static and often distorted postures adopted during welding operations. The fire hazards caused by welding and cutting are due either to direct flame, or to flying sparks, and molten metal. Explosions may be caused when welding sparks ignite flammable or explosive materials. This worker is using a drum containing a solvent as a work bench while cutting. Should the torch pierce the drum an explosion could occur. Even without piercing the drum the heat is sufficient to increase vapor pressure which could cause the drum to explode. An oxy-fuel gas welding process unites metals by heating them with the flame from the combustion of the fuel gas or gasses. Sometimes the process includes the use of pressure and a filler metal. It’s hard to believe that something as vital to life as oxygen can be a deadly hazard as well, but in fact, it can be. The presence of oxygen is required to support any burning process. Oxygen must be combined with a fuel gas to produce the desired operating flame. Oxygen by itself is not flammable or explosive, however the presence of pure oxygen dramatically increases the speed and force with which burning takes place. Combustible materials burn much more rapidly in pure oxygen than in air. Oxygen also forms explosive mixtures in certain proportions with a acetylene and other flammable gases, however this hazard can be controlled.