In general, safety rules are universally applicable. To ensure a welder’s safety, we need to follow the best welding safety practices and benchmarks. A welder is a front line worker and requires maximum attention to ensure his safety. You also choose the best welder for beginners.
Please find below the top welder safety tips handpicked to ensure a safe working environment for welders.
Table of Contents
Welder Safety Tips
01.Wear Suitable Gear
Proper safety gear for a welder includes clothing, gloves, and helmets. the dress should be flame resistant. the welder can wear denim pants and a shirt consisting of tightly woven stuff.
Use a welding jacket for added protection. With advances in technology, the jackets have become lightweight and ensure a higher level of ease of movement than ever before.
Use gloves with designs specific to the welding process. They should have ergonomically curved fingers providing added dexterity. It is essential to understand that a welder should never use the gloves to pick freshly welded parts. He should always use pliers to avoid burns.
02. Shoes for Foot Protection
A welder should not wear tennis or cloth shoes. Always wear safety shoes that provide foot protection from welding hazards. The best safety shoes are boots or high-top leather shoes. Make it a point to put the pant legs over the boots for excellent protection. Tugging the pants inside your high-top shoes poses an additional risk of trapping the hot welding splatters in the gaps.
03. Button up for Added safety
Let us see why it is critical to button up. The ultraviolet and infrared rays can have a painful and damaging effect on the exposed areas of skin. Button up so that sparks don’t find a way into open pockets, pant cuffs.
They may smolder unnoticed and pose an unnecessary danger to the welder. Button up the shirt’s collars, cuffs, and front pockets to cover your exposed skin and leave no scope for catching the sparks. Never keep matches or butane lighters in the pockets.
04. Helmets with auto-darkening option
The sensors in helmets with auto-darkening options instantly turn the lens darker. The speed of auto-darkening in quality helmets is 1/10000 to 1/20000 of a second. You also get adjustable shade settings. The delay controls adjust the duration of lens darkening. Avoid helmets with response time slower than 1/2000 seconds as they are not appropriate for industrial welding purposes.
05. Read the operating manuals
A welder can get all the safety information in the welder’s operating manual. By reading the manual, the welder becomes aware of the procedures and safety precautions.
The welder can get online access to the manuals. Never use the information in this article as a substitute for the manufacturers’ guidelines. Ensure that the welder who will operate the equipment should be conversant with the manuals’ content.
06. Avoid the painful “arc-flash.”
The welding arc’s light rays can damage the unprotected eyes in a fraction of a second. The painful arc-flash may not appear even after many hours after the exposure. Use proper helmets and related gear to save the face, eyes, and ears of the welder.
The welder also needs to wear appropriate safety eyeglasses with side-shields and ear protection under the helmet. The welder may use shields or barriers to protect others as per the demand of the situation.
07. Reduce the clutter
There should be an earmarked place for everything. Use labels to mark the areas. by avoiding the clutter, we ensure that any untoward accidents do not happen. keep only the relevant tools around the welder. That way, the welder can work with a free mind and focus on the job of welding. A welding table with an adjustable height will be suitable to reduce the clutter further.
08. Well ventilated workspace
The ventilation at the worksite removes gases and airborne particles. During the welding process, many pollutants are generated, which must find a way out at the earliest. Use several ventilation strategies to remove the contaminants or use respirators to reduce exposure to the welders.
09. Training
Provide appropriate training before starting any welding-related work. The welder should be aware of the usage and safety guidelines. a formal training program frees the mind from the stress related to the job, and he can concentrate on learning to handle the equipment.
We also suggest exploring the option of e-learning as it is cost-effective to implement. Besides, the flexibility available in the e-learning will be a win-win situation for the organization and the welder.
10. The working area should be free of flammable materials
Do not keep flammable materials in the vicinity of the welding area. The flying sparks, heat, and metallic splashes created during the welding process are hazardous for flammable materials lying nearby. They can set the combustible material on fire, creating additional safety issues for the welder and all the people working with him/ her.
Supposing we cannot keep the flammable material at an isolated location due to some compulsions, we should label the area, use proper shields, and follow the required safety procedures.
11. Safety from electric shocks
a welder is at a high risk of electrocution due to a sudden discharge of electricity to the body. This type of incident can cause significant injuries or even death. Make it a habit to inspect the equipment and electrode holder before letting the welder work.
Only qualified technicians should repair or service the welding equipment. The welder should take special care to not touch the electrode holder’s metallic part with exposed skin or wet clothing.
12. Self- discipline
Last but not least, safety lies in your own hands. a welder is safe provided he/she ensures strict self-discipline to follow safety protocols, guidelines, and sops. When a welder disciplines himself in his day-to-day work, he automatically safeguards his own life and protects the people around him.
Conclusion
In addition to wearing safety gear, training in the subject area, regular inspection of equipment, and awareness of surroundings are some of the ways a welder can stay safe at the workplace. Let us pledge to save welder from inherent risk in welding by following the tips mentioned above because safety always saves.