Welding Injury Prevention

Vision-loss, lung irritation, and even death: these things could perhaps happen to you if you are reckless when welding. As such, following sufficient safety guidelines is the most essential priority while welding. Thankfully, with knowledge and application of it you can prevent many injuries that could possibly be caused by welding.



The most important safety rules that you need to follow is wearing a sufficient welding helmet. Realize that welding can significantly damage your eyesight rapidly. When you weld the arc produced by the electrical current traveling through the steel generates UV light that can create blindness. It is imperative that you select a welding helmet that is proper for the type of welding that you are doing. Also use a pair of safety glasses beneath your welding mask for some additional coverage for your eyes.



An additional necessary precaution during welding is wearing correct clothing for welding. Welding metal generates an untold number of sparks and red hot bits of metal that go flying everywhere. You definitely do not want any of these pieces of molten metal to land on your bare skin or on clothing that will readily catch on fire. At a bare minimum you need to select clothing that is cotton based to prevent your clothing from melting from sparks. And definitely go ahead and get a leather welding apron if you plan to do a good bit of welding, you will be happy in the long run.



It is also imperative to wear heavy duty leather welding gloves specifically designed for this task. Your hand will only be a few inches away from extremely hot, melting metal so it is a nice idea to not try to on this safety aspect. You will additionally want to wear a good pair of boots additionally before welding. Many of the pieces of molten metal and slag will fall down to the floor so you want to keep your feet protected. Tennis shoes are not a good choice here.



Also realize that doing any welding, particularly flux-core or stick, generates fumes that can be harmful or deadly. You need to weld in a place that has sufficient ventilation and wear a welding respirator if you have one. Also never weld galvanized steel as the gases generated can cause serious health problems or death. So be aware of the material that you are welding.



And the final piece of safety equipment is the most important of all: your brain! Joking aside, if it seems like something bad could happen do not do it. Figure out a way to eliminate your risk of injury. Follow the safety rules in this article and you will eliminate your risk of injury while welding.



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Tyler Quinn