Jump to content

welding fume


bornfree
 Share

Recommended Posts

12 minutes ago, bornfree said:

after welding MMA MIG TIG and gas for over 30 years ive now been informed by the HSE thats its dangerous and we need ventilation and masks. and this is just repair welding not production.

hello, we had air extractor fans years ago in a large engineering workshop, there are specific face masks for welding fumes, we often had to weld out doors so it was just the masks

Edited by oldypigeonpopper
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, bornfree said:

after welding MMA MIG TIG and gas for over 30 years ive now been informed by the HSE thats its dangerous and we need ventilation and masks. and this is just repair welding not production.

 

More information needed before we can help you.  Was this a formal audit finding by the HSE themselves, or just a private company brought in to assess you?  Or did you receive a leaflet through the post?

Fume extractors are cheaper than they used to be....

I would agree that for full-time fabrication these days an air-fed mask is pretty standard, indeed most larger customers will insist on it if you want their work.

What kind of 'repair' work are you doing?  If you're TIGing small assemblies on a bench that's a different use case to stick welding galavanised* farm equipment outside.

In all this, remember that PPE is considered the 'last line of defence'.

Half the battle with this QHSE stuff is knowing the appropriate language to use, and how to respond to these people.  Getting defensive and using the phrase "common sense" will get people's backs up immediately.

*Yes, I know, the fumes are toxic...

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been welding on and off for 30 odd years with no bother. 18 months ago i had to go to A+E with very high blood pressure and chest pain.I had tests for heart attack etc but the tests were clean. Off work for 2 weeks while visiting the doctor and hospital for more tests. The symptoms eventually went and then some weeks later returned, which coincided with me welding again. I had welders fever,  well documented but it was a new one on me. If you Google it the symptoms are wide ranging and damage to you can be very bad. If you don't use a filter mask or air fed mask, and haven't had it I think you've been very lucky.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, udderlyoffroad said:

 

More information needed before we can help you.  Was this a formal audit finding by the HSE themselves, or just a private company brought in to assess you?  Or did you receive a leaflet through the post?

Fume extractors are cheaper than they used to be....

I would agree that for full-time fabrication these days an air-fed mask is pretty standard, indeed most larger customers will insist on it if you want their work.

What kind of 'repair' work are you doing?  If you're TIGing small assemblies on a bench that's a different use case to stick welding galavanised* farm equipment outside.

In all this, remember that PPE is considered the 'last line of defence'.

Half the battle with this QHSE stuff is knowing the appropriate language to use, and how to respond to these people.  Getting defensive and using the phrase "common sense" will get people's backs up immediately.

*Yes, I know, the fumes are toxic...

 

http://www.hse.gov.uk/safetybulletins/mild-steel-welding-fume.htm

It is because of this

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, bornfree said:

Jebus, I was unaware of this.

Looks like the HSE have completely knee-jerked and reacted over the top as a backside covering exercise, with very little consideration or guidance given with respect to implementation of its new diktat.

Seriously, despite the poor reputation the QHSE profession has in this country, and the perceived MO of the HSE, this is poor even by their standards.

Edited by udderlyoffroad
SPG
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was a welder, and the stuff i used to blow out of my nose was horrible, and when i was working round the country the older welders used to cough their lungs up morning noon and night.I decided to get out of the welding game.
Now i do reports on LEV systems, you know the things that suck up the air from welding areas and car exhausts etc, it is an eye opener how much fume there is and how it can hang around while you breath it in if the system is not designed and used correctly.

One set of lungs people, look after them, an air breating mask doesn't cost that much these days.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Big Mat said:

Welding fumes are bad for you, you'd have to be really thick not to see that

all depends in stick/ mig / tig  welding  indoors or outdoors  etc  a lot of welders do not suffer from colds or flues dew to heavy metals in their system   about the same as taking colloidal silver or gold / and zinc to help your immune system however after job changes / retirement  somewhere after two weeks their  body cleanses and end up with a stinking flue virus end up in bed     a virus cannot live with heavy metals however some people get crook with certain jobs and some don't     some smoke some don't and still get lung cancer   some have worked in the building industry back in the day using asbestos cutting with a stihl saw stood in a cloud of dust got crook and some did not        hse are doing the right things for the workers what price do companies put on the lives of their employees ??????? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On ‎15‎/‎03‎/‎2019 at 06:30, figgy said:

Seeing as welding is fusing mild steel, what about other steelworkers like blacksmiths or foundry workers. Plenty work with hot metal.

 

we had air fed masks when I was at the foundry, had a filter in the helmet, air was fed through a pump at the back of the helmet with a battery pack that clipped to a belt. this was only introduced within the last year I was there, regular blood tests showed we were all getting lead poisoning

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've worked in heavy industry oil gas petro chem etca and various fabrication shops and sheds  a lot since serving my apprenticeship. Welders got the air fed masks in some places we got crappy bumble bee masks even the good fitted ones after a few minutes the alloy nose band gave way  and steamed your goggles. 

Wonder what **** I e breathed in over the last three decades and what if any damage done.

Rpe has become a lot better and enforced more over the last few years. All to the good I say.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

had some sad news from an old mate this morning , he has cancer in both lungs , and its too far gone for any kind of treatment , he has spent the majority of his adult life working as a welder / fabricator ,( hes never smoked) , and the cause is down to welding fumes. hes an old lloyds welder , and could weld just about anything , including welding tank turrets , and welding underwater. up until a few years ago , he was a very keen fieldsportsman  , and loved nothing better than using ferrets to bolt rabbits to the gun, and frying a couple of rabbits for his tea at the end of the day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

48 minutes ago, mel b3 said:

had some sad news from an old mate this morning , he has cancer in both lungs , and its too far gone for any kind of treatment , he has spent the majority of his adult life working as a welder / fabricator ,( hes never smoked) , and the cause is down to welding fumes. hes an old lloyds welder , and could weld just about anything , including welding tank turrets , and welding underwater. up until a few years ago , he was a very keen fieldsportsman  , and loved nothing better than using ferrets to bolt rabbits to the gun, and frying a couple of rabbits for his tea at the end of the day.

 Very sad Mel. Sounds like a true character. 

I do wonder about the effect all these things in our workshop could effect me in later life. The place is full of dust and chemicals and the use of modern adhesives must not be good for all of us using them

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...