Safety precautions for a welder during work: standards, rules and instructions

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Welder is not an easy profession, but very necessary and in demand. However, we all know that this type of activity is not the safest. Today we're going to take a look at the safety precautions that professionals must follow to avoid accidents at work.

Do you know the safety precautions of a welder? This work is a very dangerous activity. In addition to welding itself, there are other sources of danger, such as preparing the metal itself for welding, cutting metal and fixing all materials for welding.

Threats at work

The dangers of the welder's work are the following factors.

1. May cause electric shock. It is important that a colleague or rescuer is nearby. This will greatly increase the chances of rescue. Leave the person with rubber gloves and first aid supplies.
2. Effect of electricity on the eyeballs. This is very bad for human vision.
3. Ingress of dirtinto the eyes, which greatly affects the quality of vision.
4. Substances that are harmful and poisonous to your body, in any case get inside. Therefore, the lungs and other organs can be damaged.
5. Welding burns on skin not covered by clothing.
6. Injuries. Most injuries and accidents occur in tall buildings and indoors.

In general, to avoid this, you need to follow the safety precautions of the welder.

Occupational diseases

It is worth noting right away that there is a risk of diseases that are observed in people who have been engaged in the activity of a welder for a very long time. They appear due to the characteristic features of welding, which not every organism can endure. Here is a list of them.

1. Bronchitis.
2. Eczema.
3. Neurotoxicosis.
4. Pneumoconiosis.
5. Asthma.
6. And also many other diseases associated with the lungs and the air intake system.

To prevent these diseases, you need to start observing the safety precautions of the welder.

Preparation

What should I do to improve my own safety at work?

1. Assess the he alth of your equipment, which is designed to work.
2. Check the wire insulation in the room. If it is not good enough, be sure to fix the problem to avoid electric shock. This is very, very important, do not leave this seemingly small problem for later.
3. Check the electrical load.

Put on clothing and protective equipment that will help you get the job done faster and more efficiently. So you can follow the safety precautions of the welder.

How to protect your eyes?

Yes, often people with a long experience in welding have problems with their eyes and vision. Damage to such an organ can be received even by assistants and ordinary people on the street. Most often, the retina of the eye suffers, which in some cases cannot be restored at all. Therefore, when working, you must follow the safety precautions of the welder and ensure eye protection.

So how to do it? Of course, the most reliable way is the popular welder's mask, without which you simply will not be allowed to work. It comes with a protective shield and goggles. It is worth noting that the assistant must also wear special glasses when performing his duties.

Requirements for these products, according to GOST:

• the size of the window on the shield should not reduce the viewing angle;
• the light filter on the mirror should not let in any radiation that will be harmful to human eyes;
• mask and goggles should be easy to put on with straps, hold on and not fall off.

There is also a convenience parameter, but it is not so paid attention to. But still it is important when choosing your personal mask. In general, the safety precautions of the welder during work must be observed in any case.

How to protect the lungs?

This need arises most often only in enclosed spaces where you need to do work. If you use the most standard and cheap welder's mask, then you will not get good air, and you will breathe gases that are harmful to the body. And this is the risk of poisoning. It is worth noting that there are expensive shields for working in such places that supply air that is almost one hundred percent filtered. You will breathe high quality oxygen. Also, if you find a really expensive model, it will also prevent fogging of your glass on the mask. Such models are usually bought by professionals who have been in their business for a very long time and literally “live” on it. In general, this mask is one of the important safety rules for a welder at work.

Splash protection

During work, you need not only not to damage your eyeballs and lungs, but also not to get burned. This most often happens to people who do not pay attention to it. To prevent this, just wear special clothing. For example, in order to prevent your hands from getting burned, wear the so-called "gaiters".

And the rest of the body can be secured with refractory things. Shoes can be worn standard, most importantly, not quite light and thin. And the most important rule is that your clothes must be perfectly matched in size, otherwise you will suffer from the fact that your work efficiency will drop, which means that your salary will be less. It is worth noting that this also applies to the safety regulations for a manual welder.

Modern welding tools use a variety of natural gases, electricity and compressed air. They differ from others in their characteristics, and of course, the degree of danger. Fatal outcomes are not uncommon due to improper or negligent handling of these tools. And all this because people do not know the safety precautions of a welder in the workplace.

Gas Welding Safety

The risks when you work with welding consumables and use LPG equipment increase exponentially. Therefore, in no case do not carry out actions with them when you do not have the slightest experience. Always call a colleague who understands the area and can explain the nuances of using this equipment. Then get to work. But in any case, people should know the following recommendations for working with welder he alth and safety.

1. Don't keep anything near your equipment that could easily ignite with a single spark.
2. Cylinders must not be located closer than five meters from the place of work.
3. It is forbidden to use gas burners, play with fire and matches. Ignition is carried out only with special tools.
4. Check sometimes equipment is necessary. After all, if it is faulty, it can ignite and even explode.
5. Unauthorized people should not enter the place where the accumulation of such gas cylinders is located.
6. Mandatory regular lighting indoorsindoors.

How to transport cylinders?

Recommendations and safety precautions dedicated to their transfer. To do this, you just need to wrap the cylinders in special caps for protection. And the transfer itself is carried out on carts and stretchers. If for short distances - ordinary canting.

You can store them for a long time only in an upright position, only closed. It is worth noting that gas cylinders are often painted red. It is better to store them better in a cold room, since it is strictly forbidden to heat them. If they are hot, it can cause an explosion of enormous power. It will be very difficult to put out the fire later.

If you follow the recommendations, then the risk of injury (or multiple injuries) when doing the work of a welder will be almost zero.

Arc Welding Safety

When you get started with arc welding, you usually use current sources that have much higher voltage. This is hazardous to he alth and requires special care from the worker. Here is a list of rules to follow.

1. Be sure to insulate all wires that give current so that they do not hit you in any way.
2. Check that the arc body and arc power supplies are grounded.
3. Installation of a passive safety system is very important. It will interrupt the high voltage supply at idle.
4. Rubber mats and overshoes should be used,if you are working in an enclosed or confined space.
5. Materials in such rooms must also be treated to prevent sparks from igniting them.
6. Contact of the worker welder with the terminals of the electrically conductive circuit should not be allowed.

The welding arc provides a source of rays, and they are very bright and can damage our eyes and retinas. Therefore, during work, the means of protection, which are mentioned above in the article, are used.

How should the premises be equipped?

These rooms in which your welding work is carried out should always be located on the first floors of the house. This is done so that the fire hazard group is G, and the fire resistance of materials is at least the second degree. The floor in the apartment should not conduct heat. In addition, it is necessary that the floor be easily cleaned of dirt and be made of materials that do not burn. If there are structures made of wood, then they are sheathed with special sheets.

And if, by circumstances, it is located above the first floor, then the gas wiring is done using a pipeline. Its length should not exceed forty meters. Rubber-fabric hoses are used for welding machines. And most importantly, a fire station should be immediately built in the house, in which all work will be established.

Fire prevention measures

A welder's safety briefing must also cover the subject of fires. It is worth recalling that this area of \u200b\u200bactivity differs from others in its increased risk of fire, so you should always take measures to improvesafety and reduce the risk of fire.

What is prohibited?

In enclosed spaces where welding work is carried out, it is strictly prohibited to store flammable objects and materials. After all, if a spark gets into them and a fire starts, then such a fire will be very, very difficult to extinguish.

It is worth noting that electrical wiring should not be laid together with other wires from excess equipment.

This article contains safety instructions for a welder. We hope that the article was useful and informative for readers.