Personal Protective Equipment

 

There are a variety of hazards associated with welding and cutting. However, personal protective equipment can help protect you on the jobsite. To help prevent injuries from welding and cutting:

·               Use appropriate respirator—If necessary, use a respirator designed to protect you from welding fumes and gases. Check with your supervisor or the supplier of your safety equipment for protection information. If welding in a confined space, use the appropriate air-supplied respirator.

·               Wear the proper clothing—Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants with no cuffs. Do not wear light colors that can reflect the light from welding. Button the top button of shirts and sleeves. Do not tuck your shirt into your pants. Wool or treated cotton resist burns best. Do not wear clothes with tears, holes, or frays, as these can trap sparks or slag and present a fire hazard.

·               Understand how to care for welding helmets, shields, and/or goggles—Welding helmets, welding shields, and goggles protect the eyes from damage caused by looking at a welding arc or cutting torch. Keep lens covers and filter lenses clean. Do not use cracked filter lenses, and select a filter lens appropriate for the type of welding being performed. A flash burn feels like sand in the eyes, and may not be felt until as much as eight hours after exposure. Repeated exposures can permanently damage vision. In areas where other workers are present, use flash shields or welding curtains to help protect them. In addition to protective filter lenses, safety goggles or glasses prevent sparks from getting into your eyes.

·               Use burn-resistant covers—Leather or fire-resistant sleeves, capes, aprons, and caps are available to prevent burns and protect clothes. Chaps and leggings are also available.

·               Wear appropriate footgear—In addition to being steel-toed, welding shoes should be high-topped and pants should be worn over them to keep sparks and spatter out.

·               Use hearing and ear protection—Ear plugs will keep sparks out of the ears. If noise is an issue, wear the appropriate hearing protection.

·               Use head protection—You are still required to wear the appropriate head protection as required by the jobsite, to protect against sharp or falling objects.