From the steelwork supporting a building to the machinery used inside a manufacturing plant, much of the infrastructure around us has passed through a workshop where metal has been cut, shaped, joined or finished. Welding is a fabrication process that joins metals together by melting their contacting surfaces, allowing them to fuse as they cool. In a typical workshop, a welder or fabricator may move between several different processes during the same shift. It is skilled work, but it is also work where relatively small mistakes can have serious consequences.
What are the dangers of welding and fabrication?
The welding arc itself produces ultraviolet and infrared radiation. Without appropriate protection, this can damage the eyes and skin. Welding in confined spaces can be particularly dangerous because shielding gases can displace oxygen, while carbon monoxide can also be produced. The HSE states that exposure to welding fume can cause serious lung disease, including lung cancer. Noise is another familiar feature of fabrication workshops. Grinding, cutting, impact tools and other processes can create significant noise exposure.
The illnesses associated with welding and fabrication
Most welders will suffer “welding flash” at some time in their life. Also known as “Arc Eye”, it is essentially a sunburn on the surface of your eyes caused by exposure to intense UV light. There is some evidence to suggest that cataracts could also be caused by the UV light from welding arcs.
Welding fume can irritate the respiratory system and contribute to occupational asthma, while acute irritant induced asthma and reactive airways dysfunction syndrome can be triggered by extensive exposure to irritating fumes. Long term exposure can also contribute to chronic respiratory disease and lung cancer.
Asthma deserves particular attention because some welding fumes can act as respiratory sensitisers. Stainless steel welding is a notable example because the fume can contain substances such as chromium and nickel.
Metal fume fever is another recognised occupational illness. It can develop after inhaling fumes created when certain metals are heated, with symptoms often resembling influenza. Manganese and other metals found in welding fumes can also present long term health concerns.
Exposure to UV radiation may cause damage to unprotected skin and, over time, increase the risk of skin cancer. Heat, metal particles, oils, solvents and substances such as nickel and chromium also contribute to irritation dermatitis.
Then there are the physical demands of fabrication. Moving heavy components, awkward working positions and repetitive tasks can result in musculoskeletal disorders. Machinery creates the possibility of crushing injuries if guarding, isolation procedures or safe systems of work are inadequate.
There are many processes associated with welding and fabrication where exposure to hand arm vibration occurs. Employees can develop Vibration White Finger or Vibration induced Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, resulting in painful and disabling disorders of nerves, joints and blood vessels.
Hearing can be damaged by repeated exposure to excessive workplace noise. Noise induced hearing loss often develops gradually, which means workers may not realise there is a problem until significant damage has already occurred.
The strong electromagnetic fields generated by welding sets may interfere with wearable or embedded medical equipment such as hearing aids and pacemakers. In some people, it can stimulate nerves causing temporary effects such as dizziness or visual disturbances. It can also cause local tissue heating.
What are the workplace exposure limits?
There is an important point about welding fume exposure limits: there is no single workplace exposure limit that applies to all welding fume. The appropriate limit depends on the substances present in the fume and their form.
The current HSE EH40 workplace exposure limits document provides restrictions for individual substances. For example, it gives an 8 hour workplace exposure limit of 5 mg/m³ for iron oxide fume and a respirable limit of 0.05 mg/m³ for manganese and its inorganic compounds. Chromium VI compounds have a much lower limit, with HSE identifying a 0.025 mg/m³ process-generated limit for welding related exposure.
These figures demonstrate why simply saying that a workshop is “below the welding fume limit” can be misleading. Employers need to understand what materials and processes are being used and assess exposure to the individual hazardous substances involved. COSHH assessments should then determine the controls required.
What can employers do?
When employers understand the risk involved in welding and fabrication, they can design the workplace around controlling that risk. For welding fume, local exhaust ventilation is one of the most effective controls. Workers should be taught how to position themselves and the workpiece, so that the extraction captures the fume effectively. The HSE recommends that LEV used for welding should be thoroughly examined and tested every 6 months.
The HSE expects effective engineering controls for welding activities, including mild steel welding, because general ventilation alone does not provide adequate control of the cancer risk. Where engineering controls cannot adequately control exposure, suitable respiratory protective equipment should be used.
Where grinding and other activities create vibration or noise, those risks should be assessed and controlled rather than treated as an unavoidable part of the job. Employers should also provide appropriate eye and face protection, welding screens, protective clothing and gloves. Good housekeeping, safe storage, appropriate machine guarding and suitable lifting equipment all have a role to play.
How can health surveillance protect workers?
Health surveillance is particularly valuable because many occupational diseases happen gradually. A worker may feel perfectly fine while an underlying problem is developing. Depending on the risks, occupational health surveillance can include respiratory questionnaires and lung function testing, skin assessments, hearing tests, mental health evaluations and HAVS screening.
The purpose is not simply to record symptoms. It is to identify changes early enough for employers to review workplace controls and prevent further deterioration. HSE specifically recommends health surveillance for workers at risk of occupational asthma from welding fumes and for employees who remain regularly exposed to hand arm vibration above the relevant exposure action value or who are otherwise considered at risk.
Recent HSE enforcement activity illustrates why this matters. Improvement notices have been issued to welding and fabrication businesses where workers exposed to welding fume were not receiving suitable health surveillance or where welding fume controls were inadequate. Health surveillance therefore works best as part of a wider occupational health strategy. It should sit alongside risk assessments, exposure control, training and competent management rather than being used as a substitute for controlling the hazard.
Making welding and fabrication safer
A well run fabrication workshop should produce more than a sound weld. It should allow the person producing that weld to go home without having traded away their health to make it. For employers across the West Midlands and beyond, occupational health and health surveillance can form an important part of making that principle a practical reality. If you need health surveillance at your company, click the link below to find out about how we can help you build a safer workplace:
https://mohs.co.uk/services/occupational-health/health-surveillance/