Advice For Managers: COSHH Essentials For Welding, Hot Work and Allied Processes

Health and Safety
Executive
WL0 Advice for managers

COSHH essentials for
welding, hot work and
allied processes
The Control of Substances Introduction

Hazardous to Health HSE has produced these advice sheets to help employers assess and
Regulations 2002 (COSHH) control risks from hazardous substances in the workplace. For some
require employers to ensure common welding and allied process tasks, the advice sheets take into
that exposure is prevented or, account the health hazards (and exposure potential) of substances used
where this is not reasonably or produced to identify an approach appropriate to control the risks.
practicable, adequately
controlled. This guidance gives The WL series of guidance sheets describes good practice for
practical advice on how this controlling exposure to welding fume and allied processes. It is likely
can be achieved by applying that you will require more than one guidance sheet to provide you with
the principles of good practice information on the controls relevant to your specific task or process. By
for the control of exposure to entering your process information in the COSHH essentials web tool, a
substances hazardous to health, list of guidance sheets and a list of additional relevant guidance sheets
as required by COSHH. become available. The WL series is located on the web tool under the
sub-headings: Direct Advice, Production Industries, Welding and Cutting.
It is aimed at people whose
responsibilities include the What the WL sheets cover
management of substances The WL control guidance sheets (listed below) describe good practice
hazardous to health at work for controlling exposure to hazardous substances in the welding industry.
(eg occupational health
specialists, anyone undertaking WL0 Advice for managers
COSHH assessments and WL1 Withdrawn
supervisors). It is also useful for
WL2 Welding in confined/limited/restricted spaces
trade union and employee safety
representatives). It will help you WL3 Welding fume control
carry out COSHH assessments, WL4 Withdrawn
review existing assessments, WL5 Withdrawn
deliver training and supervise
activities involving substances WL6 Withdrawn
hazardous to health. WL7 Withdrawn
This guidance is issued by the WL8 Withdrawn
Health and Safety Executive. WL9 Withdrawn
Following the guidance is not WL10 Withdrawn
compulsory, unless specifically
WL11 Withdrawn
stated, and you are free to
take other action. But if you do WL12 Withdrawn
follow the guidance, you will WL13 Withdrawn
normally be doing enough to WL14 Manual gas and oxy-gas cutting
comply with the law. Health and
WL15 Plasma arc cutting: fixed equipment
safety inspectors seek to secure
compliance with the law and WL16 Arc-air gouging (air-carbon arc gouging)
may refer to this guidance. WL17 Withdrawn
See Essential information near WL18 Surface preparation: pressure blasting (small items)
the end of the sheet. WL19 Surface preparation: pressure blasting (medium-sized items)
WL20 Surface preparation: pressure blasting (large items)
WL21 Weld cleaning with pickling paste
Welding, hot work and allied processes - WL0 - Advice for managers Health and Safety
Executive
Hazards
Welding fume (which includes irritating gases such as oxides of
nitrogen and ozone) may cause respiratory irritation and metal fume
fever. It can also increase susceptibility to pneumonia. In the longer
term, it can lead to serious lung diseases including: chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD), which used to be called chronic bronchitis,
and emphysema, occupational asthma and cancer.
Shielding gases (such as argon, helium and nitrogen, or argon-based
mixtures containing carbon dioxide, oxygen or both) can cause
asphyxiation (suffocation from lack of oxygen), usually resulting from
accumulation of the gases in confined spaces.
Fume and dust from allied processes, eg flame and arc cutting, blasting
and post-weld dressing, can cause lung disease. Abrasive blasting
produces a great deal of dust that includes metals and metal oxides.
Each situation is different. The hazard varies and is dependent on the
process, eg the welding consumable, the base metal, surface coatings
or contaminants, and where the task is done.
Other COSHH requirements

You may need to undertake an exposure measurement survey,
which will involve air sampling and, for some specific hazardous
substances, biological monitoring would also be appropriate. Exposure
measurements help to determine whether the current control measures
are effectively protecting the health of the workers or if improvements
to the control strategy are needed. See the General Control Guidance
Sheet G409 Exposure Measurement: Air sampling, which has advice
on selecting a competent person to conduct the measurement survey.
It is important to note that there is a British Standard for sampling
welding fume, which the competent person undertaking the sampling
can follow: ISO10882 Health and Safety in Welding and Allied
Processes – Sampling of airborne particles and gases in the operators’
breathing zone Parts 1 and 2.
You may need to carry out health surveillance for workers. See
the General Control Guidance Sheets on health surveillance for
occupational asthma (G402) and health monitoring for COPD (G401).
Lead exposure from welding, cutting and blasting metal which is
coated in a lead-based paint will need a separate assessment and
health surveillance carried out in accordance with the Control of Lead
at Work Regulations 2002, Approved Code of Practice (ACOP L132).
How to use the sheets

✓✓ Consider the processes/tasks and hazardous substances in your
workplace.
✓✓ Consider using alternative joining, cutting or surface preparation
methods that produce less fume or dust.
✓✓ Examine the advice sheets for each of the tasks.
✓✓ Examine the essential information sheets listed on each advice sheet.
✓✓ Compare operations in your workplace with recommendations in the
advice sheets for all of the relevant tasks.
✓✓ Record significant findings (this forms part of your risk assessment).
Welding, hot work and allied processes - WL0 - Advice for managers Health and Safety
Executive
✓✓ Record any actions you need to take covering: issues identified,

planned actions, target completion date, person responsible, status of
any issues and a review of their effectiveness.
✓✓ Keep a record of your actions to prevent or reduce exposure of
workers to hazardous substances.
✓✓ You may have to change old working practices or implement new
controls. Decide how best to make any changes required ‘across
the board’. If you are in doubt, seek expert help. Ask your trade
association, trade union or contact a consultant (see Further
information).
Essential information
You can find the full COSHH essentials series at:
www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/index.htm
Health surveillance, monitoring and sampling sheets are available at:
www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/guidance/gseries.htm
Health surveillance for occupational asthma COSHH guidance
sheet G402.
Further information
✓✓ HSG258 Controlling airborne contaminants at work: A guide to local
exhaust ventilation (LEV):
www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg258.htm
✓✓ HSG53 Respiratory protective equipment at work -
A practical guide: www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg53.htm
✓✓ Occupational Safety and Health Consultants Register: www.oshcr.org/
✓✓ The Control of Lead at Work Regulations 2002. (Third edition) ACOP
and guidance: www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/l132.htm
For information about health and safety, visit https://books.hse.gov.uk
or http://www.hse.gov.uk
You can view HSE guidance online and order priced publications from
the website. HSE priced publications are also available from bookshops.
To report inconsistencies or inaccuracies in this guidance email:
commissioning@wlt.com
© Crown copyright If you wish to reuse this information visit www.hse.gov.uk/copyright.htm for details. Published 11/19
Published for the Health and Safety Executive under licence from the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office.

Advice For Managers: COSHH Essentials For Welding, Hot Work and Allied Processes

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Advice For Managers: COSHH Essentials For Welding, Hot Work and Allied Processes

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Advice For Managers: COSHH Essentials For Welding, Hot Work and Allied Processes

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Health and Safety

WL0 Advice for managers

The Control of Substances Introduction

Other COSHH requirements

How to use the sheets

✓✓ Record any actions you need to take covering: issues identified,

You might also like