Accident Prevention Manual

for Business & Industry:

Compiled by
Dr. S.D. Allen Iske, Associate Professor
University of Central Missouri
 CHAPTER 22
WELDING AND CUTTING
 Health Hazards
• Toxic metal fumes, vapors, and gases
• Primary pulmonary gases
• Nonpulmonary gases
• Particulate matter
• Pulmonary irritants and toxic inhalants
• Cleaning compounds
• Chlorinated hydrocarbons
• Asbestos
 Health Hazards (Cont.)
• Most significant health hazard in welding: generation of toxic metal fumes, vapors, and gases.
• Exposure to various toxic gases and vapors generated during welding may produce one or
more of the following:
• inflammation of the lungs (chemical pneumonitis)
• swelling and accumulation of fluids (pulmonary edema)
• loss of elasticity of the lungs (emphysema)
• chronic bronchitis
• asphyxiation

• Gases impair or injure lungs and the pulmonary system of those who inhale these hazardous
substances.

.
 Primary Pulmonary Gases
• These gases can impair or injure the lungs and pulmonary
system of workers who inhale these gases in hazardous
amounts.
• Ozone
• Oxides of nitrogen
• Phosgene
• Phosphine
 Non-Pulmonary Gases
• These gases do not directly injure the lungs, but can
cause damage by displacing oxygen in the bloodstream
• Carbon monoxide
• Carbon dioxide
 Particulate Matter
Benign Pneumoconisosis
• Aluminosis (aluminum)
• Anthracosis (carbon particles)
• Siderosis (iron oxide)
• Stannosis (tinoxide)
Pulmonary Irritants
and Toxic Inhalants
 Safety Hazards
• Fire protection
• Drums, tanks, and closed containers
• Management and workers should know the safety
hazards involved in the workplace.
• Management and workers should be trained to avoid,
reduce, or eliminate safety hazards through safe work
practices, PPE, and safety equipment.
 Fire Protection
• Fire protection is very important because portable welding
and cutting equipment creates special fire hazards.
• Work stations should be designed to provide maximum
safety and fire protection
• Require “hot work permits”.
• Floors and combustible materials
• Hazardous locations
Drums, Tanks, and Closed Containers
• Thoroughly clean closed containers that held flammable
liquids or other combustibles prior to welding or cutting
these materials.
• Preference: standard cleaning procedure
• If not standard cleaning; two alternate methods:
• containers purged with inert gases
• fill with water to approximate area of work and vent open
 Controlling Hazardous Exposures
• Ventilation
• Natural, mechanical, air cleaners
• Fume avoidance
• Avoid breathing fumes or being in path.
• Nonionizing radiation
• UV and IR affect eyes and skin from continued or repeat exposure.
• Noise
• Exposure limit
• Chipping
• Slag-chipping hammers and proper safety glasses and hearing
protection
 Controlling Hazardous Exposures
(Cont.)
• Certain materials contained in consumables, base metals,
coatings, or atmospheres of welding or cutting operations
have low OSHA permissible exposure limits (PELs) or
have low ACGIH threshold limit values (TLVs).
• beryllium, arsenic, antimony, chromium, cadmium, mercury, silver,
nickel, lead, copper, cobalt, manganese, selenium, vanadium,
barium
• In welding, cutting, and associated operations, noise
levels can exceed the permissible limits.
 Controlling Hazardous Exposures
(Cont.)
• Nonionizing radiation
• Electric arcs and gas flames produce UV and IR radiation that has
a harmful effect on the eyes and skin after repeated exposures.
• The effects may include permanent eye injury if appropriate eye
protection is not used.
• Bystanders and coworkers are also at risk.
 Personal Protective Equipment
• Recommendations:
• baseline physical
• chest x-ray
• pulmonary function testing
• Re-examinations by company policy or facility physician
• Workers trained in the type of PPE each job requires and
proper use and care of equipment
 Personal Protective Equipment
(Cont.)
• Respiratory protection
• Regarding PELs and TLVs, if dusts, gases, and fumes cannot be
kept below the applicable level, welders should wear respiratory
equipment certified for the exposure (NIOSH).
• Certified respirators for gases, dusts, fumes or self-contained
breathing apparatus for oxygen-deficient environments.
 Personal Protective Equipment
(Cont.)
• Eye protection
• Goggles, helmets, and shields for operators, welders, and helpers
• Conform to ANSI Z87.1-1989 and Z89.1-1986
• Protective clothing
• Flame resistant gloves, aprons, leggings, high boots, safety shoes,
and safety hats
 Training in Safe Practices
• Management should ensure that all welders and cutters
are well trained in safe practices that apply to their work.
• Standards for training and qualification of welders by
American welding society recommended.
• Operators and management should recognize their joint
responsibilities for safety.
• Management ensures welders and supervisors are trained
and establishes/enforces procedures.
• Use only approved welding equipment.
 Oxyfuel Welding and Cutting
• Unites metals by heating; the heat source is flame
produced by the combustion of a fuel gas or gases.
• sometimes includes the use of pressure and a filler metal
• Oxygen-cutting process severs or removes metal by
chemical reaction of the base metal with oxygen at an
elevated temperature.
• Temperature is maintained by heat from the combustion
of fuel gases or from an electric arc.
 Oxyfuel Welding and Cutting
(Cont.)
• Welding and cutting gases
• Oxygen supports combustion.
• Acetylene—combustion with oxygen produces higher flame
temperature than any other gas used commercially.
• Compressed gas cylinders
• Pressurized cylinders—such as oxygen, hydrogen, acetylene
• Handling cylinders
• Storing cylinders—secured in upright position in a safe, dry, well-
ventilated place reserved for purpose.
• Using cylinders
• Manifolds
• Centralized gas supply to provide continuous fuel at a rate in excess of
single cylinder.
• Construction and design for particular gas and service for which used.
• Obtained and installed under supervision of reliable manufacturer.
 Oxyfuel Welding and Cutting
(Cont.)
• Distribution piping
• Color-coded and clearly identified by gas
• Specific requirements per each gas
• Portable outlet headers
• Valves and connections used for service outlet purposes
• Regulators
• Only regulators listed by UL or factory mutual used on cylinders of
gas
• Provide uniform gas supply at correct pressure
• Right- or left-hand thread per gas and specific regulators for each
gas
 Oxyfuel Welding and Cutting
(Cont.)
• Hoses and hose connections
• Oxygen and acetylene hoses are different colors or are
identified/distinguished clearly
• Red—fuel gas
• Green—oxygen
• Black—inert gas or air hoses

• Torches
• Constructed of metal castings, forgings, and tubing
• Brass or bronze; may be stainless steel
• UL or factory mutual approved
• Two types: injector or pressure
 Resistance Welding
• Resistance welding equipment is normally permanently
installed so the hazards are usually minimized if the
equipment has been installed properly and safe practices
have been established.
• Hazards: lack of point-of-operation guards, flying hot
metallic particles, improper handling of materials,
unauthorized adjustments and repairs.
• Eye injuries, burns, and electrical shock.
 Resistance Welding (Cont.)
• Resistance welding is metal-joining process from heat by
resistance to flow of electric current.
• Parameters of resistance welding:
• Current magnitude, current time, and tip pressure. Each must be
accurately controlled.
 Resistance Welding (Cont.)
• Power supply
• Transformer secondary max 30 V and high-amp current (up to
200,000 amp) for welding
• Cables
• Abuse of the cables associated with resistance welding is severe.
• Demand on cables requires frequent replacement.
• Cables subject to pulsation, bending, and twisting leading to fatigue
and breakdown
• Machine installation
• Installation conform to NEC (NFPA 70)
 Arc Welding and Cutting
• For arc welding or cutting, two welding leads (electrode
lead and work lead) are required from the source of
current supply.
• One lead connected to work and one lead connected to
electrode holder.
• The steel structure and connections should be capable of
carrying the welding current.
 Arc Welding and Cutting (Cont.)
• Power supply
• Voltages
• Cables
• Electrodes and holders
• Protection against electric shock
• Gas-tungsten arc welding, plasma arc welding, and
cutting
 Gas-Metal Arc Welding (GMAW)
• Defined as an arc-welding process that uses an arc
between a continuous filler metal electrode and the weld
pool.
• Also known as metal inert gas (MIG) process.
• Most of the processes uses an externally applied
shielding gas or a mixture to protect the weld zone.
 Flux-Cored Arc Welding
• Defined as an arc-welding process that uses an arc
between a continuous filler metal electrode and the
welding pool.
• Process used with shielding gas from a flux contained
within the tubular electrode.
• Used mostly to weld steels.
• When used properly, the flux produces high-quality welds
that have a clean, smooth appearance.
Other Welding and Cutting Processes
• Relatively new heat sources for welding and cutting:
friction, ultrasonic, lasers.
• Each of these special heat sources requires guarding and
safe practices.
• Laser (light amplification by stimulated emission of
radiation)—special eye precautions