Safety is the absolute top priority during welding. If a welder fails to protect themselves correctly, the work may involve potential risks to the health of users, and may even result in inpatient care at a hospital being required. We spoke to a Fronius welding technology expert and application engineer and can now tell you what perfect protection during welding looks like and what can happen if you fail to take this action.
Tobias Rieder has been welding for around 20 years. During this period, he has experienced a great deal, and has also found out to his own cost what happens if you fail to be careful. He has fought with the short-term consequences of welding and has also been plagued by prolonged illnesses. The reason for all these problems was failing to protect himself properly when welding.
Rieder has had to stay in hospital on several occasions due to arc-eye, which is an injury that affects the cornea. He describes the feeling as “awful” and “like having sand in your eyes”. He also suffered painful headaches. “Each time my eyes were taped up and I was blind for two days,” says the welding technology expert, looking back. He has also suffered burns and lacerations. When preparing metal sheets, for example, he cut the tendons on his fingers several times and still bears the scars today.
Welding fumes can also pose a hazard during welding. They can be particularly tricky as they can creep through the tiniest orifices in the lungs. “By failing to protect myself properly from welding fumes, one time I suffered a serious lung infection, which laid me up for a significant period of time,” says Rieder. In addition, he also suffered from metal fume fever on several occasions. This illness is caused by the inhalation of zinc oxide fumes as they are extremely toxic. Symptoms of metal fume fever include headaches, shivering, fever, and outbreaks of sweating. Among welders, there is a stubborn rumor doing the rounds that milk can help to cure metal fume fever as it has a detoxifying effect in the human body. Sadly, this is a myth and has never been verified by science. The one thing that is clear is that effective protection from metal fume fever can be provided by an effective extraction system and an air-fed welding helmet.
If you read about the various accidents and illnesses that the welding expert and application engineer has experienced during his career, the question that immediately comes to mind is why he did not protect himself better against the hazards involved with welding? Rieder has a ready reply: Quite simply, it used to be perfectly normal to work like that. When he asked at the beginning of his apprenticeship whether he would be given some goggles for grinding work, he was met with looks of astonishment from his colleagues. The motto at the time, according to Rieder, was that “Real men don’t feel pain”. The fact that this mislaid pride had a negative effect on their health was simply accepted, perhaps because some of the effects were not immediately obvious. Headaches or nausea are short-term consequences, but in the long run welding without adequate protection can also result in chronic respiratory and pulmonary diseases as well as damage to the nervous system or, in the worst case scenario, even cancer. So it’s extremely important to pay close attention to the subject.
Two decades have passed since Rieder completed his first weld. A great deal has happened in the meantime, including in terms of the health awareness of welders and companies. Health & safety is becoming more and more important, a fact that is reflected at manufacturing plants where safety products are now part of the everyday life of welders. According to Rieder, many companies used to have no extraction system and the buildings were simply left open to provide ventilation. Nowadays, he cannot imagine welding without safety products and is grateful for the fact that at Fronius the protection of welders is also such a high priority.
Although the subject of health in welding is becoming more and more important, Rieder readily admits that it is a process that will require time. He also admits that even today he sometimes pays less attention than he should and suffered arc-eye just recently as he was training some new apprentices. “I was focusing too much on the others and simply forgot about safety for a few seconds,” he says.
Rieder’s experiences with welding demonstrate that there are many areas that require protection. Personal protective equipment from head to foot will ensure that welders can concentrate on their work without having to worry about their health. As far as Rieder is concerned, the object is not just to satisfy the regulations in terms of extraction systems, helmets, and work clothing, but also to demonstrate taking a certain level of responsibility for your own health. For example, your workstation must be optimally equipped and organized to ensure sufficient safety. Ultimately, a welder must be able to move easily whilst working. There must be nothing lying around that they can stumble over. All this must be given due consideration to ensure welding safety.
Rieder believes that it is essential to encourage this sense of responsibility and to preach the subject of welding safety to all personnel. “I think it’s great that companies have changed their views in this regard and invested in safety. However, it’s vital that individual welders also get on board with safety. And, in my opinion, an honest approach is the only way to achieve that. By that I mean leading by example, as young workers are ultimately influenced by older, more experienced professionals. That will make the use of protective equipment second nature,” adds Rieder. His summary: “Guidance from above is, of course, required, but it’s the belief that we have to take responsibility for our own actions that will really make the difference. After all, our health is the most important asset we have.”