As a welder, it is important to understand the hazards of your job so you can stay safe and healthy throughout your career.
Welding is a great job to have. However, there are a variety of hazards associated with it. While an injured worker is generally entitled to workers’ compensation, the better outcome is, of course, avoiding injury altogether. You can achieve that goal by acting with common sense and watching out for the most prolific dangers of the profession. Here are 5 of the most common.
Electrocution
The science behind electrocution starts with two pieces of metals that have a voltage between them. What happens is that when you touch them, you become part of the circuit and end up paying the price in the form of an electrical shock. The result of this accident can be an injury from either the shock itself or falling after it takes place. The two ways you can avoid this outcome are wearing dry gloves and inspecting your welding equipment before use.
Gas Inhalation
Exposure to various fumes and gases is an unavoidable outcome to the craft of welding. Unfortunately, too much of it leads to severe injury or even death. Your best bet at getting through your day unscathed is making sure you follow ventilation guidelines. The three ways in which welders do so is by working in large rooms with open air, using ventilating equipment like fans, and wearing respirators during especially risky jobs.
Explosions and Fires
Every welder knows that this craft takes a significant amount of heat to do properly. What many don’t understand is that the arc itself rarely causes problems. Instead, it is the sparks that come off of the metal that occasionally start fires and cause explosions. If anything goes wrong, employees should know where the nearby fire extinguishers are and how to use them. This training should keep them and the facilities safe.
Lack of Protective Equipment
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is crucial in a variety of professions. In the case of welding, it is absolutely necessary. These workers often wear gloves, headwear, and full body suits to keep themselves safe from the dangers of the job, the most common of them being heat and debris. One area that many workers forget about is their hearing, but they sometimes experience issues after many years in the industry. This trend makes wearing earplugs a smart idea.
Tripping and Falling
Lastly, we have a hazard that almost every worker in St. Louis is at risk of. It is tripping and falling, which is most often caused by messy workspaces with objects on the ground. What makes welders even more at risk than most is the heavy equipment they wear. As you might imagine, you are more prone to tripping when you are weighed down by extensive PPE.
As a welder, you need to understand the hazards of your job so you can stay safe and healthy throughout your career. Unfortunately, sustaining damages is often out of your control. If you end up being injured on the job, give us a call 24/7 at (314) 361-4300 for a FREE and private case evaluation.