IIW History 1948-1958

COMMISSION VIII

HYGIENE AND SAFETY

L. ANDRE Sweden.

r. CONSTITUTION, TERMS OF REFERENCE AND METHODS OF WORK. From its foundation, the IIW planned to set up a Commission to deal with problems of health and safety in welding and the allied processes and with the study of means of protection of welding personnel. At the first meetings, wh ich took place at the Delft session in 1949, it was apparent that much assist ance \YOuld be forthcoming from all countries. Govern– ment departments, trade associations and official and private organisations con– cerned ,-.vith technical or medical problems all undertook, in response to appeals made to them, to collaborate in a programme which included research work, the collection of information and the preparation and circulation of documents re– garding the prevention of accidents in welding, brazing, pickling, hardening and localised heating operations by all methods used in industry. The present composition of the Commission, which includes among its mem– bers engineers using the welding processes, doctors specialising in questions of hygiene and experts in matters of protection, shows how diverse are the circles which are interest ed in its work. The ,·vide field of its activit y, which includes the uses of the oxy-acetylene flame, the electric a rc, the arc in inert atmosphere3, manual and automatic welding etc., had to be methodically explored and a precise programme of co-operative work prepared. However, circumstances made it necessary to include certain particularly urgent matters in the initial programme of work of the Commission