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HEALTH SAFETY & THE ENVIRONMENT
h
ealth and safety are critical considerations for any
application or process involving welding. An array of hazards can be potentially
dangerous whether it be in the workplace or danger due to electric shock, exposure to toxic
fumes, explosions, fires and other associated causes, such as ultraviolet light exposure and
hearing impairment. All of these could be injurious to the health and safety of welding
personnel, more particularly the welder who is nearly always in close proximity to the
welding operation itself. Welding is intrinsically safe, though, when proper precautions
are taken to minimise or eliminate the potential dangers associated with a wide range of
materials which can exhibit different characteristics when being welded. It is knowledge
of what these dangers are, in order to counteract them, whether they are short or long-term
in nature that is so important. The welding industry, as a result, has a long track record of
health and safety based on the development of guidelines for safe welding practices and
extensive welder safety programmes.
These dangers, with the exception of the long-term damage to health,
were recognised in the early days at the turn of the 20th century when both
oxy-acetylene and metal arc welding were in their infancy. The necessary
protective equipment and clothing, including welder’s helmets with eye
protection from the arc and foreign particles, were soon introduced along
with improvements to welding equipment in the form of flame arrestors
and gas regulators for oxy-acetylene welding and similar improvements to
electric arc welding equipment to make it easier and much safer to use. The
carcinogenic effects of breathing in particles and fumes, however, were not
initially understood from a health point of view.
One of the first Commissions set up by IIW in 1948 was Commission VIII
Hygiene
and Safety
(C-VIII) with Mr S. Forsman (Sweden) as the inaugural Chair. Since the original
Constitution allowed uninterrupted terms of office for Commission chairs, C-VIII was
almost unprecedented in having only four chairs over the 45 years from 1948 to 1993, with
Mr S. Gerhardsson (Sweden) occupying that role for 25 years from 1964 to 1989, followed
by Mr Ingo Grothe (Germany). C-VIII did work particularly hard on health and safety
issues in the common cause of welding operatives. In 1984 IIW issued a statement on the
possible increased risk of cancer among stainless steel welders. Although not scientifically