IIW History 1990-2015

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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

HEALTH SAFETY & THE ENVIRONMENT