IIW History 1990-2015

considering the development of a document for the minimum requirements for the education and training of International Welding Safety Personnel. In conjunction with this, C-VIII had also issued documentation for Guidance on Qualification of Environmental Coordinators within the framework of ISO 14001 Environmental management systems – Requirements with guidance for use which, in turn, had adopted the general principles of the ISO 9001 series. This was a signal that health and safety in the environment had come of age, that there was recognition of the seriousness of this and that stricter controls were necessary through monitoring conformance in the field. It was on this note that Costa handed over the reins to the capable hands of Zschiesche in 2014 at the end of an eight-year term as the Chair of C-VIII. Zschiesche had been a contributor and member of C-VIII for many years and had conducted considerable research work through field studies of welders that focused on health hazards of welding fumes. At the start of his first term Zschiesche reaffirmed a willingness to continue the work of his predecessor, intending that the Commission not only focus on its primary function as framework for the exchange of knowledge, but also support the work of other IIW Commissions on occupational health, safety and environmental issues of concern in their own areas of jurisdiction. In this respect, several joint meetings were held with other Commissions during Zschiesche’s first year resulting in a number of joint documents under development. The focus now was to lead IIW forward to meet the new challenges that IIW and welders faced in the fields of health, safety and the environment. These included a multilingual booklet on health and safety as well as a number of best practice statements, such as: Arc Welding of Steels and Pulmonary Fibrosis ; Fire Prevention During Hot Work ; Arc Welding and Airways Diseases ; and Welding Electrical Hazards . Some of the ‘hot topics’ lined up for the future included laser technologies, electrical shock, underwater welding and cutting, polymers, and the effects of welding on female welders, a study currently being carried out in Canada with respect to the unborn child. In summary, the future work designated for C-VIII has

generated an appearance of being just as exciting and interesting as it had been in the past. In doing so it is representative of the contributions of its current and past members, in particular it must be mentioned the contribution of the sterling efforts of Hedrick in his dedicated capacity as secretary and scribe over the last 10 years. Another to feature in the C-VIII hall of fame was Mr John Petkovsek (USA) who was awarded the André Leroy Medal at the 69th Annual Assembly in 2016 for the Lincoln Electric Welding Safety Interactive DVD that was designed to educate electric arc welders about safety hazards. Not to be forgotten

John Petkovsek

HEALTH SAFETY & THE ENVIRONMENT