HEALTH AND SAFETY IN FABRICATION AND REPAIR OF WELDED COMPONENTS: ASPECTS, IMPACTS AND COMPLIANCE WITH REGULATIONS

The evaluation of the aspects of health and safety of welding fabrication and repair activities is rather complex, because of the great number of disciplines involved. An attempt at classification of these aspects will be proposed, dividing them into physical aspects — including radiation, heat, noise, electrical dangers, electromagnetic fields and work environment conditions, and chemical aspects, as concerning gases and particulate matters produced during welding (generally referred to as “welding fumes”) and other hazardous chemical substances used during all phases of the fabrication process. This leads the recognized authorities to develop specific regulations which differ generally from one country to another, based on different criteria and which are also sometimes difficult to comply with (e.g. the new exposure limits for welding fumes). An approach to this problem will be given, based on the work of IIW Commission VIII “Health, Safety and Environment”. Emphasis will be placed on the “hot topics” of the moment, including the effects of the manganese found in welding fumes on the central nervous system, the health effects of welding gases, the apparent high risk of lung cancer in welders and the improvement of the welding workplace to reduce the ergonomic impact on musculoskeletal disorders affecting many welders. Moreover, reference will be made to the ISO Technical Reports on the composition of welding fumes currently under discussion, the use of GTAW Thoriated Electrodes and the safety aspects of welding.