Statistics show that in Great Britain, occupational lung disease accounts for around 12,000 deaths every year, which are estimated to be linked to past exposures at work. HSE has provided a new video regarding “on-torch extraction” to aid with controlling welding fume exposure, for which there is no safe exposure limit.
Risk Controls
As a means to manage this significant risk, all welders and their supervisors/management should be aware of this specific risk and how it should be managed to ensure that sufficient efforts are taken to reduce the risk of exposure to zero.
These methods are:
- Extraction on the torch
- Extraction at work-surface level (more for soldering)
- Extraction through more generalised Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV)
- Use of PPE (either face mask or RPE).
Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV)
To aid employers and welders, HSE offers tips to help employers control welding fume exposure using effective on-torch Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV). As this type of extraction is built into the welding torch, it captures the fumes at source, before they can be inhaled and cause ill-health. The video demonstrates:
- Basic operational principles
- Good welding practices
- Common issues and solutions
- The importance of training and fostering a positive safety culture in the workplace.
General Rules of Thumb.
- If welding inside, the welder should be wearing a suitable mask and LEV must be in use
- If welding outside, then the welder must be wearing a suitable mask.
If LEV is a part of the answer to manage workplace dusts, fumes or other contamination of the breathable air, it is important that it has been commissioned.
Commissioning LEV
To “commission” LEV means to verify and document that the system provides adequate control for current conditions. Employers must ensure their LEV system is properly commissioned to protect workers from inhaling harmful substances.
The commissioning should result in the production of a signed report which should always include the:
- Date of the test
- Duty holder’s name and address
- Commissioner’s name, job title (and employer)
- The commissioner’s signature
It is the duty holder’s (usually the employer’s) responsibility to verify that the commissioner has demonstrated that they are impartial and competent. This ensures compliance with COSHH Regs (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002), requiring duty holders to adequately control exposures to hazardous substances.
If working conditions change, which affect (increase) the load placed on the LEV system, it must be recommissioned to demonstrate it will continue to be a working part of the exposure reduction put in place.
Further Reading
For further reading for commissioning your LEV system and controlling the risks from Welding, please click the links below: