Evaluation of Optical Radiation Hazards from Plasma Arc Cutting Operations

Details

• Personal Author:
  Burr, Gregory A. ; Glassford, Eric
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  A steel building materials manufacturer requested an evaluation because of concerns with optical radiation hazards during plasma arc cutting. The company asked for guidance on the appropriate shaded protective eyewear for employees. We assessed the strength of the ultraviolet, visible, and infrared light at various distances from the source. We also assessed it at different amperages. We measured optical radiation above safe levels for the unprotected eye. The welding curtain reduced but did not eliminate the hazard. A small gap between the welding curtain and the steel allowed some optical radiation to be visible at the safe walkway area. Modifying the welding curtain design will reduce the chance that employees and visitors view the plasma arc. We recommended employees use the welding curtain as much as possible. We also recommended employees wear welding eye protection of shades 4, 5, or 8, depending on the plasma arc cutting task and amperages.
• Subjects:
  Eye Infrared Rays Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Protective Clothing Radiation Safety Sense Organs Ultraviolet Rays Welding

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• Keywords:
  Arc Welders Arc Welding Cutting Tools Employee Exposure Environmental Control Equipment Equipment Design Exposure Assessment Eye Hazards Eye Protection Eye Protective Equipment Eye Safety Eye Shields Infrared Light Infrared Radiation IR Light Emission Light Source Optical Radiation Optics OSHA Region 5 Personal Protective Equipment Plasma Arc Cutting Prefabricated Metal Building And Component Manufacturing Prefabricated Metal Buildings Protective Equipment Protective Materials Radiation Hazards Radiation Shielding Materials Shade Number Ultraviolet Light Ultraviolet Radiation UV Visible Light Welders Wisconsin

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• Source:
  Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, HHE 2016-0027-3260, 2016 Sep ; :1-19
• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHHE201600273260
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Wisconsin ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  26 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Booher, Donald E. ; Galloway, Ellen ; Moore, Kevin ; Watts, Shawna
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20048712
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2017-100429
• Citation:
  NIOSH [2016]. Evaluation of optical radiation hazards from plasma arc cutting ; operations. By Glassford E, Burr G. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and ; Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for ; Occupational Safety and Health, NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Report 2016-0027- ; 3260,
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2016
• NORA Priority Area:
  Services
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  332311 - Prefabricated Metal Building and Component Manufacturing - (NAICS)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8a6630432155ff47730268af188be6667a19ee8e71f8e63030178404b6064a0f53a5c8796cc58940e7ad27cd2f8ab492ec4e4587000b7a08b74ce3c563e06be9
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/172405/cdc_172405_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.93 MB ]