Local exhaust ventilation for the control of welding fumes in the construction industry - a literature review

Details

• Personal Author:
  Flynn MR ; Susi, Pam
• Description:
  Arc welding is a common unit operation in the construction industry, where frequent changes in location and welding position make it more difficult to control fume exposures than in industries where fixed locations are the norm. Welders may be exposed to a variety of toxic airborne contaminants including manganese (Mn) and hexavalent chromium (CrVI). Local exhaust ventilation (LEV) is a well-known engineering control for welding fumes but has not been adopted widely in the construction industry. This literature review presents data on the performance of a variety of LEV systems for welding fume control from the construction (five references), shipyard (five references), and other industries. The studies indicate that LEV can reduce fume exposures to total particulate, Mn, and CrVI to levels below currently relevant standards. Field studies suggest that 40-50% or more reduction in exposure is possible with portable or fixed LEV systems relative to natural ventilation but that correct positioning of the hood and adequate exhaust flow rates are essential. Successful implementation of extraction guns for gas metal arc welding (GMAW) and flux core arc welding has been demonstrated, indicating that a successful balance between extraction airflow and shielding gas requirements is possible. Work practices are an important part of achieving successful control of fume exposures; in particular, positioning the hood close to the arc, checking exhaust flow rates, and avoiding the plume. Further research is needed on hood size effects for controlling welding fume with portable LEV systems and identifying and overcoming barriers to LEV use in construction. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Movements Air Pollutants, Occupational Air Pollution, Indoor Chromium Construction Industry Engineering Environmental Exposure Environmental Monitoring Manganese Metals Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety Ventilation Welding

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• Keywords:
  Air-contamination Air-flow Arc-welders Arc-welding Author Keywords: Construction Construction Construction-equipment Construction-industry Construction-workers Control-methods Control-systems Employee-exposure Engineering-controls Exhaust-hoods Exhaust-ventilation Exposure-assessment Fumes Hexavalent-chromium-compounds Industrial-exposures Local Exhaust Ventilation Manganese-compounds Metal-fumes Welders Welding-equipment

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• ISSN:
  0003-4878
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; North Carolina ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  56
• Issue:
  7
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20040856
• Citation:
  Ann Occup Hyg 2012 Aug; 56(7):764-776
• Contact Point Address:
  Michael R. Flynn, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7431, USA
• Email:
  Mike_flynn@unc.edu
• CAS Registry Number:
  Chromium(6+) (CAS RN 18540-29-9) ; Manganese (CAS RN 7439-96-5)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2012
• NORA Priority Area:
  Construction
• Performing Organization:
  CPWR - The Center for Construction Research and Training, Silver Spring, Maryland
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20090901
• Source Full Name:
  Annals of Occupational Hygiene
• End Date:
  20240831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:e1986d24b2f64091d19f86c5680f3cb0e9a2a348e8a84f814650558b052265c05b0db808b5f1a7e3c6e89c2641c0604767cc1e6f0751ac872ba835f57c57d46e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/193574/cdc_193574_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 143.32 KB ]