Evaluation of controls used to reduce welding fume exposures

Details

• Personal Author:
  Wallace M
• Description:
  This report summarizes the data collected during a major control technology study of welding operations conducted at seven field sites. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of various engineering control measures in reducing welding fume exposures. Welding parameters varied at each location; however, all used arc welding techniques. Types of arc welding evaluated included shielded metal (stick or SMAW), gas metal (GMAW or MIG), flux cored (FCAW), and gas tungsten (CTAW or TIG), Metals welded included aluminum, mild steel, galvanized steel and stainless steel. Five studies were conducted at industrial sites, while two studies were conducted at a union training center for welders and at a vocational school. The majority of evaluated control measures were classified as ventilation units, including portable and fixed local exhaust hoods, canopy hoods, and fume extraction welding guns. At one industrial site, rather than using ventilated measures, fume levels were controlled by modifying the process that involved using pulsed arc welding techniques in place of conventional GMAW techniques. During each field study, industrial hygiene air samples were collected to determine total welding fume concentrations and levels of airborne metals. The NIOSH analytical methods for total particulates (0500) and elements (7300) were followed. Additional information on total welding fume exposures was collected using real-time aerosol instrumentation. Results indicated that the ventilated controls ranged from being completely ineffective (a canopy hood system) to very effective, reducing workers' fume exposures by up to 83% (a fume extraction gun system), The process modification control method resulted in a 24% reduction in welding fume exposures. Overall, however, even with controls, exposure levels for total welding fume and metals such as hexavalent chromium, arsenic, and manganese occasionally still exceeded limits set by the ACGIH, NIOSH, and OSHA. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Aluminum Compounds Arsenic Chromium Education Engineering Environmental Exposure Environmental Monitoring Inorganic Chemicals Manganese Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Metals Metal Workers Occupational Health Safety Staff Development Ventilation Welding

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• Keywords:
  Air-sampling Aluminum-compounds Analytical-methods Arc-welders Arc-welding Arsenic-compounds Control-methods Control-systems Engineering-controls Environmental-control-equipment Exhaust-hoods Exhaust-ventilation Exposure-assessment Exposure-levels Exposure-limits Fumes Gas-welders Hexavalent-chromium-compounds Industrial-environment Industrial-exposures Industrial-ventilation Manganese-compounds Metal-compounds Metal-fumes Metal-workers Metallic-fumes Stainless-steel Training Ventilation-equipment Ventilation-hoods Ventilation-systems Welders Welding-industry

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• Publisher:
  American Industrial Hygiene Association
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Georgia ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DPSE - Division of Physical Sciences and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  52
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20043851
• Citation:
  American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition, May 9-15, 1998, Atlanta, Georgia. Fairfax, VA: American Industrial Hygiene Association, 1998 May; :52
• CAS Registry Number:
  Aluminum (CAS RN 7429-90-5) ; Arsenic (CAS RN 7440-38-2) ; Chromium(6+) (CAS RN 18540-29-9) ; Manganese (CAS RN 7439-96-5) ; Stainless Steel (CAS RN 12597-68-1)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1998
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition, May 9-15, 1998, Atlanta, Georgia
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:e5f969e75cae44843532094b37b5eb93f201c1c8ba160e3caf6887aea09249483361c58979d85e84733df084284a89665f90df5ff08883e30dc80dbf08fa61ad
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/199728/cdc_199728_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 692.80 KB ]