Hazard Alert: Welding Fumes and Gases

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  CPWR--The Center for Construction Research and Training
• Description:
  Am I in danger? If you are doing "hot work" on metal surfaces... a) welding, b) cutting, c) brazing, d) burning and you aren't using ventilation or an appropriate respirator, then the answer is YES. Before you start... 1) Remove all coatings. Some paints, laquers and solvents on metal surfaces can generate toxic fumes and gases when welding, cutting or burning. Make sure all dangerous materials have been removed before you start work. 2) Use ventilation. Effective ventilation captures fumes and gases at the source. If used correctly, an exhaust system removes fumes before they reach you. Don't assume outdoor air movement is enough. Overexposures have occurred outdoors on windy days. 3) Beware of confined spaces. Before you weld or cut in a confined space, your employer must provide a ventilation system and should test the air quality so you have enough oxygen and low toxic gases or vapors. Caution: shielding gases displace oxygen. While in a confined space, you must have adequate breathable air. OSHA requires it - and so do your lungs. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Accidents, Occupational Air Pollutants, Occupational Cadmium Carbon Dioxide Carbon Monoxide Chlorine Chromium Construction Industry Education Hazardous Substances Lead Manganese Mortality Nickel Occupational Health Oxygen Ozone Paint Personal Protective Equipment Phosgene Respiratory Protective Devices Safety Safety Management Staff Development Welding Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Accident Potential Accident Prevention Cadmium Fumes Carbon Dioxide Carbon Monoxide Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Coatings Construction Construction-equipment Construction-industry Construction-workers Equipment Reliability Fumes Gases Injuries Injury Prevention Lead Fumes Manganese Compounds And Fume Metal Fume Fever Metal Fumes Mortality Data Nitrogen Oxides Oxygen Deficient Atmospheres Paints Personal Protective Equipment Respirators Safety-education Safety-measures Safety-programs Safety Equipment Stainless Steel Toxic Fumes Toxic Gases Toxic Vapors Toxins Training Welders Welding Equipment Welding Fumes Welding Industry Work-environment Worker-health Zinc

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• Series:
  CPWR - Center for Construction Research and Training Publications
• Subseries:
  Hazard Alerts
• Publisher:
  CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Report
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; OSHA Region 3
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1 pdf page
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20049688
• Citation:
  Silver Spring, MD: CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training, 2016 Jul; :1
• CAS Registry Number:
  Argon (CAS RN 7440-37-1) ; Cadmium (CAS RN 7440-43-9) ; Carbon dioxide (CAS RN 124-38-9) ; Carbon monoxide (CAS RN 630-08-0) ; Chlorine (CAS RN 7782-50-5) ; Chromium (CAS RN 7440-47-3) ; Lead (CAS RN 7439-92-1) ; Manganese (CAS RN 7439-96-5) ; Nickel (CAS RN 7440-02-0) ; Nitrogen dioxide (CAS RN 10102-44-0) ; Ozone (CAS RN 10028-15-6) ; Stainless Steel (CAS RN 12597-68-1) ; Zinc (CAS RN 7440-66-6)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2016
• NORA Priority Area:
  Construction
• Performing Organization:
  CPWR - The Center for Construction Research and Training, Silver Spring, Maryland
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20090901
• End Date:
  20240831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:9314c736f40a4b6e10d55459b875dcb2ae51dc504cc7711167253391bda261d89d850058e2f375050905871b27c0adc5dd8f429d33ea3436aa06f0d0d984e115
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/212923/cdc_212923_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.04 MB ]