07/08/2020
Daily tip for welding safety.
Eye Safety First 100% of the time.
Eye injuries account for one – quarter of all welding injuries, making them by far the most common injury for welders. The best way to control eye injuries is also the most simple: proper selection and use of eye protection. Helmets alone do not offer enough protection. Welders should wear goggles or safety glasses with side shields that comply with ANSI Z87.1 under welding helmets and always wear goggles or other suitable eye protection when gas welding or oxygen cutting. To help in reducing eye injuries, you should educate workers about all of the dangers they face and should implement an eye protection plan that outlines proper welding behavior. Damage from ultraviolet light can occur very quickly. Normally absorbed in the cornea and lens of the eye, ultraviolet radiation (UVR) often causes arc eye or arc flash, a very painful but seldom permanent injury that is characterized by eye swelling, tearing, and pain. While most welding related eye injuries are reversible, with more than half of injured workers returning to work in less than two days and 95 percent in less than seven days, some eye injuries are irreversible and permanent visual impairment occurs. This is especially true with infrared and visible spectrum (bright light) radiation. Both can pe*****te through to the retina and — although this is rare — can cause permanent retinal damage, including cataracts, diminished visual acuity, and higher sensitivity to light and glare.
As a general rule, select filter shades or lenses beginning with a shade too dark to see the welding zone. Then evaluate a lighter shade that provides adequate vision without going below the minimum protective shade. Most protective eyewear manufacturers offer 2.0, 3.0, and 5.0 filter shades, which protect against harmful optical radiation generated when working with molten metal, cutting, soldering, and brazing. A filter shade 2.0 lens allows 29 – 43 percent of light to be transmitted, filter shade 3.0 lenses allow 8.5 – 18 percent of light to be transmitted, and filter shade 5.0 lenses allow 1.8 – 3.6 percent of light to be transmitted. These shades are available in protective eyewear, goggles, and welding helmets.
To avoid ultraviolet skin burns protective clothing must be worn. The selection process for the most appropriate protective clothing for various welding and cutting operations will vary with the task size and location of the work to be performed. By carefully examining which hazards are possible, new technologies will often provide greater comfort, which can improve employee acceptance and increase wearing of the proper protective apparel.
