No one knows the importance of clean air to breathe more than the people who work in environments with toxic fumes. For them, the ability to breathe freely is just as crucial as having the right tools and materials. One of them being welders. The welding fumes pose a significant threat to their health and well-being, impacting both their physical and mental health. This article sheds light on how important it is to have and maintain clean air in the welding workplace, highlighting the detrimental effects of poor AQ (Air Quality) and the benefits of implementing proper fume extraction solutions.
We’ll start with the dangers of welding fumes.
The welding process contains a lot of airborne contaminants which can cause many health complications. Some of these contaminants are:
- Metal fumes: These are microscopic particles that arise when the base metal and the welding consumables are fused.
- Gases: Some of the gasses that are released during the welding process are Carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NO), and ozone (O₃) with each of them having health problems.
- Dust: Activities such as grinding and sanding result in dust generation, resulting in the degradation of AQ.
As per the results of the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), exposure to welding fumes can lead to various health issues; some of them being:
- Respiratory problems: As per the reports by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), over 50% of welders experience symptoms like shortness of breath, coughing, and respiratory tract irritation at some point in their careers. Also, long-term exposure to such fumes can lead to diseases like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and occupational asthma. Another staggering statistic shared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that occupational lung disease accounts for an estimated 17% of all occupational illnesses in the United States.
- Metal fume illness: With symptoms like chills, fever, nausea, and muscle aches, this flu-like fever is very common amongst welders. As per the reports by the American Welding Society (AWS), up to 25% of welders may experience metal fume fever at least once in their careers.
- Cancer: Arguably the most severe threat, The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies welding fumes as carcinogenic to humans as long-term exposure to these fumes increases the risk of lung cancer.
Beyond the harmful health concerns, poor air quality can also affect the productivity and safety of the workers.
- Reduction of focus and increasing fatigue: Difficulty breathing, and pain might result in diminished focus and concentration, lowering work quality. Also, a report by the University of California, states that welders working in an environment with poor air quality feel more fatigue than people working in a clear-air environment do.
- Absence because of sickness: As per the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), respiratory sickness is the leading cause of absenteeism from work. This in turn affects the project’s timelines and results in increasing the costs.
Ensuring clean air quality for the work environment
Poor air quality would not just affect the health of your workers but also hamper their productivity. As stated by Plymovent, a leading provider of fume extraction solutions,
❝ Clean air at work is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. ❞
Hence, investing in an effective fume extraction system is crucial not just to extenuate the risks associated with poor air quality but to promote a safe and productive work environment.
These systems are made to collect such contaminations, which can be as small as a micrometer (µm), and stop them from getting to the welders’ breathing zone. Some of the offerings by Remove the Fume to tackle such issues are portable fume extractors, stationary extractors, and Downdraft tables that could be configured with their welding fume extraction arms and multiple filter packs as per the requirements like welding applications and workspace layouts.
Benefits of Implementation of extractors at the workplace
There are multiple benefits of implementing a fume extraction system, that too not just for the employees but for the employer also:
- Employee’s health
- Improvement in productivity
- Reduction in absenteeism
- Improvement in safety
- Compliance with regional regulations
Conclusion
In conclusion, investing in clean air solutions is not just an ethical responsibility, but a sound decision from a financial viewpoint. By focusing on the worker’s health and well-being, they are not just reducing the healthcare cost, but also improving employee morale and retention resulting in improvement in productivity. Lastly, demonstrating and implementing a safe and healthy work environment will build a company’s reputation and attract top talent.
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