Things You Should Consider To Maintain Safety While Welding

Welding has been around for quite some time there are plenty of examples but some of the earliest records of any type of welding dates back about 2000 years ago during the Bronze age, the way they actually welded was by forge welding which is done in a box where heat is concentrated on 2 pieces of metal, then the 2 pieces of metal are hammered till they form one piece (Felling Trailers). There are a lot of different types of welding and plenty of ways for it to become dangerous without proper safety equipment or regulations set in place. Welding is used to make up most of our everyday items everything from computers, cars, machinery, etc. Welding is simply heating up 2 pieces of metal either with an electrode which is stick welding, or use wire which is MIG or TIG welding, these are the 2 most common types of welding. Although Welding has many risks without proper supervision, proper safety equipment, without proper training, it is essential for most of our everyday items.

Welding has many safety regulations set in place; mainly to prevent injury due to inexperienced welders on the job that don’t have proper training or education. Some things you can do to prevent injury while on the job or job site is by always having a fire watch on duty, relocating combustibles like oil, and wood, and all welders should have their own individual booth painted with a low reflectivity paint, mainly black paint is used to prevent people getting blinded or having vision problems due to the reflection of the arc, there are more common injuries that happen while welding which include; flash burn, which is where the arc from welding can damage your vision, burns, Inhaling toxic fumes, and skin injuries (OSHA Subpart Q), therefore you should go to a technical or community college to get properly certified and to learn more about welding and how to be more safe while doing it. The best ways to learn how to be a safer and better welder include: Learning while on the job, participating in welding programs, going to a technical or community college, or being an apprentice to an experienced welder (Rowh).

There are many types of welding and with a lot of different types comes a lot of different health and safety risks associated with it, but here are a few types of welding: Gas welding, arc welding, resistance welding, and some advanced technologies which use lasers and sound waves.(Rowh) Things they do on a job site or before they go on a job site welders typically study blueprints, calculate dimensions, inspecting structures, start power supplies, monitor welding processes, and maintain equipment. Welders tend to work somewhere that is either outside or in a welding shop that is well ventilated. (Welders)

Despite all of the health risks and safety hazards, the positive benefits definitely outweigh the negatives, several benefits from a career in welding include: attractive wages, job satisfaction, suitable work environment, and job opportunities without requiring you to have a 4 year degree, meaning you can have a welding career right out of highschool if you’re good enough at it (Rowh). The median pay for welders is $19.89 per hour or roughly 41k a year in 2018, welders work full time most of the year and often get overtime (Welders), which increases their income dramatically. Welders, especially pipe and underwater welders have a high risk, high reward job since they make a lot of money and get a lot of benefits, they also put themselves in a situation that could potentially take their life or cause lifelong damage, which is why welding is an industry that will always need people to join the career.

Welding plays a big part in today’s economy and our everyday lives, it’s used to make everyday items, welding is used in electronics, cars, buildings, bridges, etc, with welding being used in most of everyday items it is important for welders to know what they are because one simple welding mistake could occur and make a bridge or a building collapse some time in the future could be 1 year, maybe 2 years, or longer. This is why before you start welding straight out of high school you should either go to a technical or community college for welding technology and do your research on welding safety and personal protective equipment, also known as PPEs, which includes: a welding helmet, goggles, fire resistant welder’s cap or something to wear under your helmet, steel toed boots that cover your ankle, wear jeans or sweatpants that don't have cuffs, welding gloves, and wear shirts or jackets that have a low cotton content, allow freedom of movement and cover any exposed skin to prevent burns, or hot slag getting on your skin. (OSHA)

Welding is essential for making most of our everyday items; it also has many risks if you aren’t properly trained or educated. There are a lot of risks in welding that can be easily prevented just by the clothing or equipment you wear or have around you, but the best way to stay safe is by going to school or being an apprentice to someone on a work site to learn the regulations, and what you should do if something goes wrong on a job site. Without welding there wouldn’t be as many tall skyscrapers or large bridges that are made from steel beams that are welded together. Even though welding can be very dangerous it is still a very important career to have around, it is a career that will always need people who know what they are doing.