EYE PROTECTION THE IMPORTANCE OF RESPIRATORY PROTECTION Workplace health hazards are a major concern for both employers and employees. It is critical to remember, however, that hazardous materials only pose a health risk when they come into contact with your body. Hazardous materials can enter your body in three ways: 1. INGESTION - THROUGH THE MOUTH 2. ABSORPTION - THROUGH THE SKIN, EYES 3. INHALATION - THROUGH THE LUNGS INHALATION is the most common route of exposure to the majority of health hazards. This includes breathing in dust, oil mist, and vapors from solvents and various gases. When you take a breath, oxygen-rich air enters your body via the mouth and nose, windpipe, and lungs. ALVEOLI are tiny sacs found in the lungs. The oxygen from the air is then transferred into your bloodstream by these delicate air sacs. Simultaneously, oxygen is absorbed into your bloodstream to your air sacs. When you exhale, you are removing gaseous waste from your body. An average person will breathe in and out 12 times per minute. Each inhalation brings about 500ml of air into the lungs (corresponding to 6 litres of air per minute at rest), together with any contaminants that this air contains. People undertaking hard physical work will breathe harder and take in more than 6 litres per minute, over an eight-hour working day, more than 2800 litres of air will pass through the lungs. In conditions of hard physical work, up to 10000 litres may be exchanged during the course of an eight-hour work shift. IT’S BETTER TO BE SAFETY CONSCIOUS THAN UNSAFE AND UNCONSCIOUS Everyone has a responsibility to work safely and endanger themselves or others at work. Welding, cutting, and other processes pose numerous occupational hazards to welders and others. A hazard is something that has the potential to cause injury or harm to one’s health. The risk of injury or damage to one’s health is determined by how hazards are dealt with or controlled. Electricity, radiation, heat, flames, fire, explosion, noise, welding fumes, fuel gases, inert gases, gas mixtures, and solvents are the most common welding-related hazards encountered by welders and allied trades. Awareness is the first step in controlling hazards. Investing in the right personal protective equipment creates a healthier, safer, and more productive workplace. Health Effects of Breathing Welding Fume • Acute exposure to welding fumes and gases can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat, as well as dizziness and nausea. Workers in the area who exhibit these symptoms should leave immediately, get some fresh air, and seek medical attention • Prolonged exposure to welding fumes can cause lung damage as well as cancers of the larynx and urinary tract. • Metal fume fever, stomach ulcers, kidney damage, and nervous system damage are all potential side effects of certain fumes. Prolonged exposure to manganese fumes can result in Parkinson’s disease-like symptoms. • Helium, argon, and carbon dioxide displace oxygen in the air, which can cause suffocation, especially when welding in confined or enclosed spaces. Carbon monoxide gas can form, posing a significant asphyxiation risk. Metal Fumes Fumes are very tiny solid particles that remain airborne and are formed when a heated metal has evaporated in the air and then condensed back to a solid form. Gases Gases may have an odor, but many do not. Some gases can be seen, but again, others cannot. Gases may be heavier than air, or lighter than air, but in either case, can travel for great distances undetected. Vapours Vapours are substances that are created when a solid or liquid material evaporates. Materials that evaporate easily at room temperature include paint thinner or solvents. Mist Tiny liquid droplets generated by condensation or by breaking up a liquid into the dispersed state, in processes such as spraying. Dust Are polydisperse solid aerosols*, generated during processing of organic and inorganic substances. Solid particles can be mineral, metal, coal, wood, or crop dust, as well as fibers. They are usually heavy enough to settle slowly to the ground. • Thoroughly understand the hazards associated with welding. • Clean welding surfaces regularly to remove coatings that could potentially result in toxic exposure levels. • Stay upwind of welding fumes when working in open or outdoor areas. Be aware, however, that working outdoors or an open work environment doesn’t guarantee safe ventilation. • Use local exhaust ventilation systems for indoor welding. Be sure to keep exhaust ports away from other workers. • Never weld in a confined space that doesn’t have ventilation. • Wear respiratory protection if ventilation and work practices don’t adequately reduce welding fume exposure to safe levels. • Call in an expert for professional advice regarding the use of the correct type of filtering. REDUCE EXPOSURE TO HAZARDS 20
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