Mig Welding Fume

Posted on 15-05-2019

Complying with Health & Safety Legislation has always been paramount here at Sphinx, with regulations always changing, it is so important to always be up to date with the new legislation that has been put in place.
The international Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has released new scientific eveidence that exposure to mild steel welding fume can cause lung cancer and possibly kidney cancer in humans, mild steel welding fume has been reclassified as a human carcinogen by the Workplace Health Expert Comittee.
The Health and Safety Exectutive (HSE) has released a safety alert for those undertaking welding activities, including mild steel in any industry. In order to protect workers, the HSE is strengthening their enforcement of cancer-causing welding fumes with immediate effect.

It must be undestood that general ventilaltion does not achieve the essential welding fume exposure control. Control of exposure to carcinogenic fumes requires more effective engineering controls, such as local exhaust ventilation (LEV), which allows for at-source fume extraction thus preventing welding fume from spreading into the surrounding workplace and entering the worker's breathing zone. Indoor welding tasks require the use of LEV. If LEV is unable to control fume capture, then Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) is also required. Appropriate RPE should be also provided for welding outdoors. Regardless of the duration of exposure, the HSE will no longer accept any welding undertaken without suitable exposure control measures in place as there is no known level of safe exposure.

Addequate exposure control measures are an necessity and for good reason.

Get in touch today, to see how we can help you with your RPE requirements.

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