RESPIRATORY HEALTH HIERARCHY OF CONTROL
Arco breaks down the new welding fume enforcement update that came into place February 2019.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has released a safety alert announcing an update in enforcement exceptions for all welding fume. The update followed the release of new scientific evidence from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which found exposure to all welding fume can cause lung cancer and potentially link to kidney cancer.
The findings were so severe that the change in enforcement relating to control of exposure came with immediate effect, with the Workplace Health Expert Committee endorsing reclassification of welding fume as a human carcinogen.
Welders should be fully aware of the effects caused by exposure to welding fume including fuel gases, inert gases, gas mixtures and solvents. The short- term health effects include irritation of the throat and
lungs, metal fume fever and temporary reduced lung function. However, it’s the long-term health effects of occupational asthma and lung cancer that causes the most concern.
Those exposed to welding fume, including mild steel, and employers operating in all industries need to understand how the update affects them and to review their risk assessment and the level of protection currently offered to the welding workforce. Arco has collated the five key areas that workers and employers need to understand to ensure they are adhering to the HSE update and creating a safe working environment. These include:
The reclassification of welding fume from ‘possibly carcinogenic in humans’ (Group 2B) to ‘carcinogenic in humans’ (Group 1). Exposure to all welding fume,
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