Welding is a demanding trade that exposes workers to various health and safety risks every day.
In the United States, there are approximately 771,000 welders (as of 2024). Unfortunately, the industry faces a notable rate of injuries and respiratory conditions due to exposure to hazardous fumes, burns, and eye damage, making safety precautions a critical concern.
According to the BLS, more than 560,000 welding accidents happen annually (including 1,400 daily welding-related eye injuries) in the U.S, amounting to $467 million in annual injury compensations.
Welders face a variety of workplace hazards that go beyond simple cuts and burns. The nature of welding exposes workers to intense heat, toxic fumes, dangerous gases, bright ultraviolet light, and risks of fire or explosion. These factors create serious occupational health risks that require clear understanding and proper protective measures.
Here, we’ll look at the major hazards welders face and how you can better protect and keep them safe at work.
Let’s break it down.
Related: Improve Workplace Safety & Health, Increase Your Bottom Line
Related: Protecting Workers Against Dangerous Workplace Fumes
Major Workplace Hazards Welders Face
Welding is a high-risk occupation with numerous hazards that can seriously impact workers’ health and safety. Every day, welders face serious hazards on the job.
Here are some of the major workplace hazards faced by welders:
1. Exposure to Welding Fumes and Gases
Welding fumes are a complex mixture of metallic oxides, silicates, and fluorides produced during welding. These fumes contain dangerous substances such as hexavalent chromium, nickel, manganese, carbon monoxide, ozone, and nitrogen oxides.
Inhaling these fumes can irritate the throat and lungs, leading to coughing, tightness in the chest, and acute conditions like metal fume fever, which mimics flu symptoms.
More concerning are the long-term effects, including chronic lung diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and even lung cancer.
In fact, welding fumes are dangerous enough to be classified as carcinogenic to humans.
Employers need to control exposure by ensuring adequate ventilation and providing respiratory protective equipment when engineering controls alone are insufficient.
2. Acute and Chronic Respiratory Hazards
The immediate respiratory effects of welding fumes include throat irritation, coughing, and shortness of breath caused by gases like ozone and nitrogen oxides. In some cases, welders may develop acute irritant-induced asthma or suffer from metal fume fever.
Chronic exposure, on the other hand, can lead to serious conditions such as lung cancer and COPD.
Pneumonia risks are elevated among welders, sometimes resulting in severe or fatal outcomes.
Although vaccinations can reduce pneumonia risk, controlling fume exposure remains critical for health protection.
3. Thermal Hazards and Burns
Welding involves intense heat from electric arcs or flames, creating a high risk of burns from sparks, molten metal, or hot slag. Thermal hazards also extend to the risk of fires and explosions caused by sparks igniting flammable materials in the work area.
Protective clothing such as flame-resistant gloves, jackets, aprons, and boots are essential to shield welders from burns.
Keeping the workspace clear of clutter and combustible materials further reduces these hazards.
4. Eye and Skin Injuries from UV Radiation
The ultraviolet light produced during welding can cause severe eye injuries such as “arc eye” or photokeratitis, a painful inflammation of the cornea. Welders must use helmets with UV-filtering faceplates or goggles to protect their eyes.
Exposure to UV radiation can also cause skin burns and long-term damage, so proper protective clothing must cover exposed skin to prevent injury.
5. Electrical and Fire Risks
Welding involves working with electrical currents that can cause shocks or electrocution if equipment is faulty or handled incorrectly. Proper grounding, insulated gloves, and safety protocols minimize this risk.
Additionally, the heat and sparks create fire hazards, especially if flammable gases, liquids, or materials are nearby. Maintaining strict housekeeping standards and having fire extinguishers accessible are crucial measures.
Respiratory Protection and Ventilation
Controlling exposure to welding fumes requires a combination of engineering controls, such as local exhaust ventilation (LEV) that captures fumes at the source, and personal protective equipment like respirators.
Respirators must be selected based on the type and amount of fumes present; high-efficiency particulate filters and cartridges that protect against gases and vapors are often necessary. Welding outdoors or in well-ventilated areas reduces fume concentration but respirators remain important.
Employers must train welders on proper respirator use and ensure routine maintenance of ventilation systems.
Protecting Welders From These Workplace Hazards
Protecting welders requires strict attention to personal protective equipment (PPE) and safe work practices.
– Essential PPE includes welding helmets designed to shield the eyes and face from intense ultraviolet rays, sparks, and flying debris. These helmets usually come with adjustable lens shades to match the welding type and conditions.
– Safety goggles or face shields provide extra protection during grinding or cutting tasks.
– Flame-resistant gloves are crucial to guard hands from burns and sharp objects.
– Welders also need fire-resistant jackets, long pants without cuffs, and durable leather boots to protect their skin and feet from hot sparks and molten metal.
– Respiratory protection is critical to reduce inhalation of hazardous welding fumes and gases; appropriate respirators must be selected based on exposure levels.
– Ear protection such as earplugs or earmuffs helps prevent hearing damage in noisy work environments.
– Employers should ensure that welders receive thorough training on PPE use and maintenance, and maintain stringent housekeeping to reduce fire hazards.
– The BLS reports that while about half of all welders work a full-time, 40-hour work week, a good number also work overtime. Employers should also build a culture that openly addresses fatigue and supports workers in reporting tiredness to help maintain safety and productivity on the job.
These combined measures form a strong defense, allowing your crew to safely carry out their work while minimizing health risks and injuries.
See OSHA’s Standards for Welding, Cutting, and Brazing
See CDC’s Recommended Standard for Welding, Brazing, and Thermal Cutting
Bringing It Together
Welding exposes workers to multiple serious occupational hazards including toxic fumes, respiratory illnesses, burns, eye damage, and fire risks.
Awareness and control of these hazards are essential for preserving welder health. Adequate ventilation, respiratory protection, flame-resistant clothing, eye protection, and safe work practices must be standard.
Ongoing training and hazard management reduce illness and injury rates, helping welders work safely in challenging conditions.
Stay In Compliance With Worksite Medical
In most cases, OSHA requires medical surveillance testing, and at no cost to employees.
Worksite Medical makes that program easier with mobile medical testing.
We conduct audiometric exams, OSHA and HIPAA compliant online respirator medical clearances, silica exam physicals, on-site respirator fit tests (including N95 masks), pulmonary function tests, heavy metal lab work, and much more, right on your job site.
We also keep accurate, easy-to-access medical records for your convenience. You’ll keep your employees at work, and stay ahead of OSHA inspections.
With Worksite Medical, a mobile medical testing unit — we can bring all the resources of a lab to you. Our certified lab technicians can perform both qualitative and quantitative respirator tests to ensure a perfect fit.
You’ll keep your employees at work, and stay ahead of OSHA and MSHA inspections.
Protect your team and your workplace now with Worksite Medical. Not sure what you need? Try our medical testing wizard here.
Give us a call at 1-844-622-8633, or complete the form below to schedule an on-site visit or to get your free quote.
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