TRAINING MODULE

WELDING AND CUTTING

Gas Cutting Electric Welding Safety Needs
WELDING & CUTTING - INTRODUCTION

WELDING AND CUTTING

This Training Module comes to you courtesy of:

Site Safe would like to acknowledge Fletcher Constructions on-going support
WELDING & CUTTING - INTRODUCTION

TRAINING
SUBJECT: WELDING

PURPOSE: To provide all employees at all levels with a sound basic understanding of welding and gas cutting, with emphasis on safety aspects of those operations. NUMBERS: Up to 20 persons, dividing them into groups of four to six as may be required. METHOD: First - A brief outline of the welding and cutting processes, and the dangers involved. Second - A brief outline of safety measures and protective equipment. Third - A short, sharp session on what to do in the case of arc-eye. Fourth - A brief evaluation will conclude the session to indicate how well the participant has absorbed the points discussed. This will comprise a simple multiple-choice questionnaire which will be identified and passed to the Trainer for marking. MATERIALS: Hand-outs. OHPs of good - and bad - practices. Whiteboard Pens and paper for participants Copies of assessment Demonstration apparatus DURATION: One hour maximum. DEVELOPMENT: No further development is envisaged. NOTES: This course can be run on site using actual equipment for best effect.

PAGE 1 ARC WELDING - TRAINING NOTES

WELDING AND CUTTING

Electric arc welders and gas-cutting equipment have become key tools for on-site steelwork, metalwork, and many other construction activities. Because either process generates great heat, special safety precautions are needed. With UV rays from both processes, an added hazard is present. This module discusses the two processes, and how the hazards can be controlled.
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What is welding?

Welding is basically a proces of joining two similar metals by using heat to melt them together. Until the development of gas welding and later electric arc welding, the process was usually achieved by heating the join zones to near white-hot, and applying pressure to the joint, often by hammering (as a blacksmith would fire-weld chains). Gas welding, developed about the turn of the century, offered a quick and neat process for lighter metals, or for bronze-welding heavier components. It also developed the versatile and quick gascutting processes we often see used on sites today. The advent of the arc welder has meant that thick pieces of metal can be joined with ease, and with a joint as strong as the parent metal. It has replaced most rivetting and bolting as a permanent means of jointing, especially with structural steelwork. What are the hazards with these operations? Both processes generate enormous heat. Steel, for example, requires a temperature of some 3,000C to melt. That heat can cause severe burns. It can also set fire to combustible materials, and sparks from welding operations can travel a surprising distance from their source. In addition, both processes generate ultra-violet rays (UV), which cause severe eye damage as well as skin damage. Each process is covered separately in this module, because of the different ways of handling the hazards each present. WELDING AND CUTTING - HOW IT WORKS PAGE 3

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"How does the process work?"

The principles of welding are the same for either process: a source of heat locally melts the parent metal, and often with the addition of material from a filler rod, a joint is formed. With gas, the burning combination of oxygen and acetylene gases produces the heat; with arc welding, it is in fact an electric arc that generates the heat. A "puddle" of molten metal is formed in the immediate area of the heat source, and it is the flowing together of the molten metals which creates the joint. Filler rods are of course not needed with gas cutting - the purpose here is to heat the metal to a molten state, and use a blast of oxygen to burn the molten metal out of the way.
Oxygen and Acetylene mix

Oxygen and Acetylene mix Steels of up to 300mm thick can be cut this way, and with machine guidance can produce very smooth cuts. From machine To machine "Earth") Oxygen is also fed through a central jet under pressure, to do the cutting. PAGE 4 WELDING AND CUTTING - HOW IT WORKS

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"What are the hazards with welding?"

The first hazard is, of course, heat. Because welding generates enormous heat, there are always hazards: Burns. Gloves are provided for welding, and are there for a purpose. There is probably not a welder alive who has not at some stage grabbed a hot piece of metal with their bare hands, and the injuries can be severe. Curious builders who grab steelwork can also find out quickly that a welder has just completed some work..... Sparks. Welding generates sparks. These sparks are in fact small globules of molten metal, which take a little time to cool. Until they are cool, they can burn. They find their way down collars, into cuffs, into ears, and sometimes intimate places. That smarts. You need to beware of any welding work in your area, and beware of working under, or close to, welding operations. Place signs, and cordon off affected areas. Flammable materials. Heat and sparks can easily set fire to flammable materials, sometimes hours after the welding operations have finished. Simple good housekeeping can ensure that sparks do not have anything to set fire to. Also - know the location of the fire extinguishers in your area. Important use a "Hot Work Permit" system! Fumes. Welding of some materials can produce mildly toxic fumes. You need to be aware of the hazard if you are working in a confined space near a welder. You may need extractors, or a forced ventilation system. WELDING AND CUTTING - HAZARDS PAGE 5

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"What are the hazards with welding?" Another hazard is the way in which welding generates UV rays. With arc welding especially, there is a significant hazard to anyone in the area of an arc welder, because these rays can damage your eyes. "Arc eye" is a painful and unfortunately common complaint among people in the construction industry. It is avoidable, however, by wearing safety glasses if you are in the vicinity of a welder. The safety glasses will deflect the UV rays from your eyes. Place local screens around the work area to protect others in the vicinity. And, of course, you NEVER look directly at an arc welder in operation. "Arc eye" is actually a lot of tiny blisters which form on the surface of your eyeball, and these feel like you have an eye full of sand. Given treatment, it can be healed within a day or two, but is a very uncomfortable - often painful - condition. The obvious answer, though, is to ensure that you do not receive a "flash" in the first place. USE YOUR SAFETY GLASSES! If you should receive a "flash" from an arc welder, you should bathe your eyes immediately with a saline solution which will be in the First Aid box on site. There are also eyedrops available from pharmacies which will ease the symptoms should the condition develop after work. WELDING AND CUTTING - HAZARDS PAGE 6

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"What are the hazards with welding?"

A further hazard exists with UV rays. These rays are just like the sun's UV rays, and can cause sunburn on exposed skin. Typically, skin damage can occur within 20 minutes' exposure to arc welding rays, and the end result can be just like severe sunburn - skin damage, even 1st degree burns, and an increase in the possibility of skin cancer. The more responsible welders will wear gauntlets, often a jacket, and never have their shirt sleeves rolled up. Sure, it can be hot work, but the risk of skin damage outweighs any short-term discomfort. If you should be working close by an arc welder, take some simple precautions just like the welders do, and keep your skin covered. The alternative could be the sort of "tan" that nobody wants..... Use a skin block cream with a high UV factor (at least over 30) to protect your skin. WELDING AND CUTTING - HAZARDS PAGE 7

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"What are the hazards with gas cutting?"

Gas cutting, and using gas torches to heat metals for bending, is quite different from electric arc welding, but none the less presents its own hazards. Just because gas cutting does not generate the same high quantities of UV as electric arc welding, is not to say that it is any less hazardous. Proper goggles must be worn when using a cutting torch - sunglasses are NOT sufficient! Gas cutting normally uses two gases: oxygen and acetylene. These are mixed within the torch, to produce the extremely hot flame. Store acetylene cylinders VERTICALLY, otherwise you will get a very flammable liquid through your torch. You will not have control of the flame. Always restrain gas bottles, either in a purposemade trolley, or against a wall or around a column. Treat any burns immediately, with burn cream from the First Aid Kit. Serious burns require hospital attention without delay. "I told you - they're not cigarette lighters!"
Gas cutting uses a stream of oxygen to burn and remove molten metal. The sparks that you see coming off are actually globules of molten metal. They are hot, and can start fires.

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