Handy welding safety tips - Part 2

Welcome to the second and final part of this 2-part series on welding safety tips. In the first part, we discussed 2 tips recommended by one of India’s best welding electrodes manufacturers and the leading suppliers of welding consumables - Diffusion Engineers Ltd. When you think of welding hazards, you think of electrocution as a possible risk. However, the risks are not just limited to that. In this part, we will discuss 2 more safety tips, as suggested by Diffusion Engineers, for hazards that are not usually given due attention. So without any further ado, let us get to the point.

1. Open the garage or workshop doors when you are welding

While the dangerous gases in the air are cancerous, it isn’t actually the immediate concern, say some welding consumables suppliers in India. The immediate threat is the possibility of suffocating on account of inhalation of both harmful and harmless gases. Carbon dioxide and argon are 2 gases that are heavier than the others. As a result, they settle down on the floor of the workshop while you are welding and continue to build up as you continue welding unless and until you actively ventilate it. While both these odorless and colourless gases may not cause a problem if you inhale them in small amounts, but when you work in certain positions on the floor, such as while lying down or in a kneeling position, you may inhale them in large and dangerous amounts. If they concentrate in too large an amount, they could displace the air without you even realising it and suffocate you. It may well be too late by the time you realise the danger. So in order to avoid such a hazardous situation, welding electrodes suppliers in India suggest keeping the garage or workshop doors open when you are welding. A closed shop could well trap these gases for a long period of time and result in a large concentration of them. 

2. Cylinder checks

As we mentioned before that closed shops could trap gases over a period of time, another danger that arises because of that is of cylinder leaks. In case a cylinder valve were to leak all of a sudden, there may be enough leakage of gas to render the air in the garage unbreathable. And for this very reason, experienced welders subject their cylinders to pressure testing every now and then. If a cylinder has passed its date of testing or if you see bubbles while conducting a soapy water test, take the cylinder back to the welding gas supplier at the earliest after you remove it from service and tag it as ‘defective’. As soon as you detect the defect, take the cylinder outdoors and chain it up in an upright position till the time you transport it back to the dealer. Ask the dealer to test it and fix or replace it.

The leading welding electrodes manufacturers in India say that when the weather is not very supportive, you will always be tempted to close the doors. But remember that when you do that, you are actually trading the manageable discomforts of the weather with the possibility of a potentially fatal accident.