Work Health and Safety Ministers across Australia will strengthen workplace exposure standards (WES) for welding fumes, creating a new statutory maximum upper limit for the concentration of total welding fumes within a worker’s breathing zone when legislated in each jurisdiction.
The new WES for welding fumes not otherwise controlled by the standards is a time-weighted average of 1 milligram per cubic metre – cut from the previous average of 5 milligrams per cubic metre – over an eight-hour working day in a five-day week.
Safe Work Australia says welding fumes are a complex mix of hazardous chemicals, which can result in occupational lung diseases – including lung cancer – among people who are exposed to them.
With governments set to implement these changes, employers and other people carrying out a business or undertaking (PCBUs) will need to either eliminate or minimise the risks to worker safety that these fumes pose.
To do this, Safe Work Australia recommends that PCBUs identify the hazardous components in the welding fumes at their workplaces, either from the safety data sheets from welding rods used or air monitoring data.
It also suggests PCBUs assess work processes and the work environment, consulting with workers and reviewing any incident reports to find other ways to reduce the risk of exposure to fumes.
Weld Australia recommends the introduction of at-source fume controls method, such as local exhaust ventilation systems like a hooded fume extractor or on-gun fume extraction – with any captured fumes to be filtered and exhausted into atmosphere, preferably outside the workshop.
Weld Australia also suggests personal respiratory protection such as Powered Air Purifying Respirators or air-fed helmets for welders, particularly where the welder’s head is likely to be near the weld plume.
Seeking specialist advice about workshop ventilation from an occupational hygienist, or another form of fume exposure monitoring will also assist, Weld Australia says.
The group has also developed two free online welder safety training courses that can be accessed at the Weld Australia website, here. (Please note, this is an external site to tradeplantequipment.com.au and is to be accessed at your own risk.)
Weld Australia CEO Geoff Crittenden says the group is also revising its Fume Minimisation Guidelines for Welding, Cutting, Brazing and Soldering, to be released soon.
“Welding can and should be considered a safe occupation; when proper precautions are taken, welders have no cause to fear accident or injury,” he said.
“Safety must be taken seriously in the workplace, to avoid the risk of long-term impacts.”