Fume extraction prevents health risks, improves productivity and ensure compliance

Safe and healthy welding and cutting processes

The health and safety of welders are paramount considerations, given their elevated risk of serious illness compared to other professions. Welding and thermal cutting generate very fine fume particles (< 1μm) that are within the respirable range that can penetrate deep into the lungs and be absorbed into the blood stream. Prolonged exposure to welding fumes pose a wide range of health risks, from mild irritations to severe, long-term conditions like cancer. These risks emphasize the critical nature of effective capture and efficient filtration to reduce worker exposure in accordance with the latest health and safety standards.

Increased productivity in welding operations

Productivity in welding has never been more important due to a variety of factors including welder shortages. Safe and healthy working environments free of welding fume boosts productivity through reduced absences, increased worker focus and motivation. Additionally, uncontrolled welding fumes can accumulate onto machinery, electrical cabinets, and inventory, leading to increased downtime and additional housekeeping costs. Reduced operational costs resulting from improved productivity and reduced downtime are great benefits of effective weld fume control.

Regulatory compliance 

Health and safety organizations including HSE, ACGIH, OSHA have established strict permissible exposure limits (PELs) for thermally generated fumes. Even materials once considered less hazardous, such as mild steel, are now widely accepted as carcinogenic and more toxic materials common in stainless steel welding such as hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) or manganese have even more stringent exposure limits.

Compliance can best be achieved by applying the Hierarchy of Controls beginning with trying to eliminate or reduce the hazard to acceptable levels. With these being difficult to accomplish in welding applications, engineering controls capturing the fume at or near the source reducing exposure to the welder’s breathing zone is the most common approach to compliance.

As manufacturers invest in welding automation solutions including cobots or robots, it remains important to consider fume extraction when planning for these investments to maintain compliance. While the exposure may be less acute compared to manual welding, higher fume generation rates left unchecked, migrating throughout the factory can expose more workers to the hazards.