Page 48 - Australasian Paint & Panel magazine

48
Safety
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WELDING FUME SOLUTIONS
RESPIRATOR-STYLE WELDING HELMETS ARE GREAT FOR THE PERSON WELDING BUT DO NOTHING FOR PEOPLE WORKING NEARBY. AWS EXAMINES THE ISSUE.
IN THE YEARS SINCE WELDING FUME WAS
officially reclassified as ‘carcinogenic to hu- mans’, the welding industry has taken great strides to evolve its approach towards health and safety. The clearest example of this pro- gress has been the growing popularity of welding helmets with powered air purifying respirators (PAPR): now the most widely used form of respiratory protection among Australian and New Zealand welders.
PAPR systems are designed to protect the individual welder, supplying a constant flow of filtered air directly into their breathing zone. While ideal for the user, this protec- tion does not extend to any non-welders working near welding operations who are also at risk of exposure.
As a result, companies are branching out to find welding fume control solutions that will work in tandem with PAPR systems to not only protect the welder, but also ac- count for workers in close proximity to welders. To that end, there are several engi- neering controls geared towards reducing welding fume exposure
in the workplace at large.
Of all the engineering controls created for this purpose, the most com- mon is Local Exhaust Ven- tilation (LEV). LEV sys- tems are equipped to capture and remove fume at its source before it can spread throughout the work environment: this in turn is recognised as the most effective way to col- lect and dispose of fumes.
WHAT FORMS OF LEV
ARE AVAILABLE?
There are three main forms of welding fume ex- traction systems, each with their own respective merits.
Fixed LEV systems are a reliable option in heavy duty welding environments where large quantities of fume are generated, though positioning is critical. The welder cannot deviate too far from the capture point if these systems are to remain effective.
Portable LEV units can prove a more eco- nomical option than fixed installations, giv- en their superior flexibility to suit changing requirements over time. They can be carried or rolled around the workplace for optimal placement, and can therefore suit situations where the welder moves around the work- space. Once positioned, however, they won’t follow the welder as they move.
On-Gun Fume Extraction is the only LEV option that removes welding fume from the environment and follows the welder as they move. What’s more, recent technological ad- vancements have ensured that on-gun torch- es can now be the same size and weight as standard welding guns: delivering high cap- ture rates of up to 98% without adversely af- fecting the shielding gas.
There are now a range of solutions both mobile and fixed to extract welding fumes and protect everyone in the business.