Page 46 - Occupational Health & Safety, December 2017

WELDING
Tips for Dealing with Respiratory Hazards in Welding
After identifying the hazards, the exposure levels from the exposure assessment must be compared to the permissible exposure limit, as set by OSHA, to determine whether respiratory protection is needed.
BY MICHAEL HALLOCK
Welding processes typically generate haz- ardous ultraviolet/infrared radiation and (intense) visible light that have the potential to cause eye damage. Physical eye hazards include welding spatter and grinding par- ticles. Typically, however, professional welders know about these eye and face hazards and seek out hood features such as auto-darkening welding filters. But other hazards—like welding fumes, which contain gas and/or particles—are sometimes not as well known and may not be addressed.
With welding fumes swirling around workers, they need respiratory solutions that fit under weld- ing shields. According to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, it is the respon- sibility of the employer to identify any hazards in a work environment and to provide the workers with adequate protection.
Employers use a hierarchy of controls to address these hazards and risks. The idea is that the high- est priority items on the hierarchy not only do the most to reduce fumes and workers’ exposure, but that they also put the least burden of responsibility of the welder. However, every welding fume control has its limitation.
The effects of workers breathing in airborne haz- ards can lead to serious health complications, many with signs or symptoms that may not immediately appear after the exposure has taken place. Ask your- self: Can the work process be modified to reduce
contaminants? Can a different welding technique be used that makes less fume? What ventilation and other engineering controls should be used? However, many times when other types of controls are insuffi- cient workers must be protected with various forms of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and training.
When PPE is needed, protecting workers from air- borne hazards requires more than simply handing out respirators and should be supported after creating a respiratory protection program. A respiratory protec- tion program will help you identify the hazards, assess the risk levels, select the right type of equipment, and focus on user acceptance and proper use. Following are suggestions on how to develop your respiratory protection program or revisit an existing program.
Begin with an Assessment
Conducting a respiratory exposure assessment and utilizing the results to design an effective respira- tory protection plan for your team is a science. It can seem like a complicated science when you factor in the types of things that commonly go into developing and creating a respiratory protection program, such as the initial review of potential hazards, measurements, evaluation of those measurements, selection of con- trols, their implementation and assessment of their effectiveness, and other factors.
Exposure Assessment
Employers are required by OSHA to evaluate respira- tory hazards in the workplace. The assessment should identify:
■ What respiratory hazards are present (e.g., fumes)
■ Exposure levels
■ Whether or not those levels are acceptable— compared to OSHA permissible exposure limits (PELs) or, if lower, other good practice occupational exposure limits (OELs)
It is important to note that this exposure assess- ment is based on what exists at present. If there are changes in the workplace that may create new expo- sures, or possibly alter existing hazards, a new assess- ment needs to be conducted.
Hazard Control Evaluation
If the assessment shows that exposure levels of air- borne contaminants are outside of the OSHA limits, the respiratory protection program administrator
42 Occupational Health & Safety | DECEMBER 2017
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