How to Use Welder Safely

It's said that "safety isn't expensive, it's priceless.'' No matter what, you can't avoid the importance of safety during work. It is better to keep yourself safe than being sorry. Working safely is more like breathing. Inattentive work can even take your life.

Safety is very important for each and every person who works with difficult tools. Remember that, the safety features are not enough to prevent danger. By educating yourself about ideal caution and safety, you can ensure the safe movement of the future.

The process of a welder machine needs to deal with heat and electricity. So, obviously, it's a dangerous tool but all accidents are preventable. By following some easy tips you can ensure a healthy living with safe welding.

If you don't want to learn safety by accident during welding, read out these valuable safety tips about how to use welder safely.

1. Read the Manual Book

Always grab the safest path, never take shortcuts. A welder contains a manual book on important safety advice and the machine's capability as well. Make sure that you are familiar with all of its content. Read them thoroughly with patience and save them on your mind tightly. Adequately follow them and use them according to their potentials.

2. Build a Safe Welding Space

Before starting, the foremost duty is establishing a safe area. To ensure a safe place you can take some steps below.

• Ensure that the working surface has enough lighting system. It will help you to watch and observe what and how you are welding.

• Check if the room has anything that is flammable and clear them. Keep away any types of sawdust, paper or plastic bags at least 35 feet from the work area. Don't keep anything in the area that can warm up and catch fire. So, keep a tidy room for welding and focusing things around you.

• You should not weld in a confined space where there is no adequate ventilation. Toxic gas out of arc welding can cause serious health risks. Use a mechanical ventilation system if there is no vacuum for natural ventilation.

3. Clothing

Wear flame-resistant shirt which is not long-sleeved. In the present time, you will find a lightweight and comfortable woven material shirt or a welding jacket for safety. They offer favorable protection and ease of movement.

4. Helmet

Be wise and protect your eyes with advanced technology. Use an Auto-Darkening helmet that becomes dark automatically to the necessary shade to protect the eyes when the arc is blown. It also doesn't flip the hood down easily.

5. The Right Shoes

Boots or high-top leather shoes deliver the best foot protection. Wear non-flammable shoes for better safety. Avoid open-toed tennis shoes or shoes that are made of cloth or synthetic. Remember that, melted metal often drops straight down and they are too hot that it can burn your shoes and affect your skin. So, it's important to wear heavy-duty shoes.

6. Gloves

To protect your hand from splattering off of your metal, wear gloves. Choose leather gloves as it helps to protect skin from the heat and UV light produced by welding. If you don't have leather gloves around you, at least wear cotton gloves. Avoid wearing polyester or rayon gloves during welding. It will melt when they come into contact with heat and will burn you. Wear ergonomically curved fingers gloves made for easy control.

7. Don’t See the Light without Helmet

The light that is generated by any form of arc welding can burn your eyes and skin. This extremely bright light can even make you blind. To avoid this unpleasant situation you can wear an auto-darkening helmet that allows you to see what you are welding even in bright light.

8. Breathe Freely

To remove fumes and breathe freely, use an exhaust hood. It will convey a clean breathing air.

9. Fire Extinguisher

Always keep a fire extinguisher beside the exit door from your workplace. Using water extinguisher will not be a good idea as you are working next to a lot of electricity. You can use CO2 or dry nitrogen gas for controlling fire.

Safety is not a gadget but a state of mind that happens by your ears, not the things you hold. So, Hear the tips and follow them. There's an elderly saying that if you think safety is expensive, try an accident. We all know that accidents cost a lot of money which is more costly. Remember that, it can even cost your life.

Final Words

Welding impact the whole world around us which is essential for any construction industry including automotive, road formation, aviation and many more. Research says that about 70 percent of products are made of the technology of welders. But the bad news is that every year about 150 people die for an accident that occurs in the welding industry. So, learning how to use welder safely has no bounds. I hope that this article will help to protect all welder workers who make the industry possible.