Health as a welder

[Lordspectre]

If you are considering such things to counteract the fumes then your personal protection has failed, especially if this is inhaled when employed by a company.

Being straight the company gives an airflow system to those welders working on the larger products e.g Trailer chasis but us working on smaller components can use a face mask that's works "ok" better than nothing like but still not perfect.Section I work in has a large door open about 25 yards behind me which actually.blows fumes back on top of me.have been asking for another weld curtain to put up for near on 3 months.
Also have now got trigger finger in right hand but waiting on appointment to get that sorted
Correct PPE and a system of ventilation is the way to control any fumes, I know this can be difficult in the smaller business and you can even be regarded as a trouble maker but it's your life.

 

[Lordspectre]

Nonsense! He's not referring to fitness level. Laying, sitting, kneeling on cold hard work shop floors, bending over etc etc plays a major health risk in day to day activities. The answer is knee pads, floor mats, if possible bring the work to a more comfortable height. The answer certainly isn't go swimming and buy some slim fast

Yes mate that's what I'm on about.I raised my bench by about 4.5 inchs which amde a big difference to the aches I was getting in my neck and shoulders. Knee pads are obvious and I should have thought of myself so thanks for the advice.In the habit now(at last) of lifting more with my legs though for me anyway took a while to change a habit of a lifetime

 

[Lordspectre]

There is no reason you should be looking at these so called vitamins and vaccines (pint of milk before you strike the arc ) etc to protect your self while welding. There is enough out there to avoid you coming to any harm. It's up to you and your company to adopt these measures.
Ppe is often looked up on as a last measure of control with any risk in your job but unfortunately with welding it's probably the most important.
If your company will not fork out for suitable extraction systems then they should at the very least supply you with a good filtered air fed system for your mask. I know it's difficult in a new company but you must voice up. Going down the route of medicine and old wife's tails as an alternative to extraction is crackers and a gamble I personally wouldn't want to try out.

Ventalation systems is ok but no vent hole in my area which again have asked for multiple times and air flow as well but hard to get money spent out of em I think

 

[Lordspectre]

get fired for NOT asking for / wearing the right PPE...

And so it should be.It should fall on the company to ensure employees have correct ppe and should have someone to answer to if not

 

[Lordspectre]

Extraction and PAPR. I won't go back now. Minimum I have the extraction on, if no extraction or I'm doing flux core, nickel bearing consumables, hardfacing, I'll usually stick a air fed on.

Worth every penny of £500-700

Would love to have the cash to just but my own airflow system...just can't right now

 

[Lordspectre]

The retort (especially use of the exclamation mark) suggested other than a friendly discussion.

I'm not his (or your) employer - if I was, that wouldn't have been my suggestion. If the process can be reasonably changed (or if the situation demands it on safety grounds) then it should be.

A couple of years ago I considered myself 'not bad for my age' and reasonably fit due to the active nature of my work, but I always needed tightly laced boots to stop my ankles hurting, which I attributed to age and overuse, ditto my hips and knees clicking when I walked.

Just over 18 months of 3-6 hours per week of taekwon-do and kickboxing, plus a bit more cycling and a bit of running and no more ankle pain, no more clicky hips and my knees are massively improving.

Admittedly, it's a lot easier to just let yourself go - you can always complain until your employer gets you a nicer chair. As a bonus you might not reach retirement age and have to deal with entertaining yourself.

Wish something like that would work for me.im a member of the Irish drug free powerlifting association (idfpa) so would consider myself fit though just wanted to see if anything else I could do work wise to protect myself and stay healthy.got a wife and some kids so want to be round as long as I can

 

[Lordspectre]

You only have one set of lungs, so look after them

Damn right my friend

 

[Lordspectre]

I think he was treading more along the lines of what I'm saying ref welders in uncomfortable positions 8 hours a day.

Correct.maybe I should have elaborated more

 

[Lordspectre]

Dont know how others get on but something i always struggle with especially around this time of year is the temperature.
One minute you're working and hot you start to perspire then the weather changes or you finish the job and you get cold really fast.
The summer is ok and in the winter you don't get to warm but at the moment you cant tell what the weather is doing.
I try to keep a few spare tops at the workshop.

Ah so I'm not alone.Its hard to find the correct clothing to wear as I agree can be roasting hot one minute and freezing another. I know a colleague of mine wears a t-shirt + hoodie + overalls + leather apron and don't know how he manages as he's constantly sweating pretty much. I wear a underlayer (can't remember what it's called) I have from riding the motorcycle.I wear it under my overalls - on hot days helps keep cool and pulls sweat away from skin so more comfortable yet on hot days works like a thermal layer

 

[Lordspectre]

anti-fatigue matting

Never heard of em..could you explain what they are please?

 

[Lordspectre]

Careful what you are suggesting especially where arthritis is concerned - the idea is to keep the joints moving but reduce further wear as much as possible.
Running and kickboxing are absolutely off the table for longevity of joints take it from someone who has to do physio everyday.

If you are getting signs of arthritis you need to aim for low impact exercise - cycling yes fine, walking fine and of course swimming.

Stretching the effected joints with correct exercises, cool packs on effected areas and being the correct weight for your height.

Now I have been active all my life, lot of cycling, gardening & diy. Didn't stop me getting arthritis in my mid 30's - it's simply the luck of the draw sometimes. Quite simply my situation is I'm in my mid 40's and how long can I stretch it out before knee replacements now.

From just research on bones and joints online I've started taking some vitamins with Calcium(drink milk anyway) magnesium, glucosamine, Vit D + E + C and cod liver oils.seems all online I can find for joints.and bones

 

[Brad93]

Never heard of em..could you explain what they are please?

It's usually rubber or neoprene matting, with ridges, holes etc that takes the strain off your feet and encourages you to stand properly.

 

[Lordspectre]

OP, You are not actually having much input into this thread

Perhaps you could come back with some information regarding the size of the company and welding tasks you perform on a daily basis.

Is it a large company with occupational health services or a small company knocking gates out all day.

The protection freely offered should be the same but in many cases it often won't be, I am sure members could give better guidance with more knowledge of the task/issues/company support etc.

Yep man ran out of internet on my phone so I'm back

 

[Lordspectre]

OP, You are not actually having much input into this thread

Perhaps you could come back with some information regarding the size of the company and welding tasks you perform on a daily basis.

Is it a large company with occupational health services or a small company knocking gates out all day.

The protection freely offered should be the same but in many cases it often won't be, I am sure members could give better guidance with more knowledge of the task/issues/company support etc.

65 employees 28 of which are welders, rest vary between machinists, office staff and general operators/forklift drivers. Generally welding up smaller components that I can start and finish in 9 mins and about 90-140 weekly. After this i could be crouching down for a few hours a day welding some larger components which take about 20-30 mins start to finish(bench to small to hold the component so can't weld at a higher level). No health benefits etc unless you get hurt in work then go to their doctor and get sorted with sick pay and medical bills.

 

[Lordspectre]

What on Earth does that mean?

The drums....at the end of a joke - ba dum dum cha

 

[Lordspectre]

It's usually rubber or neoprene matting, with ridges, holes etc that takes the strain off your feet and encourages you to stand properly.

Hmm might try and pick myself up one. When welding I standing on the warehouse floor but while grinding I stand on a wooden pallet to take pressure off my shoulders a bit.plausible to nail the mat into a bit of chip board to place on top of pallet?

 

[Brad93]

Maybe nit safe from a fire perspective?

 

[Brad93]

Used to have that in the garage. As you say gets a bit slippy with oil or water but it doesn't burn the spatter just melts through

 

[Brad93]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/5-X-3ft-In.../1842319537?iid=361353478533&var=630696394257

The big mats are fairly cheap.

 

[owas]

This is a topic weve been arguing with the owner at my place for a while now.

The smoke was horrendous as the box section is usualy coverd in oil (no time to clean just weld the thing) and we make scaff boards which are pre galv,

We now all have speedglas/esab air fed units, extractor pipes down to each board jig and 4 large fans in the roof.

He always used to turn off the lights too to save money, we just stopped working as you couldn't see a thing with your helmet down.