To name a few, toxic fumes & gases, UV & IR rays, and burn are some of the inherent welding hazards. Like all other professional hazards, these are the occupational hazards for welding. Yes, welding is a risky profession indeed, but there is some equipment that can help you to mitigate these risks.
If you are an experienced welder, you know what are that safety equipment. But for beginners, you really do need some help and this welding safety equipment checklist will help you greatly.
So I have made a welding safety equipment list and you can’t ignore any single one this equipment for your own safety. Even if you are just a noob who is learning it using a small welding machine for some home projects.
List of Welding Safety Equipment
Like all kinds of technology, welding equipment does get upgraded day by day. That’s the reason, I won’t be recommending any specific brand or product in this article. Use your own judgment and sure, you are welcome to read my product review articles too.
- Safety Goggles
Using safety glasses beneath the welding helmet ensures your further safety and these are overkill! In fact, OSHA recommends it too for the complete safeguard of your eyes from the welding spatter. Make no mistake! Even if you wear the helmet, the spatter may get inside the helmet.
Not just welding, those glasses are effective when you do the grinding too. In grinding, slag particles are common and don’t forget the hot sparks. These clear safety glasses can protect your eyes from these.
That’s the reason you should a pair of safety goggles. All you have to do; pick a good pair of goggle that meets the standards set by the National Safety Standards.
- Safety Gloves
So, what parts of your body get to the close proximity of the arc while welding? Definitely, your hands. Welding gloves are flame-resistant and that’s the reason your hands don’t get burned while welding.
Since your hands get the closest proximity of the arc, they are most likely to get burned and exposed to harmful radiation and heat.
The safety gloves definitely increase your productivity of work by giving you comfortable and tension free welding experience.
And they don’t cost you a fortune! But getting the right one is a little bit tricky as they come in a lot of variety! They also vary based on the type of welding you are onto!
- Welding Helmet
To protect your face & neck, a good quality welding helmet is a must. Preferably an auto-darkening helmet for consistent high-quality welding. There is no alternative to a welding helmet and without it, don’t even think about welding.
It saves you from sparks that may burn your face and your eyes from sudden bright light when you hit the arc. There are a lot of factors to consider when you decide to buy a quality helmet and it is not possible to mention them here.
As you know, an auto-darkening helmet comes with lots of adjustment for the sensitivity, delay time, along with multiple lenses. Among welding brands, the quality/effectiveness of these features varies a lot. So, I can’t possibly talk all about them here.
But I have written a dedicated article on welding helmet reviews to make your selection easier.
- Aprons & Sleeves
Pretty effective to safeguard your chest and legs. Cost you almost nothing but when you wear them beneath the welding jacket, the protection is really priceless. Your body will get extra safety from the radiant energy and welding sparks. These aprons & sleeves are flame-resistant and made of leather.
- Respirators
When welding fumes enter your lungs day after day, the damage is severe and you will suffer from respiratory problems. You can’t prevent the medley of welding fumes, but you can that nasty fumes out of your lungs wearing a respirator.
Since you have to wear it beneath the welding helmet, make sure your helmet supports the installation of such respirators. If your helmet does not support it, consider using a welding mask instead of the respirator.
- Welding Hats/Cap
Highly effective as a protection against welding splatter and other hot metal. But you need to extra careful about what type of cap you use while welding. Avoid all kinds of welding caps that are made of plastic. But if you want to use baseball caps, that’s okay.
- Welding Jackets
From light to heavy-duty welding, fire-resistant welding jackets are always recommended to ensure your safety. It’s true it gets hot under the jackets after a while but still, you should always wear jackets while welding.
There are various types of welding jackets made of various elements. Cotton jackets are more than enough for light-duty welding tasks. But for medium to heavy-duty welding, leather jackets are preferable.
Leather welding jackets are both durable and ensure the utmost protection against fire and sparks. Yes, there are some welding jackets that are made of both leather and cotton to solve underneath the heating problem.
- Welding Boots
You can wear any kind of boots but you have to make sure they are flame-resistant. But if you really care about welding safety, consider buying leather made boots that are meant to be used for welding only. Make sure they are compatible with your local safety standards.
Welding boots are great to protect the upper part of your legs and really effective to protect your both feet against any heavy objects.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are a lot of things that you need to ensure your own safety. The above-mentioned welding safety equipment list will help the beginner welders to grasp the idea of welding safety greatly.
I hope you find the list useful and start using them all from today!