UK: Revised guidance: exposure to welding fume
In February 2019 HSE issued a safety alert (Change in Enforcement Expectations for Mild Steel Welding Fume) to inform industry of a change in relation to the control expectations for exposure to welding fume including that from mild steel welding. This followed new scientific evidence from the International Agency for Research on Cancer that exposure to mild steel welding fume can cause lung cancer and possibly kidney cancer in humans. HSE has now revised its guidance.
The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health direct advice for welding to help make sure exposure to any welding fume released is adequately controlled has been published, along with HSE’s web pages on how to manage exposure to welding fume.