In a study published this week in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, researchers investigated the exposure to welding fumes in Australian workplaces and the use of protective and control measures among workers.
Welding fumes are a mixture of very fine metal dusts, gases and other particles and are carcinogenic, having been classified as such by the International Agency for Research on Cancer in March 2017. There is also evidence that exposure to welding fumes can cause respiratory disease and asthma, and may also be related to neurological disorders. Australia’s exposure limit to welding fumes was recently lowered from 5mg/m3 to 1mg/m3, in line with countries such as the Netherlands and Germany.
The study did not go to workplaces to measure levels of exposure, but used software assigning exposures based on participant’s work tasks. Of the over 630 welders responded to a survey, 577 (91%) were assessed as being exposed to welding fumes - and ‘most at high levels’ (76%).
In a not unsurprising finding, the levels of protection reported by were, according to the researchers, ‘generally low’. Less than 20% of participants said their workplaces had effective ventilation. About 60% of those who worked in non-ventilated areas also reported they didn’t use personal respiratory protection in the form of an air-supplied welding helmet, a control measure recently shown to prevent approximately 60% of exposure. In addition to this, many were welding in confined or restricted spaces, which is associated with higher levels of exposure.
The researchers concluded that employers need to do much more to protect workers: they must consider work design and provide effective exhaust systems to remove fumes at the source, as per employer/PCBU duties under Australian legislation. Employer must take all reasonably practicable steps to eliminate or minimise exposure to welding fumes.
Source: Most Australian welders are exposed to high levels of dangerous fumes. More than 40,000 may be at risk. The Conversation
Access the full article Lin Fritschi, et al. Occupational exposure to welding fume in Australia: An online study Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health 2024
Welding - what are the issues? OHSreps website. WorkSafe Victoria guidance: Controlling exposure to welding fumes November 2021