When I graduated from university and moved into my own place, the only house I could afford was right near a manufacturing plant. At first, I thought living in the industrial part of the city would be a nightmare, but it actually turned out to be fascinating. I quickly developed an interest in industrial equipment and supplies, and spent many evenings walking around the factories to get a better look at what was going on inside. Since then, I've moved to a quiet part of the city, but my interest in industry never waned. Since I don't have the luxury of being able to visit the industrial district anymore, I thought I'd do the next best thing--start a blog about it!
Improper usage of welding equipment in an industrial setting can lead to a wide range of serious injuries, including lung damage as well as corneal and skin burns. Here are two steps that should be taken to reduce the risk of anyone getting hurt when this type of equipment needs to be used in an industrial facility.
Make sure the protective clothing and safety gear is inspected regularly
Any employees who are tasked with using welding equipment must always put on protective clothing and safety gear (including, but not limited to, a leather apron, insulated gloves, a face shield, a helmet and a respirator) before they start their work. These items are designed to protect the wearer from the electrical arcs, toxic fumes and UV radiation that are generated during the welding process.
However, these items can only protect the wearer if they are in good condition. If the materials from which they are made sustain damage or begin to deteriorate, the person wearing them could easily sustain an extremely serious injury.
For example, if a crack develops in a person's face shield and they wear this damaged shield whilst operating some welding equipment, some of the UV radiation produced by this equipment may reach their eyes. This could leave them with severe corneal flash burns.
Likewise, if the insulated gloves that a person is wearing whilst operating the welding equipment have developed a hole, there is a risk that this individual may be electrocuted by the equipment's electrical arcs.
As such, it is extremely important to regularly inspect both the protective clothing and the safety gear that employees need to wear when using welding machinery. If any damage or deterioration is discovered during these inspections, the damaged items should be disposed of and replaced immediately.
Take precautions to prevent the operator from slipping whilst using the equipment
It is extremely important to take precautions to reduce the risk of the operator slipping whilst they are using the welding equipment.
The reason for this is as follows; if, for example, a person slips on a wet patch whilst holding a hand torch, they could lose their grip on this torch and it could fall to the ground. If this should happen, the extreme heat produced by this piece of equipment could leave them or a nearby employee with severe and potentially fatal burns.
Given this, it is critical to take steps to prevent slips. There are a couple of ways to do this. Firstly, the operator should always put on high-grip footwear prior to using the equipment.
Secondly, they should check the floor area around the welding machinery for any water, oil, food or drink spillages, and clean these up before they begin their work.