Control of welding fume: review of initiative

11 September 2020

The Health and Safety Inspectorate has carried out a series of proactive visits during 2020 to businesses carrying out welding. The visits began in March but were temporarily suspended during the Coronavirus precautions and re-commenced in July and August. 

The purpose was to increase awareness of the health effects of inhaling welding fumes and new scientific evidence that exposure to all welding fumes, including mild steel, can cause lung cancer. The photograph below, taken on one of the visits in March 2020, clearly illustrates how a welder can be exposed to breathing hazardous fumes unless proper controls are in place.

In total 20 separate visits were undertaken during the initiative, including dedicated welding businesses, engineering and sheet metal companies and ironworks.  Although most of the businesses visited were aware that welding fume could be harmful to health, the majority were relying on PPE and general ventilation for protection. 

More than half of the businesses were told that they need to provide local exhaust ventilation (LEV) in their workshops to remove welding fume before it enters the welders breathing zone. Just under half of the businesses visited also had to be told to improve the guarding of dangerous machinery, including three separate businesses served with Improvement Notices requiring increased guarding to power guillotines used for cutting sheet steel.

Inspectors will be carrying out return visits in the coming months to ensure that LEV has been supplied where required to safeguard workers health.

Further Information

Welding: protect your workers on the HSE website