Breathe Freely. Fumes and smoke emitted during welding pose a health hazard. When welding in confined spaces, toxic fumes may accumulate, or shielding gasses may replace breathable air. Use an exhaust hood to remove fumes from the area and ensure enough clean breathing air is available.
Exercise Regularly
Welding isn't a sedentary job, so you won't suffer the same health risks as workers who sit at desks in offices.
Both acute and chronic health risks are associated with welding fume. Occupational lung disease, including lung cancer, is the most common health risk, but welding can also affect the eyes and skin.
Prolonged exposure to welding fume may cause lung damage and various types of cancer, including lung, larynx and urinary tract. . Health effects from certain fumes may include metal fume fever, stomach ulcers, kidney damage and nervous system damage.
Cons of the Welding Profession
Welders may experience some dangers and discomfort on the job including burns, eye discomfort, exposure to hazardous materials and a lot of physical effort. You may find yourself in tight spaces, working in hot weather or welding in wet and cold environments.
Welding can have an impact on your body over time. This can be reduced by using proper welding supplies — without proper equipment, you run the risk of damaging your body, hands, eyesight and more. As you weld, you'll often have to put your body in positions that will cause soreness or strained muscles.
Exposure to infrared light can heat the lens of the eye and produce cataracts over the long term. Visible light from welding processes is very bright and can overwhelm the ability of the iris of the eye to close sufficiently and rapidly enough to limit the brightness of the light reaching the retina.
Pneumosiderosis, or more commonly referred to as Welder's lung, is an occupational lung disease that occurs after chronic inhalation of iron dust particles, especially in welders.
Weld from the bottom up.
Like building a house, you cannot start the bricks at the top. Weld metal is a liquid. When it goes in it needs support, that is why we need to always start at the bottom.
In many cases, welders work in shifts. For our welder, he works the evening shift, which is typically 10 hours per day, four days per week. He'll clock in upon arrival at the worksite, place personal items such as jackets, hats, bags, and lunches into a secure locker, and then change into protective gear.
How Welding Works. Welding joins metals by melting and fusing them together, typically with the addition of a welding filler metal. The joints produced are strong – usually as strong as the metals joined, or even stronger.
It can be a stressful job, too, given the level of danger to personal safety and the need to do high-quality work for projects that can range from working on a skyscraper to working on airplanes. It can be a rewarding job, though.
How many hours do welders work? Welders work for 38-40 hours a week on average with possibilities of shift work and overtime.
The other high risk that welders face is exposure to gases. Over a long period of time these gases can affect the welder in a variety of ways. These include causing hearing loss and also Parkinson's disease and symptoms that are similar to Parkinson's, which are linked to Manganese exposure.
Welding fumes are far worse for you than smoking. Any time you weld you should be wearing a respirator with appropriate filters to the situation or even an approved fresh air supplied mask with an approved supply of fresh air(NOT off your shop compressor, it contains oil).
Welding in the overhead position—with the workpiece directly above the welder—is widely thought to be the most difficult welding position. Pipe welding is also well known to be particularly challenging welding work.
Average Nuclear Industry Welder Salary: $67,000 per year
Welders in the nuclear industry might work on pipelines, underwater, or in the military. They must pass a demanding screening process, including FBI clearance, to become nuclear certified, making it one of the most difficult welding positions to obtain.
Career benefits as a professional, experienced welder include: Decent Wages—A career in welding can bring you a steady and sizable paycheck. Though the hourly wage for welders varies by industry, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the mean hourly wage for a professional welder is $19.89.
The future of welding jobs could be brighter than predicted
As mentioned, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a three-percent growth in welding jobs over the next ten years, which is in line with the average for all occupations.
Having a range of skills and qualities can make for a well-rounded welder. There is plenty to learn in the field of welding, and even more skills that you may need in addition to this list. Both men and women can become successful welders and being physically strong is only one element of a welding career.