Health hazards of plasma welding

The main process of the accident

Two welders in a factory were doing plasma welding. One welder suddenly had a nosebleed and the other welder also had a sore throat. After a doctor's examination, it was found that the white blood cell counts in the blood of both welders were greatly reduced, and the B count was lower than the health standard.

It turned out that the two welders had been engaged in plasma welding for more than 6 months. In addition, the workplace was narrow and there was no smoke extraction and dust collection equipment. The two welders had been feeling unwell for a long time, but they did not know the reason.

Analysis of the main causes

(1) The plasma arc welding process is accompanied by a large amount of vaporized metal vapor, ozone, nitrogen oxides, etc. These fumes and dust will have a serious impact on the respiratory tract and lungs of the operators.

(2) The workers lacked understanding of the hazards of this new process and how to protect themselves, and did not use appropriate personal protective equipment.

Main preventive measures

(1) When the technical process department of the enterprise adopts this process, it should also formulate labor hygiene technical measures.

(2) The enterprise's safety and production departments shall arrange appropriate places for the implementation of this process and install smoke extraction and dust collection equipment to reduce the concentration of harmful gases and smoke to meet national labor hygiene standards.