Dangerous operations during welding

The welding workshop of a certain mechanical processing plant was responsible for a batch of parts that needed to be welded urgently.

At that time, there were 3 professional welders in the workshop. Due to the tight delivery time, 3 manual welders had to start working at the same time. Because some parts were large and some required positioning welding, the welders could not complete the work independently and needed help from others. The workshop director temporarily arranged 3 other workers (sheet metal workers) to help the welders operate without distributing any protective equipment. The welding workshop is about 40m2 and 10m high. 3 welding machines are operated at the same time. The 3 assistants need to hold the weldment forward during welding. The electric light directly shines on the eyes and skin. They are about 1m away from the light source. Each person goes forward for about 30 to 60 minutes each time. After working for half a day and returning home less than 4 hours after get off work, except for the welders who wore protective equipment and had no burns on any part of their body, the eyes and skin of the 3 assistants showed symptoms one after another.

Their condition report is as follows:

The 3 assistants are all male, aged between 25 and 40 years old. When the electric light burn disappeared for 4 hours, the eyes were in severe pain, photophobia, tears, and burning sensation on the upper and lower skin. The pain was unbearable and severe, so they went to the hospital for treatment that afternoon. Examination found that the conjunctiva of both eyes of the three people were congested and edematous, and the skin of the exposed parts such as the face and neck showed clear-cut edematous erythema. One of the assistants wore a vest and shorts to operate, and as a result, large blisters appeared on the shoulders, arms and inner sides of the legs, and some parts had peeled off. All three people were given symptomatic treatment according to the burns. The main treatment was local medication and leaving the scene for rest. The eye symptoms were cured after 2 days of treatment, and the vision was restored. The skin burns were cured after outpatient treatment without leaving any scars.

When welding, welders need to wear a variety of protective equipment. The main purpose of these equipment is to protect the welder's physical safety and prevent damage to the body caused by high temperature, sparks, harmful gases and dust generated during welding.