Run A Welding Shop? 4 Tips To Ensure Employee Safety

5 December 2018
 Categories: Industrial & Manufacturing, Blog

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If you run a welding shop, your employees look to you to set the safety standards. If you're not setting proper safety standards, the risk of on-the-job injuries increases significantly. The best way to prevent those on-the-job injuries is to initiate and enforce safety guidelines throughout the shop. Here are four steps you can take to create a safe work environment, and reduce on-the-job injuries.

Ensure That Your Crew Reads Their Manuals

You may know all the safety requirements for your welding equipment, but that doesn't mean that your employees do, especially if they haven't taken the time to read to operating manuals. To ensure workplace safety, it's crucial that each of your employees take the time to read the operating manuals for each piece of equipment they'll be using. Provide each new hire with the appropriate operating manuals and set a time to meet back so that you can discuss what they've learned.

Enforce Proper Clothing and Safety Gear Rules

When you work with welding equipment, it's important that the proper clothing and safety gear be worn at all times. To avoid workplace injuries, be sure to enforce clothing and safety gear rules. Shirts should always be buttoned up to avoid burns to exposed skin. Rubber-soled boots should be worn to avoid injuries associated with electrical shocks – especially when working on rainy days or in extreme humidity. Welding helmets and protective goggles should also be used to avoid eye injuries. The arc flash can cause serious eye injuries – even blindness – especially when it's looked at directly.

Ensure Adequate Ventilation in All Work Areas

Fumes, gasses and smoke generated from the welding process can also pose serious health and safety risks for your employees. To avoid lung and breathing-related on-the-job injuries, install ventilation hoods over each work space. Also, if working with toxic materials, be sure to have respirators available for your employees. Adequate ventilation is essential for welding safety, especially when working in confined spaces.

Enforce a Clutter-Free Work Environment

When it comes to ensuring the safety of your employees, it's important that you enforce a clutter-free work environment. Cluttered workspaces can lead to serious on-the-job injuries. The best way to enforce a no-clutter rule is to prohibit anything other than required welding equipment in the work areas.

Don't take chances with worker safety. If you run a welding shop, use the tips provided here to ensure a safe work environment for your employees.