Welding Protection

Welding Protection

The most common way to join two pieces of metal is to weld them. Welding uses electricity, heat and molten metal to form a seam. Once the metal cools, the bond it forms is stronger than the original metal. Many industries use welding to create and repair metal parts. Abolox carries the personal protective equipment you need to safely weld parts, buildings and bridges.

Industries that Use Welding

You can find welding in many industries, including:

• Aerospace construction.
• Agriculture, including farming and ranching.
• Automotive.
• Building construction.
• Building and repairing bridges.
• Car racing.
• Building and repairing pipelines.
• Coal mining.
• Refineries.
• Motor vehicle and trailer manufacturing.
• Machinery manufacturing.
• Chemical plants.
• Manufacturing shops.
• Metal shops.
• Electric power distribution, generation and transmission.
• Power plants.
• Building and repairing railroads.
• Shipyards, including building and repairing ships, building construction, and dock construction. Some welding may be done underwater.

Using the proper personal protective equipment minimizes injuries to workers and reduces the risk of unemployment claims and workplace accident lawsuits. Employers that do not provide PPE for employees should ensure all employees bring their own. You can purchase individual pieces or make bulk orders of PPE from Abolox.

Types of Welding

Welders use different types of welding for various metals and purposes, including:

• Arc welding: Uses an electric arc to heat the metal, melt the additional metal needed to create the seam, and mix molten deposits to form the seam.
• Stick welding: An electric current is forced into a welding stick. This type of welding is good to use in windy conditions or on thick materials. As the stick is drawn against the two pieces that need to be joined, the electricity melts it to form a bond between the two pieces.
• Gas welding: Uses gas and an electric arc to fuse two pieces together. There are two types of gas welding: MIG (metal inert gas) and TIG (tungsten inert gas). This type of welding is usually used for detailed work, such as welding metal pipes. The inert gas may be argon or carbon dioxide, which is used along with a metal wire or rod. TIG welds are usually of better quality than MIG welds.

Welding Activities and Personal Protective Equipment

Welders do more than just weld – welding and its related activities require workers to wear personal protective equipment to minimize injuries such as cuts, abrasions, burns, crush injuries and more. Welding activities include:

• Align parts for proper assembly. Metal edges are often sharp. Cut-resistant gloves can minimize cut injuries.
• Cleaning and degreasing parts. Workers might use wire brushes, chemicals and grinders to clean parts before welding them. Cleaning parts includes chipping and grinding off excess welds with power chippers, hand scrapers and grinders. Clamping, holding and tack welding materials ensure they stay in place while being welded. Abrasion-resistant gloves and welding gloves protect workers’ hands during these activities.
• Cutting and scraping metal, contouring metal and beveling metal plates and structures require impact gloves, cut-resistant gloves, face and eye protection, and ear protection.
• Dismantling metal structures requires hard hats and cut-resistant gloves or cut and impact-resistant gloves.
• Filling holes is usually done with scrap metal and welds. Workers should have cut-resistant gloves in addition to other welding clothing when working with welders, even when working on small projects.
• Hammering out bulges and bends in metal pieces requires impact-resistant gloves.
• Joining metal parts with various welders requires welding gloves and welding clothing. Workers could work on the ground, buildings, bridges and highways.
• Operating metal shaping equipment.
• Repairing parts involves cleaning, straightening, reshaping and welding metal.
• Using power saws and hand shears to cut metal for repairs.

Hazards when working with metal, welders, chemicals and the machines to cut and form metal include burns, cuts, punctures, electrical shocks, eye damage, fires, explosions, working around fumes and gases, working around intense heat, hot metal, sparks, metal particles flying around, and UV radiation. Fire-resistant clothing helps protect against heat, fires, explosions and flash fires.

Contact Abolox for Personal Protective Equipment in the Welding Industry

When you need welding gloves, fire-resistant clothing, face and eye protection, ear protection, hard hats or other PPE, visit Abolox. All of the personal protective equipment we carry is from top brands and is made with quality materials. The PPE we carry is also compliant with industry standards. If you don’t see what you need on our pages, call the office, and we’ll source what you need for you.