UPDATE: REVISED HSE GUIDANCE ON EXPOSURE TO WELDING FUME
In February 2019 HSE issued a safety alert to inform industry of a change in relation to the control expectations for exposure to welding fume including that from mild steel welding.
This followed new scientific evidence from the International Agency for Research on Cancer that exposure to mild steel welding fume can cause lung cancer and possibly kidney cancer in humans.
HSE has now revised its guidance.
The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health direct advice for welding to help make sure exposure to any welding fume released is adequately controlled has been published, along with HSE’s web pages on how to manage exposure to welding fume.
The COSHH direct advice includes the following task specific guidance for welding, cutting and allied jobs (click on the links to download free guidance):
What task are you undertaking?
Welding
Cutting etc
- WL14 – Manual gas and oxy-gas cutting
- WL15 – Plasma arc cutting: fixed equipment
- WL16 – Arc-air gouging (air-carbon arc gouging)
Allied jobs
- WL18 – Surface preparation: Pressure blasting (small items)
- WL19 – Surface preparation: Pressure blasting (medium-sized items)
- WL20 – Surface preparation: Pressure blasting (Large items)
- WL21 – Weld cleaning with pickling paste
Visit the HSE web pages by clicking on the link: http://www.hse.gov.uk/welding/index.htm?utm_source=govdelivery&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Welding&utm_term=riskmanagement&utm_content=updatedguidance-nov19
In the new year, HSE inspectors will be visiting businesses across the country to check compliance with the law.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.