Our employees and contractors who perform various types of welding will have new requirements later this year to better control exposures to potential health hazards associated with welding fumes. Our Industrial Hygiene team conducted the largest known study of welding fume exposures in the electrical industry. We collected and analyzed more than 550 air samples representing exposure to employees performing all types of welding tasks. The study, combined with research into the recent science of potential health effects of exposures to welding fumes, led to a major revision of our existing welding policy.

The heating processes from welding or cutting create metal fumes, which are easily inhaled into the lungs, where there is potential to cause harm. Metals commonly found in welding or cutting include aluminum, beryllium, cadmium, copper, iron, zinc and others. OSHA doesn’t regulate the metal fumes from welding as a single standard but regulates them individually and our existing policy didn’t include information on welding fume exposure and control. Our revised policy will take effect in October 2011 to give work groups and contractors time to prepare. The policy takes additional precautions to minimize exposure and sets new limits for exposure to some types of metals.

Policies alone won’t get us to zero harm – we must have the procedures and training to ensure compliance and the culture to ensure that each employee takes ownership of his or her safety and health and feels empowered to act on it. Our goal is to have a committed, motivated work force that looks out for each other.