Gas Safety

• Gas Features
• Gas Risks
• Apparatus Safety
• Cylinder Safety
• REACH

Process Safety

• Material Process Fume
• Personal Protective Equipment
• Processes Safety
• Welding & Cutting Hazards

Workplace Safety

• Assessing Risks
• Avoiding Hazards
• Emergency Planning

Safety Services

• Safety Training Workshops
• On-line safety training modules
• On-Site Safety Checks
• bocsafety.net
• Tradefile
• Safe Under Pressure

Safety Data Sheets

Measurement of Welding Fume

Welding fume is made up of particulate fume and pollutant gases. The content of the fume and its concentration will vary from one application to the next. Some common components of fume are far more toxic than others and so present a much greater potential to cause damage.
In order to assess the risk presented by welding fume in any particular situation, it is necessary to know precisely what is in the fume and how much fume welders and other workers are being exposed to. To do this, it is necessary to take samples of fume, to measure the concentration and content.

Samples of the air are normally taken in workers' breathing zone to determine concentrations over a set period of time, usually an 8-hour working day, but may be for a 10 or 15 minute period. This, together with a chemical analysis of the fume will allow the potential risk to be assessed.