What type of PPE is available when welding?
The chart below summarizes the types of personal protective equipment that can be used when welding. Personal protective equipment and clothing may be needed for the welder, welding personnel (operators, helpers, managers, supervisors), and any person nearby.
Protects from:
Wear flame resistant head coverings under the helmet where appropriate
Protects against:
Protects against:
Notes: pants should not have cuffs, shirts should have flaps over pockets or be taped closed
Protects against:
Use flame resistant ear muffs where sparks or splatter may enter the ear, rather than plugs.
Protects against:
- context radiation
- context flying particles, debris
- context hot slag, sparks
- context intense light
- context irritation and chemical burns
- context fumes, vapours, and oxides
- context heat, fires
- context burns
- context radiation
- context noise
- context electric shock
- context heat
- context burns
- context fires
- context metatarsal protection (protection from falling objects) where needed
Why is eye protection important?
Eye injury can occur from the intense light and radiation that a welding arc can produce. Eye injury can also occur from hot slag and other metal debris that can fly off from the weld during cooling, chipping, or grinding.
The exact type of protection required will depend on the type of welding being conducted.
- requirement Welders, welding personnel (operators, helpers, managers, supervisors), and non-welding personnel must protect their eyes and face by wearing appropriate eye and face protection to protect against radiation and weld splatter.
- ppe Protect your eyes from welding light by wearing a welder's helmet or hand shields fitted with a filter shade that is suitable for the type of welding present. Welding personnel and others observing the arc should also wear appropriate helmets or hand shields with filter lenses.
- ppe ALWAYS wear goggles or safety glasses with side shields when welding or assisting a welder, even when other eye and face protection is also being used.
What type of eye and face protection is appropriate for my welding task?
The various types of eye protection are broken down into classes in the CSA standard Z94.3-20 "Eye and face protectors”. Each class is designed for a specific use. Eye and face protectors should have distinctive markings to identify the manufacturer and their class. Classifications of common protectors for welding operations are listed below:
The following operations require full face protection by using either a welding helmet or a hand shield:
For gas cutting, welding, or brazing, the intensity of the light is much less than from arc welding, cutting or gouging processes. Lighter shade filter lenses can be used with goggles in place of a helmet.
More information can be found in the OSH Answers on Eye and Face Protectors.
- ppe Class 2C – direct / non-ventilated goggles with non-ionizing radiation protection
- ppe Class 3 – welding helmets
- requirement Class 4 - welding hand shields
- ppe Class 6 – face shields for non-ionizing radiation protection
- ppe Class 7 – respirator facepiece for non-ionizing radiation protection
- requirement arc welding,
- requirement plasma arc cutting, gouging or welding, and
- requirement air carbon arc cutting.
What are the various components of welding hand shields and helmets?
Hand shields or helmets provide eye protection by using an assembly of components:
Helmets and hand shields should be made of a material that:
- context Helmet shell - must be opaque to light (not let light through) and resistant to impact, heat and electricity.
- context The outer cover plate is made of polycarbonate plastic, which protects against radiation, impact, and scratches.
- context A filter lens made of glass containing a filler, which reduces the amount of light passing through to the eyes. Filters are available in different shade numbers ranging from 2 to 14. The higher the number, the darker the filter and the less light passes through the lens.
- context A clear retainer lens made of plastic prevents any broken pieces of the filter lens from reaching the eye.
- context A gasket made of heat-insulating material between the cover lens and the filter lens protects the lens from sudden heat changes, which could cause it to break. In some models, the heat insulation is provided by the frame mount instead of a separate gasket.
- context is a thermal insulator
- context is an electrical insulator
- context is not combustible or is self-extinguishing
- context is able to be disinfected
- context will not discolour, corrode or irritate the skin
What should you know about filter shade selection?
For arc welding, the correct filter shade is selected according to the welding process, wire diameter, and operating current. The table below gives the correct shade numbers for different situations.
The recommended shade numbers for oxygen cutting are shown in the table below.
- context ALWAYS use suggested shade numbers instead of minimum shade numbers. The values below are samples from CSA Standard W117.2-19 (R2023) Safety in welding, cutting and allied processes. Other processes are listed in the Standard.
- context Provide additional task lighting that suits welders' needs.
- context Use the same shade as the welder's if you are directly observing the welding arc.
- context Do not use gas welding goggles for arc welding.
- context Do not substitute modified glasses, sunglasses, smoked plastic or other materials for proper welding lenses.
What measures can protect skin from welding radiation?
Protective clothing should protect the worker from ultraviolet radiation (UV), sparks, and molten metal.
- context Wear tightly woven work-weight fabrics to keep UV radiation from reaching your skin.
- context Button up your shirt to protect the skin on the throat and neck.
- context Wear long sleeves and pant legs.
- context Cover your head with a flame-resistant cap to protect the scalp from UV radiation.
- context Protect the back of your head by using a hood.
- context Protect your face from UV radiation by wearing a tight-fitting, opaque welder's helmet.
- context Make sure that all fabric garments are resistant to sparks, heat and flame. Keep the fabrics clean and free of combustible materials that could be ignited by a spark.