5 Safety Tips Every Welder Needs to Know

If you’re looking for employment opportunities, it’s wise to consider the world of welding. In fact, statistics gathered from the American Welding Society found that there are over 500,000 people employed as welders throughout the United States. With that in mind, it’s crucially important that these workers remain safe while performing various tasks. Considering that, here are five safety tips that every welder should learn.

• Tightly Fasten All Parts of Your Safety Gear
  
  It might seem tempting to leave on button open your shirt. In addition, many people leave their pockets open in order to access items. Unfortunately, taking these risks is dangerous while working around sparks. It only takes one stray spark to enter an opening in your suit. Therefore, you’ll want to make sure every part of your attire is properly buttoned and zipped before any welding begins.
• Choose the Right Tools
  
  It’s unlikely that pipes will be brought to you. Therefore, pipe alignment work often needs to be completed in a wide range of conditions. Considering that, it’s important to have the right pipe alignment tools for each task you’re performing. If you’re working in conditions where there’s a fire risk, you’ll need non spark tools. Welders use non sparking tools in order to avoid any risk of stray sparks causing dangerous fires.
• Wearing Respirators for Certain Risks
  
  Statistics show that nearly 50% of all products made throughout the United States require some type of welding. That being said, this is often going to welders in situations where respirators are needed. It’s always best to know which environments will require the use of a respirator.
• Utilize the Latest Fitting Methods
  
  In some cases, companies fall behind the times. If this is happening to your business, it’s going to affect your welders. Statistics show that thousands of dollars in labor costs are lost each year due to companies using outdated pipe alignment methods. In order to work efficiently, you’ll need quality pipe alignment tools.
• Stay Aware of Arc Flash
  
  Welders are required to wear special masks while performing this type of work. You’ll find that welding helmets don’t only provide protection from sparks, they also protect your vision. The brightness of sparks that occur while welding is brighter than you might think. In fact, these sparks are so bright that they’re known to cause a condition called arc flash. This is known to cause vision impairment and pain. Therefore, you’ll always want to keep your helmet on while performing any type of welding.

To summarize, it’s imperative to remain safe while welding. If you own a welding company, it’s important to provide these workers with quality tools. Therefore, you’ll want to find a supplier of pipe alignment tools with a wide range of products. This ensures your company has the right pipe alignment clamps and other tools to work in a wide variety of conditions.