0

In February 2019 the Health and Safety Executive issued a Safety Alert to all HSE departments in all businesses. This Safety Alert (Bulletin No. STSU1-2019) is targeted at ALL workers, employers, contractors’ and any others whom undertake welding activities, including mild steel, in any industry.

What is Safety Alert STSU1-2019?

STSU1-2019 is a notification of new evidence and the resulting change in HSE Enforcement Expectations. The key issues covered are:
New scientific evidence that exposure to all welding fume, including mild steel welding fume, can cause lung cancer.

There is also limited evidence linked to Kidney cancer.

  • There is a change in HSE enforcement expectations in relation to the control of exposure of welding fume, including that from mild steel welding.
  •  All businesses undertaking welding activities should ensure effective engineering controls are provided and correctly used to control fume arising from those welding activities.
  •  Where engineering controls are not adequate to control all fume exposure, adequate and suitable respiratory protective equipment (RPE) is also required to control risk from he residual fume.

The Details

Introduction:

There is new scientific evidence from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) that exposure to mild steel welding fume can cause lung cancer and possibly kidney cancer in humans. The Workplace Health Expert Committee (WHEC) has endorsed the reclassification of mild steel welding fume as a human carcinogen.

Consequences:

With immediate effect, there is a strengthening of HSE’s enforcement expectation for all welding fume, including mild steel welding; because general ventilation does not achieve the necessary control.

Outcome:

  •  Control of the cancer risk will require suitable engineering controls for all welding activities indoors e.g. Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV). Extraction will also control exposure to manganese, which is present in mild steel welding fume, which can cause neurological effects similar to Parkinson’s disease.
  • Where LEV alone does not adequately control exposure, it should be supplemented by adequate and suitable respiratory protective equipment (RPE) to protect against the residual fume.
  • Appropriate RPE should be provided for welding outdoors. You should ensure welders are suitably instructed and trained in the use of these controls.
  • Regardless of duration, HSE will no longer accept any welding undertaken without any suitable exposure control measures in place, as there is no known level of safe exposure.
  • Risk assessments should reflect the change in the expected control measures.

Action required

1.    Make sure exposure to any welding fume released is adequately controlled using engineering controls (typically LEV).
2.    Make sure suitable controls are provided for all welding activities, irrelevant of duration.  This includes welding outdoors.
3.    Where engineering controls alone cannot control exposure, then adequate and suitable RPE should be provided to control risk from any residual fume.
4.    Make sure all engineering controls are correctly used, suitably maintained and are subject to thorough examination and test where required.
5.    Make sure any RPE is subject to an RPE programme. An RPE programme encapsulates all the elements of RPE use you need to ensure that your RPE is effective in protecting the wearer.

Relevant legal documents:

  • Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
  • Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002.
  • See www.hse.gov.uk for more information or search HSE STSU1-2019.

What do I need to do to ensure compliance?

The answer is simple, not to mention cheaper and easier than having the HSE take punitive action for failing to comply – ensure you have proper welding extraction in place. Welding extraction comes in many forms:

  • On-Torch (connects directly to the welding torch via a nozzle adapter)
  • Welding downdraft tables.
  • Arm extraction.
  • Single user or site wide systems.

Best practice, even if you are exhausting the welding fume outside is to filter it first via filters first. Simply removing it from your welding stations to then exhaust it out over the environment (which could include other work places, houses, parks, schools etc) is not recommended.

Given the new evidence stipulates all forms of welding as a proven cause of lung cancer it is essential to use W3 rated filters. These are certified to remove the carcinogenic materials from the extracted air stream.

Welding extractors can come in simple low cost single units for On-Torch or Arm extractors like the KEMPER SmartMaster or the KEMPER MiniFil or to larger central systems that cover a number of bays connecting On-Torch or Arm extraction points to a larger recirculating system.

All of our KEMPER welding extractors have W3 rated filters to remove the carcinogenic materials from the fume.

More Information.

You can read more about the dangers of welding fume on our blog post The Dangers of Welding Fume
Click on the image below to have a look over our range of welding extractors on line.

KEMPER SmartMaster
We also offer centralized welding systems for a larger number of bays over a wider area. To talk more about our centralized systems and install services simply give us a call on 01489 899070, use our Contact Form or Email us at sales@vodex.co.uk or try our Online Chat service (bottom right corner on our website) .

14 Day Return Policy

T&Cs Apply

Secure Checkout

with Opayo

Next Working Day Delivery

to UK Mainland (if in stock)