Welding Personal Protective Equipment
Fall Protection
A welder or helper working on platforms, scaffolds, or runways must be protected against falling. This may be accomplished by the use of railings, safety belts, life lines, or some other equally effective safeguards.
Although OSHA does not specify in 1910.252(b) at which height fall protection is required, other regulations do.
- In general industry, welding and other work is required by 1910.28 when working 4 feet or more above a lower surface.
- In construction, welding and other work is required by 1926.501 when working 6 feet or more above a lower surface.
- In general industry and construction, welding and other work is required when working at any height above dangerous equipment.
So, the question is, at which height must a welder use fall protection if welding above a lower level? The answer is at any height, depending on the nature of the hazard.
Real-Life Accident
In 2014, a worker was engaged in welding while positioned on a mast scaffold. He finished working in one area, unhooked his fall protection safety device, a double lanyard, and began to transit from the west end of the scaffold. According to witnesses, he tripped over the welder. He fell downward feet first, hitting the small welding platform and then an extended part of the building called a "bumpout." The area that he fell through was 14 feet long and 55 inches from the building. He then fell to the asphalt surface below, which was a fall height of 75 feet 6 inches. The worker died in the fall.
Face and Eye Protection
Helmets and Hand Shields
Use helmets or hand shields during all arc welding or arc cutting operations, excluding submerged arc welding. Provide proper eye protection to all helpers or attendants.
Goggles and Spectacles
Use goggles or other suitable eye protection during all gas welding or oxygen cutting operations. It is okay to use spectacles without side shields, with suitable filter lenses, during gas welding operations on light work, for torch brazing or for inspection.
All operators and attendants of resistance welding or resistance brazing equipment must use transparent face shields or goggles, depending on the particular job, to protect their faces or eyes, as required.
Eye protection in the form of suitable goggles must be provided where needed for brazing operations not covered in 1910.252 (b)(2)(i).
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
7-1. A welder may be required to use fall protection _____.
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