Is a welding helmet with ventilation enough to protect your health?

There is no question that welding fumes from MIG/MAG welding and TIG welding are extremely harmful to health. There are various options for protection against these fume gases. One of these is a fresh air ventilated welding helmet, which falls under the category of personal protective equipment. Such a welding helmet consists of a predominantly sealed head part into which fresh air is supplied. The resulting slight overpressure prevents the penetration of welding fumes. But what about all the other employees working around the welding station? That's the point. Personal protective equipment only comes into play when all other protective measures cannot be implemented.

Occupational health and safety requirements

The guidelines of the health authorities prescribe a certain sequence of measures for protection against welding fumes, which must also be carried out in this order to be able to achieve the greatest effect. This is what the STOP principle stands for:

S = Substitution

Welding fume exposure can be reduced by using optimised protective gases. If DC welding is replaced by pulse welding, the generation of welding fumes and thus the exposure to welding fumes can be reduced. However, if certain specifications cannot be replaced by others, technological measures come into play.

T = Technology

The occupational health and safety authorities clearly recommend the extraction of welding fumes at the point of origin, the so-called local extraction. If this is not possible, there is the alternative of extraction hoods as a technological solution.

O = Organisation

In organisational terms, a welding specialist can also take on other work so that they do not come into contact with the welding fumes. But this is certainly not effective and also extremely unsatisfactory – not to mention reduced productivity.

P = Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

As a last measure and if none of the previous ones can be implemented, use personal protective equipment. A welding helmet with ventilation is the last choice because this protective equipment does not help the colleagues in the immediate vicinity. They are still exposed to the dangerous fumes.

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