Hazard Assessment

Due to the classification of welding fumes as a hazardous substance, a risk assessment must be carried out. This is done in 5 easy steps: 

1. Composition of welding fumes affected by:

• Base material
• Coatings
• Filler metal and
• Process gases.

2. Determining the health hazards of welding smoke constituents:

• Substances that place strain on respiratory tract and lungs (eg: iron oxides, aluminium oxide)
• Toxic or toxic-irritating substances (eg:  manganese oxide, copper oxide, zinc oxide)
• carcinogenic substances (eg:  chromium (VI) compounds, nickel oxide)

3. Determining the hazard class depending on the procedure.