Are Welding Fumes Dangerous?

Flexible air quality solutions for manual welding

Protecting Welders From Dangerous Weld Fumes with Welding Booth Ventilation

Welding booths provide a flexible welding workstation with built-in weld fume source capture for manual welders. When combined with a ventilation or filtration system, they continually pull weld fumes away from the welder’s breathing zone while providing a convenient welding surface for small-to-medium size parts.

Welding booth ventilation is especially crucial for safeguarding welders working with substances that emit dangerous weld fumes. For example, welding stainless steel produces weld fumes that contain hexavalent chromium—particulates that have proven to be highly toxic when inhaled. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has declared hexavalent chromium carcinogenic to humans, and exposure to the fumes has been linked with cases of cancer, as well as damage to the respiratory system, liver and more. Effective air treatment measures can ensure workers avoid inhaling these particulates.

Ventilation or filtration solutions are important for complying with air quality regulations, as well. Many specific components of weld fumes carry individual OSHA regulations, each of which must be addressed. These substances include hexavalent chromium, manganese, beryllium, cadmium, cobalt, nickel and more. Failure to comply with OSHA standards can lead to serious fines and other legal problems.

Advantages of Welding Booth Ventilation

A good welding booth protects both the welder and nearby staff. The walls of the booth prevent sparks from flying and much of the fumes from spreading, in addition to providing eye protection for those nearby. A good booth provides a convenient work surface for welding—one that is both ergonomic and also connected to a fume collector.

Welding booths would be an ideal solution for situations like welding schools or fabrication shops where welders are working side-by-side. In these situations, the irregular nature of the manual welding—going on and off as welders come and go—makes this particular kind of source capture highly effective and efficient.

Options in Welding Booth Ventilation

No two welding operations are the same, so choosing an air quality solution can sometimes seem challenging. When deciding between exhausting fumes to the outside versus filtering them, a plant manager has a few factors to consider. Depending on the volume of fumes, air quality regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) might prohibit exhausting too many particulates into the air. Filtering the air solves that problem. Additionally, exhausting contaminated air to the outside means you constantly have to bring fresh air in, and that air needs to be heated or cooled. This results in a major energy expense. Running weld fumes through filtration units is a money saver, in the long run.

Welding booths coupled with air filtration offer the best of both worlds. Booths are highly flexible solutions that allow for shifting floor plans, irregular welding times, unpredictable fume volumes and other such variables. Filtration options guarantee that welders and surrounding staff are safe and that air quality regulations are met.

RoboVent has almost three decades of experience mitigating weld fumes to protect workers and to improve manufacturing. Our engineers have designed welding booth ventilation systems of every size and layout. Systems like the CrossFlow Table are affordable, flexible air quality solutions for manual welding operations.