Welding Safety Gear: Why PPE is Important in Welding Applications

Welding safety gear: why PPE is important in welding applications

March 5, 2025
By MSA Safety, for the Blue Print

According to OSHA, exposure to radiant energy and fumes caused by welding may put workers at risk for a variety of health effects, ranging from eye, nose, and throat irritation to more serious complications. Learn more about the different types of welding, the associated health and safety concerns, and the latest PPE innovations to help keep workers safe during welding applications.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), exposure to radiant energy1 and fumes caused by welding may put workers at risk for a variety of health effects, ranging from eye, nose, and throat irritation to more serious complications, including some types of cancer (2). However, OSHA notes that reducing exposure to welding fumes via proper work practices and personal protective equipment (PPE) can mitigate many of these risks and potential injuries (2).

The industries and applications that most frequently require welding include construction/demolition, metalworking/grinding, painting, food, medical, agriculture, and stone fabrication.

What are the different types of welding?

Welding joins together materials such as metal, thermoplastics, or sometimes wood, by using heat, pressure, or a combination of the two to create a permanent bond. Welding is typically classified as being either 1) fusion, which is heat only, or 2) pressure, which is heat and pressure.

Electric arc is the most common type of fusion welding. Forms of electric arc welding differ based on the type of electrode – or rod – used and applications they are best-suited for. Consumable electrodes have lower melting points and usually melt away, or are consumed, as the welder works; non-consumable electrodes are made of materials with higher melting points and do not melt away during the welding process. Some common examples of arc welding include:

Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW or MIG): MIG stands for Metal Inert Gas. In this type of welding, an electric arc is created between a consumable wire electrode and the workpiece, melting the metal to join pieces together. MIG welding uses shielding gas to help prevent impurities from entering the metal, the most common of which are carbon dioxide, oxygen, helium, or argon.
Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW or TIG): TIG stands for Tungsten Inert Welding. This type of welding uses a Tungsten electrode – which has a higher melting point than most metals – to join pieces of metal together. The shielding gases in TIG welding are commonly argon, helium, and hydrogen.
Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW or Stick Welding): This type of welding uses a consumable electrode stick, which melts in the arc and becomes the filler material that joins the pieces of metal together.
Flux Cored Arc Welding (FCAW): Similar to Gas Metal Arc Welding, FCAW uses a flux-cored electrode as filler material. The electrode contains a core of powdered flux and/or alloying ingredients. FCAW is typically preferred in shipbuilding, bridge construction, and heavy equipment repair.
Plasma Arc Welding (PAW): This type of welding is similar to GTAW/TIG in that the arc is created between a Tungsten electrode and the metal being welded. However, in PAW, the electrode is positioned in the body of the torch to isolate the plasma arc from the shielding gas. PAW is more common in the electronics and aerospace industries.

What eye safety risks are associated with arc welding?

According to OSHA, electromagnetic energy given off by an arc or flame can injure workers’ eyes and is commonly referred to as radiant energy or light radiation (1). The eye or face protection used during welding applications “must have filter lenses with a shade number that provides the appropriate level of protection (1)."

The shade number indicates the intensity of light radiation that is permitted to pass through a filter lens to one’s eyes. The higher the shade number, the darker the filter and the less light radiation that will pass through the lens.

OSHA sets minimum protective lens shade numbers for commonly used welding and cutting processes (1). View the full requirements here.

The importance of eye and face protection for workers

Injuries to the eyes and face from welding can be divided into four general categories:

Incineration by hot metal slag
Injuries cause by flying particles
Damage to the eyes or skin from UV and infrared radiation
Irritation by aggressive welding smoke, gases, or chemicals

In addition to providing the desired level of eye protection for the type of welding being completed based on the filter lens shade number, some welding helmets can also help enhance visual clarity with additional technology and features. One of the specific optical characteristics to look for when choosing a welding helmet is the European Norm (EN) 379 optical clarity rating.

EN 379 ratings have 4 separate classifications. These include optical class, light diffusion, variation of transmittance, and angular dependence. Ratings range from 1-3, with 1 being best. A welding helmet with a 1/1/1/1 rating is considered to be the highest optical quality. The following is a breakdown of what that rating means:

1 – Optical class: Indicates how much the user’s view is distorted by the filter lens.
1 – Light Diffusion: Based on the intensity of light scattering; for example, light reflections by raindrops on a windshield at night.
1 – Light Homogeneity: The differences in light transmission at a viewing angle of exactly 90 degrees.
1 – Angular Dependence: The variability in light transmission at a viewing angle of exactly 25 degrees.

A helmet with a rating of “1/1/1/1” is considered to deliver a clear view and even shade levels across the full viewing area, with minimal distortions or defects.

What respiratory safety risks are associated with welding fumes?

Welding fumes can include a complex mixture of metals, metallic oxides, silicates, and fluorides. Fumes are formed when a metal is heated above its boiling point, and its vapors condense into very fine particles (solid particulates) (3).

According to OSHA, some of the factors that may impact a worker’s exposure to welding fumes include (2):

Type of welding
Base metal and filler metal
Welding rod composition
Location inside, outside, or in an enclosed space
Work practices
Air movement
Ventilation controls

Breathing welding fumes without proper PPE may result in various safety and health risks, such as eye, nose, and throat irritation, dizziness, and nausea. More serious health risks may arise from prolonged exposure to welding fumes—especially when welding in enclosed or confined spaces (2).

Understanding welding hazards and using proper welding PPE can help prevent exposure to certain hazards and help enhance worker safety. Cleaning the welding surface and allowing for proper ventilation are also important, as is strategically positioning workers away from welding fumes and gases.

Welder respiratory protection considerations

OSHA 1910.252 states that “In confined spaces or indoors, welding or cutting operations involving metals containing lead, other than as an impurity, or metals coated with lead-bearing materials, including paint, must be done using local exhaust ventilation or airline respirators (4).”

Using a powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) is one strategy to help welders mitigate exposure to contaminants from welding. PAPRs are battery-operated respirators that use a blower to force air through a filter. These systems can help welders limit exposure or filter air contaminated with welding fumes, gas, or particles.

Sources:

1. https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/OSHAfactsheet-eyeprotection-during-welding.pdf
2. https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/OSHA_FS-3647_Welding.pdf
3. https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/safety_haz/welding/fumes.html
4. https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.252#

Content originally from MSA Safety. Reused here with permission.