To start off the new year, we wanted to begin a new series on the Xiris blog. Weld cameras are known to produce many benefits in a welding process and most significantly for fabricators, is the way that weld cameras help to improve productivity. Over the next few months, we will be discussing in detail eight ways weld cameras can improve your productivity. Whether you already have a weld camera or are looking to implement them into your welding process, this series will help communicate the benefits and highlight how Xiris weld cameras can help your business.
Health and Safety
At Xiris, one of our top priorities is health and safety, whether it be for our customers or our own employees. The first of the 8 ways weld cameras improve productivity that we are going to discuss is increased health and safety of operators who can be removed from hazardous conditions near the weld process when using a weld camera.
The Risks
The welding process creates plenty of hazardous conditions, one of them being welding fumes and smoke. Although numerous proactive measures can be taken to minimize the effects of fumes on operators, there can still be exposure to some very hazardous particulates during welding.
Over the years, there have been many long-term studies looking into the inhalation of welding fumes that can lead to an increased risk of lung cancer, and is known to cause arc-welders' pneumoconiosis.¹ If inhaled, welding fumes can cause very severe health issues even if over the short-term. Welders should always adhere to the following precautions to lower the risk of exposure to these hazardous welding fumes:
- When working outside, stay upwind of welding fumes.
- When working inside, always use available ventilation systems and make sure other workers are clear of exhaust ports.
- Use respiratory protection in situations where ventilation or other precautions don’t sufficiently lower the risk of fume exposure.
- Keep welding surfaces clean and free of coatings that may cause exposure to toxic fumes.
Our Solution
An alternative way to take care of your welders and ensure their health and safety is to completely remove them from the hazardous area. This can be done by adding a weld camera to mechanized and automated weld processes. By removing the operator from proximity to the welding process, the risk of exposing the operator to the welding fumes as well as numerous other hazards can be significantly reduced. Using a high dynamic range weld camera can also reduce fatigue and stress, making the job safer, more enjoyable, and more appealing to existing or prospective operators.
An operator monitoring the weld process safely using a Xiris weld camera and display monitor.
It is very important to look after the health and safety of welders given the risks of the job. While there are many other benefits to using a weld camera, health and safety is key driver to produce a productive and loyal work force. When operators are able to view the welding process in a safe, remote location, there are many other benefits as well.
Ready for the second way that weld cameras can improve productivity? Read the next article in this series here.
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Sources:
¹ Thin-section CT findings of arc-welders' pneumoconiosis.
