NASD - Arc Welding Safety

INTRODUCTIONThe electric arc welder remains one of our most useful and timesaving pieces of shop equipment. Almost every farm, ranch, and Vocational Agriculture shop is equipped with one or more welders which are used for fabrication, repair, and/or educational programs. Most of these welders are typically AC/DC, 240 volt transformer types using electricity as the energy source. Portable welders are of the diesel/gasoline engine powered type. Properly installed and used the arc welder is very safe, but if used improperly the operator can be exposed to a number of hazards including toxic fumes, dusts, burns, fires, explosions, electric shock, radiation, noise, and heat stress. Any of these hazards can cause injury or death. By following suggestions and guidelines in this pamphlet the risks can be greatly minimized. SELECTING THE ARC WELDERWhen purchasing an arc welder you can be assured of design safety if the unit complies with National Electric Manufacturers Association (NEMA) standar...