The Hidden Hazard of Transparent Blue Welding Screens Here’s help for taking the guesswork out of selecting a screen that will adequately protect bystanders against UV and blue light Welding arcs emit ultraviolet (UV), visible (light), and infrared (IR) radiant energy that may be hazardous for both welders and people near the welding operation. This radiant energy may be the cause of eye injuries (for instance, photokeratitis, conjunctivitis, and retinal damage), disease (cataracts), skin injuries (erythema, aka “sunburn”), and delayed effects, such as accelerated skin aging and skin cancers. Welders may be complacent about some of these health risks because the onset of symptoms may be delayed for hours (e.g., photokeratitis) or years (e.g., skin cancer and cataracts). Welders’ eyes are protected by safety glasses and the lenses in their helmets, but the eyes of other people nearby are not. Partitioned booths and portable welding screens made of semitransparent or dark vinyl were developed in the early 1970s to protect bystanders. These are still commonly used. Welding screens are intended to filter hazardous radiant energy while allowing people to safely see the welder and the welding operation — Fig. 1. While it may seem obvious that these screens must block hazardous UV and visible light (particularly blue light), it is very difficult for users to identify if they are protected adequately from these hazards, as many of the products on the market look similar but can perform quite differently. 82 WELDING JOURNAL / DECEMBER 2016 BY THE AWS SAFETY & HEALTH COMMITTEE THE AMERICAN WELDER Fig. 1 — Welding screens filter hazardous radiant energy while allowing people to safely see the welder and welding operation. Blue screens cannot adequately filter out blue light, so they should not be used.
Welding Journal | December 2016
To see the actual publication please follow the link above