What is the Importance of OSHA in the Welding Workplace?

Bright light and gas fumes are two reasons for safety requirements.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was created to help ensure that workplace environments will be held to a strict standard of safety, regardless of the type or location of businesses that employ workers for full- and part-time positions. Welding can be one of the most dangerous positions to hold unless certain guidelines are followed.

History

The influence of OSHA has prevented countless weld-related accidents.

OSHA began as the Occupational Safety and Health Act in 1970 to provide an umbrella of safety for factory workers. This spawned the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in 1971, which has grown globally into almost every branch of business. It was deemed the most significant legislation in the past 10 years, according to 1970 Secretary of Labor James Hodgson.

Purpose

A welding job can subject a worker to many dangerous situations

The purpose of OSHA's existence is to mandate safety regulations tailored to specific fields of industry in order to protect the worker from accidental death or injury. Due to its potential dangers, welding occupations are held to the strictest requirements.

Types

Nonweld-related safety equipment may also be required, depending on the area.

Various types of OSHA regulations imposed on the welding occupation can include removal of combustible materials from the area, controls over the type of equipment used, additional safety equipment dedicated to the immediate area and proper PPE (personal protection equipment).

References

• United States Department of Labor: Occupational Safety and Health Administration: Welding, Cutting and Brazing
• United States Department of Labor: Occupational Safety and Health Administration: A history of its first 13 years