May 2021

F or 27 years we have been practicing Health & Safety in the motor trade across the UK, visiting everyone, from truck dealers to car dealers and from large groups to independent garages. Regardless of vehicles being worked on or the size of the business there is one thing they all have in common: Welding. For the modern franchised dealers this does not happen as much, as parts are simply replaced rather than repaired, however for the independent garages and bodyshops this is a regular occurrence. Since 2019 scientific evidence from the International Agency for Research on Cancer that exposure to mild steel welding fume can cause lung cancer and possibly kidney cancer in humans. The Workplace Health Expert Committee has endorsed the reclassification of mild steel welding fume as a human carcinogen. However, during that time, the majority of garages we visit are still unaware of the dangers or the change in legislation. The control of the cancer risk will require suitable engineering controls for all welding activities indoors e.g. local exhaust ventilation (LEV). Extraction will also control exposure to manganese, which is present in mild steel welding fume, which can cause neurological effects similar to Parkinson's disease. All welding activities in the motor trade are carried out in the workshop or bodyshop however appropriate RPE should be provided for welding outdoors. You should ensure welders are suitably instructed and trained in the use of these controls. Regardless of duration, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will no longer accept any welding undertaken without any suitable exposure control measures in place, as there is no known level of safe exposure. With immediate effect, there is a strengthening of HSE's enforcement expectation for all welding fume, including mild steel welding; because general ventilation does not achieve the necessary control. HSE has started unannounced inspections of garages throughout the UK. These are focused on welding fume and required control measures and will look at two key areas; control measures for the release of welding fume internally, through respiratory protective equipment (RPE) and LEV, and outside welding operations. What do you need to do? You’ll need to put appropriate controls in place. This includes looking at how you control fumes, as all indoor welding activities will require suitable engineering controls, such as LEV and extraction. Where these alone cannot control the exposure adequately, additional controls should be implemented, such as the use RPE to protect the welder from residual fume.If welding is done outside, controls will also be needed. RPE should be provided and employees should understand why these controls are in place and how to use the equipment safely. All equipment must also be suitable for the task at hand. There is no identified safe level of exposure, so the HSE will no longer accept any welding undertaken without suitable controls in place regarding exposure, irrespective of the duration of the task. Please also remember that all risk assessments completed for the task should reflect any new changes in the control measures. Action plan – how to prepare Effectively plan welding work and consider questions like: What’s the duration of the welding? What are we welding? Where is the welding taking place? Also, make sure exposure to any welding fume released is adequately controlled using engineering controls (typically LEV). Next, make sure that you’re actively controlling welding fume through engineering controls, as mentioned above regardless of duration and location. Where engineering controls alone cannot control exposure, then adequate and suitable RPE should be provided to control risk from any residual fume. Then, make sure LEV and extraction are correctly used, maintained, and where applicable, subject to a thorough examination. Finally, if using RPE, the equipment must be suitable for the user and offer the correct protection; this would be done through an RPE management programme such as face-fit testing. For expert Automotive Health & Safety please visit: www.safetyconsultingservices.co.uk 16 AFTERMARKET MAY 2021 BUSINESS www.aftermarketonline.net WELDING: FUMES LINKED TO CANCER Aftermarket’s latest regular contributor is Carl Davis, and his first article looks at safety issues around welding BY Carl Davis, Director, Safety Consulting Services