How Dangerous is Welding, Really?

OSHA maintains a searchable database for information regarding workplace accidents, injuries, and fatalities. Occupation, worker demographics, geographic location, and other factors are available in the database, which is available on OSHA’s Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities website. Tracking this information is to hold employers accountable and to identify safety issues that must be addressed. It is public information and may serve to reassure you or otherwise help you make your career choices.

In 2020, out of 397,000 welders, there were 48 job site fatalities, most caused by being struck by equipment or objects (for example, a crane’s load falling on them), with the second leading cause of death being falls.

* from the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics “Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities: TABLE A-5. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation and event or exposure, all United States, 2021”

As you can see, the most common cause of death for welders is being struck by equipment or objects. This is a serious hazard that welders must be aware of and take precautions to avoid. Other common causes of death include falls and electrocution. Welders should always wear proper safety gear and follow safety procedures to reduce the risk of injury or death.

More detailed and specific stats are difficult to find due to employment classifications being general, such as “Manufacturing.” Anecdotally speaking, every welder will experience burns, either from sparks, heat from welding, or light. At some time or another, every welder will get a piece of grit in their eye. Many welders will miss some time at work during their working career due to an on-the-job injury. Most injuries are minor, and the likelihood of a welder being killed on the job is minimal. As a welder, I have never gone to work in the morning, wondering if that was the day I would die on the job.

Unsafe Conditions vs. Unsafe Acts

Accidents and injuries are the result of unsafe conditions or unsafe acts. An unsafe act is just that someone is doing something dangerous and not following safe procedures. An unsafe condition is a dangerous situation on a job site. For example, an open hole in the floor with no guardrails or covering is an unsafe condition. Someone may step into the open hole and fall to the next level, getting injured or killed. An unsafe act would be seeing the open hole and not correcting the situation.

Immediate vs. Long-Term Dangers

The dangers one faces on the job depend on the industry one works in. For instance, a commercial diver-welder is exposed to hazards such as drowning, electrocution, and the bends from decompressing too quickly. A GTAW welder manufacturing small parts at a desk is exposed to far fewer hazards. Instead of drowning or the bends, a GTAW welder may encounter burns from UV light or repetitive motion injuries.

One often thinks of immediate dangers on the job, such as getting shocked or even electrocuted from welding in the rain or falling off a ladder.

Even though the welder sitting at a desk making small parts may not face drowning or other imminent life-threatening dangers, long-term hazards remain to consider. First is exposure to fumes. Fumes from welding can contain heavy metals that may be carcinogenic. Continued overexposure to flash from the welding arc can lead to cataracts, retina damage, and blindness. Draping welding leads across your body for long periods and exposes you to electromagnetic pulses, which may have unknown long-term negative effects on your health. Of course, working in non-ergonomic positions under strain for long periods can lead to muscular-skeletal injuries, including back injuries and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Welders should not only think of working safely regarding immediate dangers, but they should also keep in mind there are long-term hazards to avoid.

Attributions

1. Figure 2.5: lamp, signal, plastic, warning, light, object, yellow by ulleo is released under CC0
2. Figure 2.6: Unsafe Conditions by Kurayba is released under CC BY-SA 2.0