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Safety and HealthFact Sheet No. 36 April 2014 © 2014 American Welding Society 

Ventilation for Welding and Cutting

 American Welding Society8669 Doral Blvd.Doral, Florida 33166E-mail: info@aws.orghttp://www.aws.org

Fact Sheet No. 36 – 04/14 

 AWS disclaims liability for any injury to persons or to property, or other damages of any naturewhatsoever, whether special, indirect, consequential or compensatory, directly or indirectlyresulting from the publication, use of, or reliance on this information. AWS also makes noguaranty or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any information published herein.

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INTRODUCTION

Ventilation is used to control overexposuresto the fumes and gases during welding andcutting. Adequate ventilation will keep thefumes and gases from the welder’sbreathing zone.

NOTE: This safety and health fact sheetdoes not address ventilation in confined

spaces. Also, the term “welding” includes“cutting.”

NATURE OF THE HAZARD— THE FUMEPLUME

The heat of the arc or flame creates fumesand gases (fume plume). Fumes containrespirable particles. Gases include theshielding gas, and combustion products.The heat from the arc or flame causes thefume plume to rise.

Fumes contain hazardous substances.Overexposure to them may cause acute(short term) or chronic (long term) healtheffects. Fumes and gases may be produced

at toxic levels and they can displace oxygenin the air causing asphyxiation.Overexposure to welding fumes and gasescan cause dizziness, illness, and evenunconsciousness and death.

HOW TO AVOID THE HAZARD —VENTILATION

Keep your head out of the fumes.Reposition the work, your head, or both tokeep from breathing the fumes.

Use ventilation to control the fumes and

gases produced from cutting andwelding. Adequate ventilation keepsexposures to airborne contaminantsbelow allowable limits. Have atechnically qualified person evaluate theexposure to determine if the ventilation isadequate. Wear an approved respiratorwhen ventilation is not adequate orpractical.

 Adequate ventilation depends on:

  Size and shape of the workplace

  Number and type of operations

  Contents of the fume plume

  Position of the worker’s and welder’shead

  Type and effectiveness of the

ventilation

 Adequate ventilation can be obtainedthrough natural or mechanical means orboth. 

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 American Welding Society8669 Doral Blvd.Doral, Florida 33166E-mail: info@aws.orghttp://www.aws.org

Fact Sheet No. 36 – 04/14 

 AWS disclaims liability for any injury to persons or to property, or other damages of any naturewhatsoever, whether special, indirect, consequential or compensatory, directly or indirectlyresulting from the publication, use of, or reliance on this information. AWS also makes noguaranty or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any information published herein.

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Natural Ventilation  – is the movement ofair through a workplace by natural forces.Roof vents, open doors and windowsprovide natural ventilation. The size andlayout of the area/building can affect theamount of airflow in the welding area.Natural ventilation can be acceptable for

welding operations if the contaminants arekept below the allowable limits.

Natural Ventilation: Usingairflow from open windows,doors, and roof vents may beadequate.

Mechanical Ventilation – is themovement of air through a workplace by a

mechanical device such as a fan.Mechanical Ventilation is reliable. It can bemore effective than natural ventilation.Local exhaust, local forced air, and generalventilation are examples of mechanicalventilation.

Local exhaust ventilation systems include acapture device, ducting and a fan. Thecapture devices remove fumes and gasesat their source. Fixed or moveable capture

devices are placed near or around thework. They can keep contaminants belowallowable limits.

One or more of the following capturedevices are recommended:

  Vacuum nozzle at the arc

  Fume Hoods

  Gun mounted fume extractor

Some systems filter the airflow beforeexhausting it. Properly filtered airflow maybe recirculated.

Local Exhaust Ventilation: Useenough local exhaust at thearc to remove the fumes andgases from your breathingarea.

Local forced air ventilation is a local airmoving system. A fan moves fresh airhorizontally across the welder’s face. Awall fan is an example of Local Forced AirVentilation.

When using localized ventilation,remember:

  Locate the hood as close as

possible to the work.

  Position the hood to draw the plumeaway from the breathing zone.

  Curtains may be used to directairflow.

  Some toxic materials or chemicalsmay require increased airflows.

  Velocities above 100 feet per minuteat the arc or flame may disturb theprocess or shielding gas.

  The capture device can depend onthe type of job.

SUMMARY

 Adequate ventilation removes the fumesand gases from the welder’s breathing

zone and general area. It preventsoverexposure to contaminants. Approvedrespirators may be required whenventilation is not adequate.

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 American Welding Society8669 Doral Blvd.Doral, Florida 33166E-mail: info@aws.orghttp://www.aws.org

Fact Sheet No. 36 – 04/14 

 AWS disclaims liability for any injury to persons or to property, or other damages of any naturewhatsoever, whether special, indirect, consequential or compensatory, directly or indirectlyresulting from the publication, use of, or reliance on this information. AWS also makes noguaranty or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any information published herein.

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To minimize worker overexposure to fumesand gases:

  Keep your head out of the fumes,and do not breathe the fumes.

  Reposition the work and your head

to avoid the fumes.

  Choose the correct ventilationmethod(s) for the specific operation.

  Use enough ventilation, exhaust atthe arc, or both, to keep fumes andgases from your breathing zone andthe general area.

  Understand what is in the fumes.

  Have a technically qualified personsample your breathing air and makerecommendations.

  Keep hazardous air contaminantsbelow allowable limits.

  Wear the proper respirator whennecessary.

INFORMATION SOURCES

 American National Standards Institute(ANSI). Safety in Welding, Cutting, and

 Allied Processes, Z49.1, available from American Welding Society, 8669 DoralBlvd., Doral, FL 33166; Web site:www.aws.org.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Code of Federal

Regulations, Title 29 Labor, Part 1910,available from the U.S. GovernmentPrinting Office, 732 North Capitol StreetNW, Washington, DC 20401; Web site:www.osha.gov.

National Fire Protection Association(NFPA). Standard for Fire Preventionduring Welding, Cutting, and Other HotWork, NFPA 51B, available from NationalFire Protection Association, 1Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA 02269– 

9101; Web site: www.nfpa.org.

 American Conference of GovernmentalIndustrial Hygienists (ACGIH), IndustrialVentilation – A Manual of RecommendedPractice, available from ACGIH, 6500Glenway Avenue, Building D-7, Cincinnati,OH 45211-4438; Web site: www.acgih.org.

 American Welding Society (AWS).Ventilation Guide for Weld Fume (AWS

F3.2), available from American WeldingSociety, 8669 Doral Blvd., Doral, FL33166; Web site: www.aws.org.

Edison Welding Institute (EWI). Reductionof Worker Exposure and EnvironmentalRelease of Welding Emissions (NSRPreport No. 43149GTH, November 30,2003), available from the Edison WeldingInstitute, 1250 Arthur E. Adams Drive,Columbus, OH 43221; Web site:

www.ewi.org.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA TechnicalManual (OTM), Section III Health Hazards,Chapter 3 Ventilation Investigation,available from OSHA, Room N3655, 200Constitution Ave., N.W., Washington, DC20210; Web site: www.osha.gov.