Welding and Metalworking - Welding, no ventilation.

Hey, I dont know if this is the right place but I have been working at a job for over a year now and in our shop we have 2 mig welders running. the shop is about 200 feet by 50 feet, probably your average size shop. We weld tech fence together for use in the oilfield.

Although one thing I dont appreciate is we have absolutely zero ventilation, so the welding smoke, cutting smoke, and paint fumes really all build up inside, so much that you can see smoke everywhere you look, and not just a small amount.

Lately we have gotten a new welder and he wont even let us open the doors for the small bit of ventilation it provides because he says the weather gives him bad welds.

He has welding screens surrounding him, its not windy outside so its not windy in the shop or near him for sure, and its around 0 degrees celsuis on average right now. so i really dont think its the weather giving him bad welds.

But it is true, i have never seen anybody weld as bad as him or miss as many welds as he has in my life... thats for sure. O and to add hes not actually a certified welder just a farmer welder who thinks he knows what hes doing.

Our one welder, who is the better welder says that he does'nt care if the doors are open or not.

Can anybody help me out? should i be able to open the doors for ventilation? Its hard as hell to breathe and I really notice my lungs in my marathon running =(

You are correct in that your workplace is a hazardous location.
The difficulty is that your boss does not see it as such.
You don't say where you live but there are regulations against this type of workplace.
Where roughly do you live?

The proper steps are to ask your employer to correct the problem and if he doesn't report him to your local employment standards regulator.
If he was in my area he would likely be given an immediate stop work order and not able to restart operations until he complied with regulations.

You are in a difficult position.
This workplace is literally killing you but if you take a stand to protect your health you may have to look for another job.

I don't see a state mentioned anywhere so I can't provide any links but OSHA is the entity that would have control over this situation. Some states have their own offices, some states utilize the federal offices.

As with others, without knowing your locations it's hard to give anything specific. I know in the states, there are ventilation requirements, and if they can't be met, then self containted ventilation/breathing systems must be provided.

You absolutely should not be breathing welding fumes.

You may want to be pro-active on your own behalf and invest in a respirator. Make sure it is fitted for your face and is using the proper filters.

The legal side has been covered well already.

Anybody who has worked on large equipment or buildings has to deal with welding outdoors and in the wind. It's not that big a deal for someone skilled. It sounds like someone might be looking for excuses to explain their poor welds. Personally I would not work in a smoky environment. There are more fun ways to catch lung disease.

yeah its exactly how you said it. trying to hide poor welds.

I live in Alberta Canada I'm very sure its very illegal how they handle it.

I would'nt mind and end it if i could but the problem is everybody is being laid off here and there is absolutely no work anywhere so I would not be able to find a new job =(

Is any of that fencing product galvanized ? Zinc fumes from welding/cutting galvanized is pretty bad (not that other welding fumes/dust are good.. lol).

Best bet might be to get your own respirator (heck, ask the boss if he would supply you with one.. never know..). Once you start wearing that for most of the day, other workers might get curious.

Id bet there's plenty of other workplace violations there, like insecure/improperly stored gas cylinders, worn out and exposed electrical cords or junction boxes, stacks of material waiting to fall on someone, etc etc. I bet if you call in the inspectors , the owner would probably be forced to shut down the operation (cant afford to pay the fines and bring it up to standard).

Tough choice.

actually, windy conditions can wreak havoc on MIG (GMAW) or TIG (GTAW) welding processes