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Asbestos Safety in Metalworking Environments

We know the building industry can be fraught with dangers, especially regarding asbestos exposure. Several building materials produced until the 1990s contained this hazardous natural mineral. However, metalworks is a lesser-known dangerous industry regarding asbestos exposure. Below, you can learn all about asbestos exposure in metalworking environments and how to keep yourself safe.

Where Were Welders Exposed to Asbestos?

Asbestos is less of a problem for welders today than many years ago. Before we learned about the dangers associated with asbestos, metalworkers used to work with welding rods containing asbestos coatings. It wasn’t uncommon for workers to be exposed to the asbestos fibers released into the air when these coatings were used.

When they breathed in these fibers, they were at risk of severe and life-changing health conditions like mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer.

The metal fabrication industry was wide-ranging, which meant thousands of workers were at risk. If ever two pieces of metal needed to be joined, a welder answered the call for help

Metal workers were exposed to asbestos in a number of industries, including:

  • Paper mills

  • Shipyards

  • Construction

  • Oil refineries and pipelines

  • Power plants

  • Aviation

  • Aerospace

  • Automotive plants

  • Steel and aluminium plants

  • Bridge building And more…

How Were Welders Exposed to Asbestos?

Many studies have identified welding as one of the highest-risk occupations for the many different exposure opportunities. In shipyards and aboard ships, they could be exposed to asbestos when working around piping and insulation. They could also be exposed to asbestos in this way when working in construction and steel plants. If ever they had to take care of welding around boilers, this, too, was an opportunity for asbestos exposure.

Welding Rods

Welding rods were undoubtedly one of the most common ways to be subject to friable asbestos. Even though welders wore and still do wear welding masks, those masks are not designed to protect them from microscopic asbestos fibres.

Welding Blankets and Clothing

Welders commonly work in hot environments, especially when their primary job is to weld metal together. With high temperatures and open flames, worker safety is paramount.

Today, special flame-retardant materials make working around flames much safer. However, in past years, asbestos woven into material was the preferred option for welders. They would wear protective asbestos clothing themselves and wrap welding blankets around hot objects like engines and metal pipes. Sometimes, welding blankets were also used to put out fires.

Welding blankets and garments for fires and heat protection could release harmful asbestos fibres into the air. Welders could then breathe in those fibres and be at risk of life-changing asbestos illnesses.

Asbestos Illnesses for Welders

Welding is a high-risk industry for asbestos exposure, so they have some of the highest rates of asbestos-related illnesses. It’s not uncommon for people working in metalworking environments in the 1970s and 1980s to now be diagnosed with some of the following diseases:

Mesothelioma

Pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma is a cancer associated with asbestos exposure. Thousands of people are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year, and it’s the number one cause of work-related deaths.

Mesothelioma describes tumours forming in the lining of the heart, stomach, lungs, or testes. Common symptoms of this condition are shortness of breath, chest pain, and abdominal pain.

Lung Cancer

Studies have shown that welders are at an increased risk of lung cancer, especially those working with stainless steel. However, their risk might be even higher if they had previously worked with asbestos-containing materials.

It’s believed that the risk of small cell or non-small cell lung cancer is higher in welders than the risk of lung cancer in smokers not exposed to asbestos.

Asbestosis

Asbestosis is a chronic lung condition. It’s caused by long-term asbestos exposure and is mostly an occupational disease. Many welders diagnosed with asbestosis experience symptoms like coughing, shortness of breath, wheezing, and chest tightness. It can also result in complications like mesothelioma, lung cancer, and pulmonary heart disease.

How to Keep Yourself Safe As a Welder

We no longer use asbestos and asbestos-containing products in Aotearoa New Zealand. But that doesn’t mean there is no longer a risk of asbestos exposure. Welders can take some of the following actions to protect themselves and others:

  1. Confirm that asbestos is or isn’t present before work commences

  2. Hire asbestos removalists to remove asbestos before work commences

  3. Plan the job thoroughly to avoid disturbing asbestos

  4. Use the right personal protective equipment

  5. Keep asbestos-containing materials damp

  6. Avoid using power tools where possible around asbestos-containing materials

  7. Clean the work area thoroughly

  8. Dispose of asbestos waste responsibly 

Ensure Asbestos Safety in a Metalworking Environment

We’ve come a long way regarding worksite safety, but we’re not out of the woods yet. Welding can be a high-risk industry if not all precautions are taken. If you’re getting ready to work near or on asbestos-containing materials, consider enlisting the services of asbestos removalists in NZ to make your worksite as safe as possible.