Welding Fumes Exposure Monitoring & Testing

Our workplace air monitoring surveys measure exposure of your welding and hot cutting processes on your operators, and the welding fumes assessments are carried out in strict accordance with the latest health and safety guidance documents (HSE) and international standards (ISO).

The effects of welding fumes exposure on your workforce

Typical welding fume exposure to your workforce consists of gaseous components and particulate fumes with varying concentration and composition but commonly consist of:

• Aluminium
• Arsenic
• Beryllium
• Cadmium
• Chromium
• Copper
• Iron
• Lead
• Manganese
• Nickel
• Silicon
• Titanium
• Zinc

The fume composition depends mainly on the type of the welding rod, welded material and the welding technique itself. Certain components of welding or cutting fumes can be toxic to humans and long-term exposure to these fumes can result in deterioration in health resulting in conditions such as pneumonia, throat irritation, metal fever, occupational asthma, and others.

Compliance with COSHH industry regulations

Sysco Environmental aids your compliance with COSHH regulations by devising the correct welding fumes air monitoring & testing for your organisation and its unique requirements & circumstances. Chemical analysis of the fumes along with the exposure concentration data provide a solid basis for a risk assessment of the welding process and hot process fumes, in order to ensure the safety of your staff.

Welding fumes survey

The welding fumes survey process consists of:

• Evaluation of employees' exposure times, working patterns and exposure groups.
• Evaluation of existing fume controls such as General Ventilation, LEV and RPE.
• Evaluation of welding consumables, materials, and welding techniques.
• Personal sampling from a proportion of operatives.
• Preparation of technical report with findings and recommendations.

The assessment is carried out on a representative sample of the workforce to provide reliable exposure data. The collected information is then expressed as personal exposure levels for each exposure group and compared with the relevant exposure limits.

Why choose Sysco Environmental for your welding fumes monitoring?

Sysco's experts have decades of experience in monitoring welding fumes and have an in-depth knowledge of the associated risks to your personnel. Our team of professionals understand the complexities of welding processes and the specific hazards involved and have therefore conceived the very best practices in welding fumes air monitoring.

We recognise that every welding environment is unique, with specific variables and considerations. Our welding fumes monitoring solutions are tailored to your organisation's specific needs, taking into account factors such as welding processes, materials used, ventilation systems, and work practices. By customising our services, we provide accurate and relevant data that helps you optimise control strategies and mitigate exposure risks.

Sysco Environmental is not just a welding fume monitoring service provider - we are your trusted partner in occupational health & safety, including welding fume management. Our team of experts is available to provide ongoing support and guidance to help you interpret monitoring results, implement control measures, and create a culture of safety within your business.

Sysco Environmental also offer a biological test kit for welding fumes which monitors the exposure of the metals used in the process within urine. This testing can help ensure that operative exposure remains within the appropriate guidelines. This welding fumes test kit can be purchased on our online store.

Next steps

Contact us today for a chat with one of our friendly experts to discuss your welding fumes situation and how Sysco can help.

View our other workplace exposure monitoring services, and please browse our case studies to see examples of our work.