UPDATED HSE SAFE WELDING GUIDANCE

In February 2019 the HSE issued a safety alert regarding exposure to welding fume and the measures that HSE inspectors will expect to see in place where welding is carried out. This followed scientific evidence from the International Agency for Research on Cancer that exposure to mild steel welding fume can cause lung cancer and possibly kidney cancer in humans.

Following on from this the HSE have now significantly updated the safe welding guidance on their website and their COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) specific guidance for welding.

The HSE’s safe welding guidance can be found at: https://www.hse.gov.uk/welding/index.htm

The COSHH guides can be downloaded from the HSE’s website at: https://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/essentials/direct-advice/welding.htm

The HSE also advise that they will be running an inspection campaign in the new year and will be focussing on compliance.

An external audit of your working practices can help to identify any weaknesses. Please speak to your normal PIB Risk management contact or get in touch using [email protected]  if you have any questions or would like to arrange a compliance audit.