Kenneth Collins
Dr. J. Woolston
English 101-112
10 March 2014
Tools of the Trade
Students that have chosen Welding for their major are required to provide their own safety equipment before they will be allowed to work in the welding lab on any and all welding projects. There is a lengthy list of equipment that is recommended, and once the student is enrolled in the welding program they will be issued a list of what is needed. The basic safety equipment that is required consists of a welding hood, welding jacket, gloves, and safety glasses.
The welding hood is one of the most important pieces of safety equipment that is required to attend any welding lab. They are designed to protect the eyes from the ultra violet rays that are produced when all procedures of welding are being performed. These rays are very dangerous and may cause blindness if the hood is not being worn. Furthermore it protects the ears and face from any sparks or shards that are formed while working with grinders or cutting tools.
The welding jacket and gloves are also a requirement, these help prevent the students from the high heat temperatures that are reached when using all of the welding machines, and burns are the number one cause of accidents in most welding labs. There are three types of burns that people can get by not wearing the proper safety equipment, there is first degree burns of the skin which is redness of the skin in the affected area, second degree burns which is blistering of the skin, and the worst is third degree burns which is where all layers of skin affected and cause permanent disfiguration of the skin. Ultra violet rays and infrared rays, can cause what is called a flash burn, are burn injuries to the eyes and can cause partial to total blindness Immediate medical attention should be sought if anyone experiences any of these injuries. The jacket and gloves are made of a couple different materials....