Improving Global Quality of Life
Improving Global Quality of Life
Improving Global Quality of Life
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welder against Cr6 is a very important issue. When exposed to zinc, symptoms rarely last more than<br />
24 hours, but each time a welder suffers from metal fume fever he has 1 or 2 days <strong>of</strong> sick leave.<br />
The European MAC value [maximum accepted concentration <strong>of</strong> welding fumes], a legally determined<br />
value, is 5 mg/m 3 . Scandinavian governments are reducing this value. Since 2003, Dutch companies have to<br />
work with MAC = 3.5 mg/m 3 ; a reduction <strong>of</strong> welding fumes <strong>of</strong> 30% according to the European norm. This<br />
introduces high investment costs for industrial companies. Regulations in Far East countries are far less<br />
stringent, seducing companies in Europe to outsource welding work.<br />
In manual welding the position <strong>of</strong> the welder (bending towards the welding zone) is stressful, <strong>of</strong>ten leading<br />
to back injuries and although the welding torch does not seem to be very heavy, holding it in a stable<br />
position for some minutes gives one a different view <strong>of</strong> the meaning <strong>of</strong> the word “heavy”. It is remarkable<br />
that workplaces are <strong>of</strong>ten not designed to fit the needs <strong>of</strong> the workers but most <strong>of</strong> the time exactly the other<br />
way around. Welding introduces many challenges to the field <strong>of</strong> ergonomics, which are at this moment<br />
only just being understood. Europe has to find solutions for the problems such as Repetitive Strain Injury<br />
(RSI) among welders and Cumulative Trauma Injury, both resulting in lower productivity, lower quality and<br />
workers’ dissatisfaction. There is therefore a very urgent need for guidelines for designing workplaces and<br />
tools to improve working conditions <strong>of</strong> welders, which will also make welding more cost effective and thus<br />
industry more competitive.<br />
SMEs have to stay competitive to survive. There is a need on the European level to lower production costs<br />
by technological innovations. For a lot <strong>of</strong> SMEs, welding costs are a substantial part <strong>of</strong> the production costs.<br />
Depending on the welding process, different solutions are being investigated to lower the emission <strong>of</strong><br />
welding gases and fumes or to reduce physical demands. Solutions can be found by lowering the droplet<br />
temperature during GMAW welding, by using green consumables with special coatings in combination with<br />
more effective shielding gases, by smart product design, replacing manual welding by mechanised welding<br />
and the development <strong>of</strong> a lightweight torch with reverse fume extraction. Smart protection equipment<br />
such as self-positioning exhaust arms and smart helmets with sensors informing the welder about fume<br />
concentrations will be developed and tested at SME shop floors, just as well as smart air blowers, forcing<br />
fumes away from the welder. A s<strong>of</strong>tware tool for virtual welding, ViWeld, is being developed in a EU project,<br />
enabling design engineers to determine if their products are weldable in an ergonomically responsible<br />
manner. ViWeld also estimates welding fume concentrations depending on welding positions, thus making<br />
design optimisation possible with regards to costs, throughput time, ergonomics and concentrations <strong>of</strong><br />
welding fumes.<br />
6.3 Job, skill, career and competence developments<br />
Welding and joining industries are faced with the challenge <strong>of</strong> declining numbers <strong>of</strong> people entering<br />
welding-related activities. The longer-term impact <strong>of</strong> this decline in attraction <strong>of</strong> our young includes loss <strong>of</strong><br />
talent, lower potential rate <strong>of</strong> growth and safety to people, assets and the environment. The key challenge is<br />
to be able to ensure that whatever one does, one keeps product and whatever raw or intermediate material<br />
inside the pressure envelope. Design <strong>of</strong> one’s processes must be sound, one has to construct our plants in<br />
accordance with good quality standards and practices and when operating, one needs to have trained and<br />
knowledgeable operators. Personnel maintaining the units need to be well trained and have the required<br />
competencies to keep the plant in reliable condition. One way or another, welding and welding related<br />
technology do feature in all these needs. So having a steady infusion <strong>of</strong> talented and trained people entering<br />
the field <strong>of</strong> welding and welding related technology is quite an important and vital element to ensure safe<br />
and reliable plant operations.<br />
56 <strong>Improving</strong> <strong>Global</strong> <strong>Quality</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Life</strong> Through Optimum Use and Innovation <strong>of</strong> Welding and Joining Technologies