Course Introduction

Welding, cutting, and brazing are hazardous activities which pose a unique combination of both chemical and physical hazards to more than 560,000 workers in a wide variety of industries. The risk from fatal injuries alone is more than four deaths per thousand workers throughout a working lifetime.

There are numerous health hazards associated with exposure to fumes, gases, and ionizing radiation generated during welding, cutting, and brazing. These hazards include heavy metal poisoning, lung cancer, metal fume fever, flash burns, and many others. The risks associated with these hazards vary depending upon the type of welding materials and welding surfaces.

Real-Life Accident

In 2008, a welder installed a flow regulator on a cylinder of carbon dioxide, which was the shielding gas for the metal inert gas (MIG) welder he was using to prevent exposure of the molten weld pool to oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen contained in the air atmosphere. The welder felt a shock from the MIG welder and asked a coworker to see if he could feel it. The coworker refused and went back to his work area. Shortly thereafter, the coworker heard a yell from the welder and saw him holding the ground clamp in one hand and the electrode holder in the other hand. Another coworker unplugged the welder. Once the MIG welder was unplugged, the welder fell to the floor. A co-worker performed CPR on the welder until rescue personnel arrived. The welder was transported by ambulance to Buchanan County General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead from electrocution.

This course introduces the student to the hazards and safety precautions related to welding, cutting, brazing, and soldering. The course discusses general welding operations, applicable OSHA standards, and suggestions for protecting welders and coworkers from exposures to the many hazards inherent in those operations.

The course discusses the various types of welding operations, as well as exposure to thermal and chemical hazards and precautions including the personal protective equipment required to mitigate those hazards.

Modules

To begin your training, click on the module links below. If you are just starting this course, you should start with module 1.

1. The Basics
2. Welding Processes and Hazards
3. Welding Best Practices and Precautions
4. Operating Equipment Safely
5. Cutting, Brazing, and Soldering
6. Ventilation Requirements
7. Welding Personal Protective Equipment
8. Safe Welding Program
9. Hexavalent Chromium

Course 745 Final Exam

After studying the course material and answering the quiz questions, it is time to take the final exam. We highly recommend answering the module quiz questions to check your understanding of the course material. The final exam questions are typically developed from these quiz questions.

OSHAcademy course final exams are designed to make sure students have gained a sufficient understanding of the content covered within each course. To help demonstrate this understanding, students must achieve a passing score on course final exams. It is OSHAcademy's policy to protect the integrity of our exams: as a result, we do not provide missed questions to students.

This is an open book exam. Students are permitted to use a separate browser window to review course content while taking the exam. If you do not pass a final exam, you will see a "Retake Exam" button next to the course on your student dashboard.

If you have already paid for your certificate

If you have already paid for certificates, your exam score will be displayed on your student dashboard after successfully passing the final exam. If you chose PDF certificates, you can view and print your certificate and personal transcript from your student dashboard. If you chose original printed documents, they will be prepared and mailed to the address in your student account.

If you only want free training

OSHAcademy provides free access to all training materials, including course modules, practice quizzes, exercises, and final exams. However, exam scores, certificates, and transcripts are provided only if you purchase a certificate package to document your training. If you do not require official training documentation, we will archive your exam results should you decide to purchase official certificates later.

Take the Final Exam

Course 745 Study Guide. You can save this study guide to your computer for offline studying, or print the study guide if you prefer.

Endnotes

1. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2016). Welding, Cutting & Brazing—29 CFR 1910 Subpart Q. Retrieved from: https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=10133

2. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2016a). Welding & Cutting—29 CFR 1926 Subpart J. Retrieved from: https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=10914

3. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2016b). Welding, Cutting & Heating—29 CFR 1915 Subpart D. Retrieved from: https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=12929

4. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2016c). Confined & Enclosed Spaces & Other Dangerous Atmospheres in Shipyard Employment—29 CFR 1915 Subpart B. Retrieved from: https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/shipyard/shiprepair/confinedspace/index_cs.html

5. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2016d). Air Contaminants—29 CFR 1910.1000 (general industry), 29 CFR 1915.1000 (shipyards), 29 CFR 1926.55 (construction). Retrieved from: https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9991

6. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2016e). Investigation Summary Keywords for the Letter W. Retrieved from: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/accidentsearch.display_keyword?v_keywordletter=

7. Miller. (2016). Five Steps To Improving Your Stick Welding Technique. Retrieved from: https://www.millerwelds.com/resources/article-library/five-steps-to-improving-your-stick-welding-technique

8. Robert Q. Riley. (2014). Scaffolding. Retrieved from: http://www.rqriley.com/welding-new.html

9. The Fabrication.com. (2003). Mastering the art of welding—it's all about proper technique. Retrieved from: http://www.thefabricator.com/article/arcwelding/mastering-the-art-of-welding-its-all-about-proper-technique

10. Arc Welding Safety – Guide for Safe Arc Welding. (2014). Arc Welding Safety – Guide for Safe Arc Welding. Retrieved from: www.osha.gov/SLTC/scaffolding/construction.html

Additional Resources

• Welding Safety Standards
• Welding, Cutting, and Brazing
• Welding Design and Fabrication Magazine
• Welding Organization Links
• Welding Certification Training
• Welding Information Center
• Welding Safety Video Series – Lincoln Electric