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Oct 13, 2009 2:16 PM

Which form of non-wearable PPE do electrical personnel most commonly fail to use? Arguably, it's the welding screen. Welding screens are nominally the responsibility of the person who is welding, and that's typically not an electrician.

OSHA requires the person responsible for the welding to erect screens to protect others. But this requirement doesn't prevent you from also setting up welding screens.

The original intention of a welding screen was to protect people in the area from direct eye contact with the welding flash. This is sufficient for a passerby but insufficient for people working in the area.

This is because eye damage from a bright flash isn't the only issue for people working around welding activity. Another danger is eye fatigue from the constant adjustment back and forth between the "residual flash" and ambient lighting.

Suppose you're conducting maintenance and someone else is welding nearby. Your eyes must adjust back and forth between a printout, your test equipment screens, and that tiny font on your PDA. Eye fatigue is a miserable condition, but also a dangerous one that can easily lead to fatal mistakes on the job.

An additional welding screen can reduce fatigue by blocking the flash that escapes around the other screen.

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