At Express Weldcare Services (EWS), our commitment to your safety is reflected in our extensive range of Personal Protective Equipment. We are proud to feature Bohler Welding’s PPE line, renowned for its quality and comprehensive protection. This blog post will explore essential welding PPE, including welding helmets, welding respirators, gloves, sleeves, aprons, and gaiters. We will also provide valuable welding PPE safety tips and address frequently asked questions.
The Critical Role of PPE in Welding Safety
The welding process involves exposure to intense heat, bright light, harmful fumes, and potential physical hazards. PPE is not just an accessory; it is a critical barrier that protects welders from these occupational hazards. The right PPE is vital in mitigating these risks, making it essential for every welder's toolkit.
Spotlight on Bohler Welding’s PPE Range
We offer a vast range of Bohler PPE, however, let’s cover a handful of our customer favourites from each PPE category:
Welding Helmets
Welding helmets are indispensable for optimal protection, shielding eyes from harmful UV/IR radiation and face from sparks and spatter, while enhancing visibility and comfort during welding tasks. Bohler’s Guardian helmets are ideal for a wide range of welding and grinding applications. These welding helmets have been designed to ensure comfort, durability and high protection.
This helmet has the spec to meet the highest expectations making it one of the best welding helmets for its superior protection.
Key features:
- High-impact nylon shell for superior protection.
- Flip-up grinding visor for added convenience.
- 480 grams for lightweight comfort.
- True colour technology for improved visibility
- Fast and reliable auto darkening with four arc sensors for superior protection.
- Adjustable headgear covered by soft sweatbands for convenience and comfort
This welding helmet is the perfect solution for welding and grinding applications.
Welding Respiratory Systems
Welding respiratory systems are a must-have to minimise inhaling harmful fumes and dust. When it comes to getting the best protection against fumes and particles related to welding and grinding applications, Bohler Air Powered Air-Purifying Respiratory (PAPR)-System wins the round.
The Bohler Air Complete PAPR Kit provides the highest level of protection and convenience.
Key features:
- PAPR System certified according to EN12941 with the highest protection class TH3. Its superior protection gives peace of mind of constant filtered safe airflow.
- Heavy-duty battery with 10-hour usage, meaning more productivity and less downtime.
- An ergonomic shoulder harness designed for comfort and an ideal weight distribution.
- Filters and pre-filters - fast and easy filter change providing extended protection.
- Full PAPR System kit, including universal charger, comfort belt, spark guards, airflow tester - everything you need.
- Easy kit to use and maintain.
Welding Gloves
Welding gloves play a crucial role in shielding hands from heat, sparks, and abrasions, ensuring the welder's safety. Bohler’s latest welding glove range consists of gloves made of durable leather and aramid fibre stitches providing both temperature resistance and strength.
Bohler MIG/MAG Welding Curved Ultra Gloves are the perfect choice for superior protection.
Key features:
- Curved glove construction to provide the perfect fit whilst providing the highest level of protection and comfort.
- Designed with cow split leather for durability and thermal insulation providing protection and comfort.
- Enhanced design to provide better flexibility and improve dexterity.
- Elasticated wrist to provide a secure fit.
- Fingertips with welted seams, which increases the durability for the fingers.
- Reinforced palms and keystone thumbs for added protection.
These gloves are the perfect PPE for heavy-duty MIG/MAG welding applications.
Welding Sleeves
Welding sleeves provide essential arm protection by shielding welders' arms from intense heat, sparks, and spatter, ensuring crucial safety during metalwork. Bohler’s leather welding sleeves are made of high-quality leather in combination with aramid fibre seams giving robust protection and comfort.
Key features:
- Made of cow spit leather providing a durable and heat-resistant design.
- Elasticated cuff and velcro fastening for easy-fitting.
- Designed to perfectly fit every arm providing protection from shoulder to wrist whilst allowing a full range of motion.
- Certified to ISO 13688 and EN ISO 11611:2015 Class 2 – A1 ensuring that this product meets the highest safety standards.
These sleeves are ideal protection for a variety of welding processes including arc welding, MIG welding and TIG welding.
Welding Aprons
Welding aprons offer critical torso protection, effectively shielding against heat, sparks, and spatter during welding processes and are essential for maintaining welder safety. Bohler’s heavy-duty apron is designed to provide the superior protection you need for a variety of welding applications.
Key features:
- Made of cow spit durable leather and seams offering the highest protection against spark and spatters.
- Designed for easy, comfortable and secure fit (one size fits all) with adjustable straps and buckles.
- Provides a large surface area of protection, shielding chest to mid-calf.
- Certified to ISO 13688 and EN ISO 11611:2015 Class 2 – A1 ensuring that this product meets the highest safety standards.
This apron is the ideal shield for various metalworking tasks, including arc welding, MIG welding, TIG welding, grinding and brazing.
Welding Gaiters
High-quality welding gaiters shield welders' legs and feet from molten metal splatter, heat, and sparks, providing crucial multi-layered protection for safe and comfortable welding. Bohler’s leather welding gaiters’ are the perfect choice for superior lower leg protection.
Key features:
- Made of high-quality cow spit leather offering the highest protection against spark and spatters.
- Designed with leather velcro straps and an elastic band underneath the shoe sole ensuring a fast and easy fit (one size fits all).
- 100% aramid fibre stitching providing thermal protection.
- Certified to ISO 13688 and EN ISO 11611:2015 Class 2 – A1 ensuring that this product meets the highest safety standards.
These gaiters are the perfect lower-level PPE for a range of welding applications including arc welding, gas welding and brazing.
Welding blankets
Welding blankets play an effective role in protecting the welder, nearby welding equipment and surroundings from a range of hazards associated with metalworking tasks. Bohler welding blankets are designed to not only shield the welder from sparks and spatters but also deflect molten metal, block heat radiation, contain flying particles and insulate the workspace to create a cleaner, safer environment by minimising airborne contaminants.
Key features:
- Made from heavy-duty, flame-resistant fibreglass fabric that can withstand temperatures up to 550°C.
- Offered in a variety of sizes to suit various working areas.
- Equal protection provided on both the front and back of the welding blanket.
- Eyelets on all four sides.
- Easy to use and maintain.
This welding blanket is the perfect PPE addition for light welding and cutting work.
The intense light, sparks, and spatter generated during the welding process can cause severe damage to exposed eyes. More specifically, if you expose your eyes to the light created when welding it can hinder the iris from closing quickly enough, which can expose the retina of the eye to too much light and result in significant sensitivity when the eye is exposed to any other forms of light CCOHS.
Arc eye is a common result of looking at the welding arc without taking the proper eye safety precautions. According to OSHA, the symptoms of arc eye can include “flash burns” to the eye, which can result in blindness (temporary or permanent). Further symptoms can encompass, mild to severe pain (depending on the level of exposure), bloodshot eyes, the continuous sensation of something within the eyelids and photophobia, which is difficulty in looking at any light sources CCOHS.
There are several types of essential PPE that can provide effective protection for eyes during metalworking processes. Some key options highlighted by HSE include welding glasses, welding googles and welding helmets.
The type of eye protection required is dictated by the type of welding task you are performing (CCOHS). For example, when it comes to tasks such as chipping and grinding, welding glasses with side shields or goggles are sufficient for eye protection. Contrastingly, when it comes to welding operations such as arc welding, plasma arc cutting/gouging and air carbon arc cutting, welding helmets are essential for complete coverage and superior eye protection. To be more specific, the features of the welding helmet you choose can be further tailored to the hazards involved during the welding task you are performing for suitable eye protection via filter shade selection and more advanced technology such as auto-darkening lenses.
If you are unsure which eye protection to select for your welding operation give us a call or reach out on live chat and we will be able to help you choose exactly what you need.
Alternatively, read more about how to determine the type of eye protection according to the welding task here.
Wear fire-resistant clothing made from leather or cotton treated with flame retardant, as recommended by CCOHS. More specifically, American Welding Society highlights that the best welding PPE clothing allows ease of movement and covers the entire body. This ensures the skin is protected from skin burns and radiation exposure.
This depends on the type of welding being performed, the materials being used and the environment that the welding is taking place in. For example, HSE points out that it is imperative to use respiratory protective equipment (RPE) when welding outdoors and highly recommend RPE when arc welding/ using galvanised steel. Generally, HSE advises using RPE if you are not providing LEV or are unable to achieve sufficient control from LEV alone.
There are two key factors to consider:
- The levels of hazardous substances surrounding the working environment.
- The form of hazardous substances (whether it is in the form of vapour or particles).
Taking this into account, you can identify the suitable RPE for the job by looking for the required protection factor (APF). The APF categorises RPE and tells you the extent of protection the equipment can provide via a number rating. Selecting the correct equipment according to APF is essential for adequate protection.
For further guidance on how to determine the correct type of RPE please refer to pages 14-21 in the HSE Respiratory Protective Equipment Handbook.
Welding PPE Safety Tips
- Proper Fit: Ensure all PPE fits correctly for effective protection.
- Regular Inspection: Check PPE regularly for any damage or wear and replace immediately if damaged.
- Clean and Maintain: Keep your PPE clean and well-maintained to extend its life and effectiveness. This includes ensuring appropriate storage as advised by the manufacturer.
- Use the Right PPE for the Job: Different welding jobs will require different levels of protection.
Please read all the referenced sources throughout this blog post carefully for comprehensive guidance on welding safety and PPE protection.
Why Choose PPE from EWS?
Assured Quality
EWS are authorised distributors of reliable quality brands. Our 50 years of experience and longstanding relationships with industry-leading brands like Bohler Welding means we know what works well and can advise on the best welding PPE that will give you the essential protection for the job. All the products we offer within our PPE range meet rigorous safety standards, ensuring top-tier protection.
Wide PPE Range
EWS offer all the safety equipment you will need for the job. Our comprehensive PPE range extends beyond what is on our website so don’t hesitate to give us a call or a message via our website live chat or email if you can’t see the safety equipment you are looking for.
Expertise
Our team offers informed advice backed by years of experience and training to help you make the best PPE choices for the job.
Equip yourself with reliable PPE and embrace welding with confidence and safety.
