A Welding Fume Extractor helps comply with Hexavalent Chromium Limits

Lincoln downdraft welding fume sucker

"Get rid of the smoke, I cant see you..."

Attention Welding Business Owners

If you are an employer of welders that work indoors in a shop, listen up.

You need a welding fume extractor.

…or if you have multiple welding stations, you might need multiple welding fume extractors.

Why?

Just google the term “welding fume litigation”.

What you will see is whole bunch of lawyers ads seeking to represent people who have respiratory problems they believe are the result of breathing welding fumes.

But that’s not the best reason for buying a welding smoke extractor. The best reason is because it’s the right thing to do.

Welding fumes are not good for you. We can all agree on that.

OSHA agrees.

OSHA recently lowered the permissible exposure limits of hexavalent chromium to a limit that is about one tenth of the previously allowable limits. That’s right…One tenth.

Hexavalent Chromium is produced by welding, grinding, or cutting stainless steel and other corrosion resistant alloys.

If you are an employer and not doing anything to comply with OSHA's new reg's, eventually , you will be screwed. It might take several years, but eventually, you will be screwed, glued, and tattooed.

There is good news though…and its not just that I saved money on my car insurance.

The good news is that there are several different models of fume extractors available for purchase. And some of them are fairly reasonable.

Its going to cost you a few thousand dollars but its the cost of doing business.

Some of the different types of fume extractors are downdraft tables, benchtop units, mobile floor units, and wall mounted fume extraction units.

* Downdraft tables are good for grinding and welding,

* bench top weld fume extractors can handle small welding operations,

* mobile fume extractors can be moved from one welding station to another and are very adaptable to all kinds of positions and angles all over a shop.

* Wall mounted fume extractors with multiple snorkel arms are sometimes the most cost effective and efficient fume removal method if all the welding is done in fixed locations as in a welding school with multiple training booths.

Sentry air fixed wall mounted fume extractor

"Man I should have listened to Dad... "

Ace benchtop Welding fume extractor

Ace mobile welding fume extractor

And for all you People who have a Welding Shop in your garage and want a way to suck the smoke out of your breathing zone...

Check out this possibility...Harbor Freight Dust Collector

This little jewel could be converted into a welding fume extractor with minimal effort. Some flex pipe to redirect the smoke out a window or door and bazzing.