Safety and Hygiene
As in other occupations, there are in welding, certain safety measures to be taken to avoid accidents. These are clearly defined and are made an integral part of the welder’s training until observance becomes automatic.
This applies, of course, to the man who is physically sound as well as to the disabled. In the case of the handicapped, the matter becomes one of ascertaining if the disability interferes with the carrying out of these safety measures; and if so, if the difficulty can be overcome. If not, some other occupation must be selected. In the welder’s case, however, these precautions are mostly “don’ts,” and do not present serious difficulties to be overcome.
Acetylene is not poisonous and the impurities in the gas which are poisonous are not present in sufficient quantity in the American carbide to be dangerous. The characteristic odor of the gas is a protection against fire, explosion, and suffocation. One cubic foot thoroughly mixed with 10,000 cubic feet of air can be detected.