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Safety and HealthFact Sheet No. 34 April 2014 © 2014 American Welding Society 

Coated Steels: Welding and Cutt ing Safety Concerns

 American Welding Society8669 Doral Blvd.Doral, Florida 33166E-mail: info@aws.orghttp://www.aws.org

Fact Sheet No. 34 – 04/14 

 AWS disclaims liability for any injury to persons or to property, or other damages of any naturewhatsoever, whether special, indirect, consequential or compensatory, directly or indirectlyresulting from the publication, use of, or reliance on this information. AWS also makes noguaranty or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any information published herein.

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INTRODUCTION

Steels are coated to provide a protectivecovering or a decorative finish. Protectivecoatings are designed to prevent rusting orto shield the steel from chemical attack.

Coatings found on steels can becomeairborne or give off fumes, smoke, or dust,during joining and cutting. Some of the

coating’s dusts, fumes or gases can harmyou and their exposure limits should not beexceeded. Exposure limits include:

  Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL): ThePEL is set by the Occupational Safetyand Health Administration (OSHA) and isa legal employee exposure limit in theU.S.

  Threshold Limit Value (TLV®): The TLV® 

is published by the American Conferenceof Governmental Industrial Hygienists(ACGIH) and is a guideline for employersto consider in controlling employeeexposures.

OVERVIEW OF HEALTH HAZARDS

Employers need to know which chemicalmay be released into the air that may injurewelders. Welders must be trained in how to

do each process the correct way, and theyshall cut or weld only after proper safetyprecautions have been taken. 

Coatings may give off fumes and gaseswhen welding or cutting is performed. Ahealth hazard may be created when itsdusts, fumes or gases get into the air inlarge enough amounts that safe levels areexceeded.

Protective coatings on steels can containchromium, lead, tin, zinc or other materials.It is always good for the welder to

understand the coating types for thematerials he works with. If not, the weldershould get this information from hissupervisor or employer.

Paints are made up of compounds that mayrelease hazardous materials into the airwhen heated. Paints are usually used on a“phosphated” and passivated (often withchromium) metal surface. The heat from thearc can cause paints to give off unsafe

amounts of gases like carbon monoxide andcarbon dioxide. These also increase the riskof suffocation in confined work areas, orthose with poor air movement.

Steels coated with plastic materials shouldnot be cut or welded unless properprecautions are taken. It is best to removecoating to a distance away from the weld orcut where the temperature won’t go abovethe point where the material starts to break

down.

For additional information, see AWS FactSheet 1, Fumes and Gases. 

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 American Welding Society8669 Doral Blvd.Doral, Florida 33166E-mail: info@aws.orghttp://www.aws.org

Fact Sheet No. 34 – 04/14 

 AWS disclaims liability for any injury to persons or to property, or other damages of any naturewhatsoever, whether special, indirect, consequential or compensatory, directly or indirectlyresulting from the publication, use of, or reliance on this information. AWS also makes noguaranty or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any information published herein.

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HOW TO AVOID HEALTH HAZARDSFROM OVEREXPOSURE

The welder should make sure he or sheknows what a coating might give off whenheated or burned:

  Obtain the Safety Data Sheets (SDSs)for all materials used.

  Read and understand the specificationfor coating type and coating weights.

  Find out what hazardous materials arepresent or might be given off by thecoating when it is exposed to the arc orhigh temperatures.

  Use adequate ventilation whenever anairborne fume gas or dust must becontrolled. Use enough ventilation,exhaust, or both to keep the air thewelder breathes below recommendedsafe levels such as the PEL and TLV®.

  Have air monitoring done as necessaryto test for exposure levels in thebreathing zone of the welder and other

persons working nearby.

  Use a respirator when required.

  Orient the work so the welder’s head iskept out of the fume plume.

  See AWS Fact Sheet 1, Fumes andGases.

  See AWS Fact Sheet 11, Hot Work inConfined Spaces. 

  See AWS Fact Sheet 25, Metal FumeFever. 

SUMMARY

Coatings on steels may be a source ofexposure to fumes and gases duringwelding, brazing and cutting. Steel coatingsand paints contain materials that can causeharmful overexposure when breathed. This

is why coatings must also be looked at inorder to remove hazards from welding andcutting. The joining of some coated steelsrequires special types of ventilation. Insome cases, the welder must wear arespirator to keep safe. 

INFORMATION SOURCES

 American National Standards Institute(ANSI). Safety in Welding, Cutting, and

 Allied Processes, Z49.1, available from American Welding Society, 8669 DoralBlvd., Doral, FL 33166; Web site:www.aws.org.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Code of FederalRegulations, Title 29 Labor, Part 1910,available from the U.S. Government PrintingOffice, 732 North Capitol Street NW,Washington, DC 20401; Web site:

www.osha.gov.

 American Welding Society (AWS). Safetyand Health Fact Sheets, available from

 American Welding Society, 8669 DoralBlvd., Doral, FL 33166; Web site:www.aws.org.

ISO15011-5, Health and safety in weldingand allied processes — Laboratory methodfor sampling fume and gases — Part 5:

Identification of thermal-degradationproducts generated when welding or cuttingthrough products composed wholly or partlyof organic materials using pyrolysis-gaschromatography-mass spectrometry.