Welding fume: protect your workers

1. Overview

By law you must protect your workers by controlling the health risks from welding fume. This applies to specialist welders and workers who do some welding, no matter how small the amount.

All welding fume can cause lung cancer, so you must put controls in place. HSE has issued a safety alert about the health risks of welding fume[6]. Welding fume can also cause asthma and many other health conditions[7].

You can control risks to health from welding fumes by:

  • using alternative cold joining techniques
  • welding in a way that produces less fume
  • local exhaust ventilation (LEV)
  • using respiratory protective equipment (RPE) and personal protective equipment (PPE)
  • maintaining control measures and good general ventilation
  • making sure welders understand the risks and how to use controls

Welding fume is subject to the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations. These COSHH advice sheets[8] on welding, cutting and surface preparation help you to comply with COSHH. You can also read more general guidance on COSHH[9].

View a printable version of the whole guide[11]

Link URLs in this page

  1. Overviewhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/welding/protect-your-workers/index.htm
  2. Control the riskhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/welding/protect-your-workers/avoid-reduce-exposure.htm
  3. Maintain exposure controls https://www.hse.gov.uk/welding/protect-your-workers/monitor-controls.htm
  4. Health surveillancehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/welding/protect-your-workers/health-surveillance.htm
  5. Traininghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/welding/protect-your-workers/training.htm
  6. safety alert about the health risks of welding fumehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/safetybulletins/mild-steel-welding-fume.htm
  7. asthma and many other health conditionshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/welding/health-risks-welding.htm
  8. COSHH advice sheetshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/essentials/direct-advice/welding.htm
  9. guidance on COSHHhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/index.htm
  10. Next page Control the risk https://www.hse.gov.uk/welding/protect-your-workers/avoid-reduce-exposure.htm
  11. View a printable version of the whole guidehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/welding/protect-your-workers/print.htm
  12. Clearing the air: A simple guide to buying and using local exhaust ventilation (LEV)https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg408.htm
  13. Respiratory protective equipment at work: A practical guidehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg53.htm
  14. The law on welding - COSHH https://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/index.htm

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Updated:2025-01-27-->