Monday, December 2, 2013

How to Avoid a Welding Arc Flash

Arc flash is a common occurrence for those using electric arc welders or working around them. As anyone who's had one will tell you, they're not fun.What is a Welding Arc Flash?Welding arc flash is actually a burn of the outer layer of the eyeball caused by the intense ultra-violet radiation generated by electric welding arcs. It can also happen due to exposure to any electric arc including switchboard malfunctions. It's just like sunburn, but instead of your back or shoulders or where-ever, it's on your eyeball. Just like sunburn to other parts of your body, cells are killed and need to be replaced. The "gritty" feeling associated with arc flashes is actually the dead cells being shed from the surface of the eye (just like the peeling skin associated with sunburn) which irritates the inside of the eye lid. This is why your eyes gets "puffy" and red and weepy when you experience a flash.Just like sunburn, there's no cure for a welding arc flash. The eye drops your doctor gives you relieve some of the discomfort but don't do anything to address the underlying problem. You just have to wait until the body's healing processes have finished which can take days in severe cases.You should always get medical attention as soon as you become aware that you've suffered a flash. While most are only mild they can be very severe and cause permanent damage to the eye and your vision and early medical treatment can reduce some of these more serious effects.How to Avoid Getting a Welding Arc Flash?Now we know what it is, how can we avoid it?The best way is to avoid exposure to the arc flash in the first place by not being in areas where electric arc welding is happening. Obviously if you're a welder or assisting a welder or can't avoid being in the area then this is not possible.The next best form of protection is placing a barrier between you and the welding process. Welding curtains or solid screens prevent the UV radiation from affecting those not directly involved in the job. Again, this is not always possible and certainly not for the person doing the welding.As well as allowing the welder to view the arc, welding screens provide protection against damaging UV radiation and prevent arc flashes from happening. However, a lot of arc flashes happen to those in the area and not involved in the welding process or to welders in the short period of time between striking the arc and putting the welding screen in place.These types of flashes can be prevented through the simple means of wearing safety glasses. Modern safety glasses have lenses made from poly carbonate which absorbs up to 99% the damaging UV radiation and also protects your eyes from welding sparks and other debris that maybe flying around the place.Additional protection can be gained by using head mounted rather than handheld welding screens and preferably those with flip-up lenses and protective clear polycarbonate screens fixed into the welding screen.Auto darkening welding screens provide the best protection. These screens have special technology that automatically (and almost instantaneously) darkens the lens when UV radiation is detected and then clears when the UV radiation is not present. These types of welding screens also provide much better face and head protection against damaging UV radiation and flying particles generated in the welding process.So to recap on what to do to prevent welding arc flash:Don't be in an area where electric arc welding is being performed unless you absolutely have to be there;
If you're welding or in the area always wear compliant safety glasses;
If practical, use welding curtains or other types of solid screen to prevent others being affected by the welding arc;
Always use a head mounted welding screen (and preferably an auto darkening one) when welding.Following these relatively simple steps will prevent you from suffering the discomfort of a welding arc flash.

Tom Gardener has worked as a full time health and safety professional for more than 30 years in both government and private sectors. This has enabled him to gain a great deal of knowledge and experience in the practical management of health and safety in modern workplaces.If you have a comment on this article or wish to read and/or comment on his other articles visit his blog at http://www.th

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Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Online Fitness Training - Downloadable Fitness Podcasts For Body Shaping

Why would you re-arrange your work schedule plus pay high fees when you can literally download your customized personal fitness trainer into your home Ipod? Think of it. No more 1-trainer-fits-all-people. No more working out to a stale repetitive workout video, when you can daily download a more tailored workout that suits your mood and needs.You're tech savvy so browsing the Internet for "solutions" is dead-easy. The latest and coolest thing going in the body fitness market are Internet based total body fitness podcast downloads. You want to target your arms...your abdominals...shape up a big butt...exploit the total woman body fitness possibilities? Stay online and cruise the many choices of online fitness training programs.99-Cents And 1 Step Closer To Your Ideal Body Shape.No longer do you have to join an expensive gym, drive miles to get a body shaping workout, pay high hourly rates to drill sergeant style trainers plus conform to large-group dynamics. Instead, cursor over to your favorite online personal fitness trainer...push "send" to download your fitness podcast directly into your Ipod.Online Personal Fitness Training - All About Convenience Low Cost And Style.As you Google between popular online personal fitness trainers such as mariononline.com, cardiocoach.com or Itrain.com, what you quickly realize is that a world-of-choice has opened up for you. Pick the online trainer whose voice and workout style best matches what you're looking for.No longer restricted to the workout video, you can select the trainer...the specific body workout...length of workout...style of music...switching between stretching and strength to yoga, ballet or dance-exercise.Workouts are grouped into single workouts, or long term body fitness programs that bring you along slowly but steadily until you reach your body shape goals.What's The Data Format For Online Fitness Tools?You can pick audio or video fitness podcasts. Which is better? It all depends on your Ipod system gear. If space is restricted or you're going to a room without any media gear, then an audio download is likely to be the best offering. Download, adjust your headphones, push play and let the sweat roll!With video workouts, you're facing a practical problem: how do you actually watch your MP3 player while you're doing your workout? Video workouts perform best when channeled through your media set up at home or in a hotel room if you're traveling.Uncertainty: How To Select The Best Online Fitness Trainer.You don't want to get hurt by undertaking some poorly crafted workout program designed by goof-ball jocks. Solution? Check each site, and trainer, and make sure that they're certified by a major recognized sports training body such as the American College of Sports Medicine or other reputable organization. Getting Results By Yourself.Are you a self-starter? Can you execute with precision the movements and pace by your online fitness training pro? How do you know you're doing the exercises right? How would you know if you're actually making body shaping and fitness progress? These are the key questions that critics offer to new fitness podcast enthusiasts in order to reality-check their impulse to do-it-alone.Where's the happy medium balance point? Perhaps your smart play is to download fitness podcasts, try them out, vary these programs to see how your body responds, but still keep portions of your earlier workout program. Mix-and-match often delivers the best results, so that you continue to get feedback on your technique and progress.

Learn more about sport, fitness and more.Personal Fitness Products: http://www.wise4living.com/hfgym/partners.htmHome Gym Fitness Equipment : http://www.wise4living.com/hfgym/Author Robin Derry is publisher for http://www.wise4living.com/ a specialty information site that gives solutions to health, household, sport, travel

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