HOW welding schools ensure student & staff safety with welding booths

It is believed that welding dates all the way back to 4000 B.C., during the times when Egypt was the center of the world. We’re talking ‘Moses at the Red Sea’ days.

It’s proven to be an irreplaceable technology for making things stick together because the industry, fast-forward thousands of years to today, is still growing like clockwork. In fact, one estimate reports that the, “welding products market (welding machines and sundries) is worth $30.5 billion and is projected to grow to $37.2 billion by 2025.” Welders can earn between $40,000 and $80,000 a year, and up to $43 an hour in Alaska, so it’s a good way to make a living.

You see, welding is an essential process that many huge industries depend on, including automotive, construction, and aerospace. These industries drive the need for more skilled welders to produce the products and equipment that the world needs.

Welding Schools on the Rise

With all of this demand for welding and welders, it’s no wonder why welding schools and training programs are more popular than ever. The Diversitech team has been serving many welding schools for years - delivering welding booth solutions to their unique challenges.

Take the Stuart Career Center, situated in Baytown, Texas, for example. Since 1974, this school has been providing thorough vocational and career training to high school students in the area. One highlight of its offerings is a comprehensive welding program tailored to cater to the requirements of both novice and proficient learners.

The faculty at this school know very well that welding can be dangerous, so they took proper safety measures and sought out the best equipment that ensured the safety of protection of their staff and students. This welding became a Diversitech customer and in this article, we’ll take an inside look at their goals, challenge, and the welding booth solutions we delivered.

Hazards of Welding 

As we’ve already established, welding is dangerous work.

You see, whenever metals are welded together, they produce poisonous gases, fumes, and sparks. Robotic welding, in particular, emits hazardous weld fumes that pose huge health hazards. Regardless of the welding equipment employed or the type of metal being welded, the prevalence of welding in industrial processes highlights the importance of air filtration for both welding and robotic welding.

Welding occurs not only at industrial facilities where it is integral to the manufacturing process but also in workplaces that do not primarily utilize it for business purposes. Therefore, effective extraction of welding fumes is critical during any welding operation due to the often severe health risks involved.

Health Risks of Welding Gases & Fumes

The health hazards associated with welding gases and fumes vary depending on several factors including the duration of exposure, the welding method employed, the efficacy of safety precautions, and the work environment. Add that to the fact that welding gases are often odorless and invisible to the naked eye, these risks are particularly menacing.

The heat generated by the welding process can give rise to gases like carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and oxides of nitrogen, while coatings or solvents on the metal can further contribute to the emission of gases and vapors. Depending on these variables, potential health effects of welding gases and fumes may encompass:

• Mild respiratory irritation 
• Nausea and/or vomiting
• Headaches and dizziness
• Irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat 
• Chest pain 
• Respiratory damage 
• Breathing difficulties 
• Pulmonary edema 
• Lead poisoning 
• Damage to the nervous system 

High-Quality Air Filtration Needed

The Stuart Career Center recognized the necessity of high-quality air filtration systems to safeguard their pipefitting and welding students against hazardous welding gases, fumes, and smoke, which have been linked to various long-term health issues such as larynx, lung, and urinary tract cancers.

The faculty emphasized the importance of taking safety measures and following protocols. They stress the need for proper air filtration equipment to instill in students the importance of safe practices they could carry into their careers upon graduation.

To ensure energy efficiency, particularly concerning air conditioning and heating, the school sought a solution that would not necessitate venting air outside but rather could recycle air within the training area.

Welding Booth Solutions

Diversitech offers the best welding booths for sale at welding schools and businesses throughout the US and around the world.

We build custom-designed welding booths for schools. For instance, Baton Rouge Community College AWS Welding Training Program preferred their welding booths to match their school branding. So, we manufactured custom DD 2x4 Downdraft Tables powder coated Baton Rouge red.

The Stuart Career Center Solution

To meet the requirements of the Stuart Career Center, Diversitech provided a solution comprising 17 downdraft welding booths measuring 3 feet by 4 feet, along with 7 welding and grinding booths. These welding booths are equipped to recycle purified air back into the facility.

Diversitech's self-contained downdraft booths offer an optimal solution for containing, capturing, and collecting dust, fumes, and overspray. These booths feature 48-inch high side and back walls, an integrated top plate with a dust-proof light kit, and a controllable backdraft hood as standard features.

Typical applications for downdraft welding booths include:

• Welding 
• Grinding 
• Plasma cutting
• Spray painting 

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Perfect Solution for Welding Schools? Avani Environmental Booths

Welding schools need welding booths that are effective, durable, and affordable. That's why Avani Environmental Booths are the perfect solution.

Manufactured to handle the toughest work environments, Avani Environmental's welding booths exhibit the ease of low maintenance coupled with unequaled quality specifications and performance. With a large array of options including welder shelves, work surfaces, lighting, fume arms, integral collectors, backdraft and updraft air flow, Avani provides welding booths designed for your industrial or educational requirements. 

Take our Avani WB 1000-ECO Series booth, for instance. It's a lighter weight booth that is strong enough to handle the rigors of the welding environment but with economy in mind. 

Standards include: 

• Panel construction: 16 Gauge welded steel
• 1" square stock support 
• Powder coated 
• Adjustable feet with mounting plate
• Welding curtain rod 
  

Check out Avani WB 1000-ECO Series

Next Steps

There’s no reason why welders should get sick and develop lung cancer today. With a full range of downdraft tables, booths, wet booths, dry booths, and other options available, welding schools and businesses have the help they need to provide safe and hazard-free environments for personnel.

Wrapping up our case study of the Stuart Career Center, they were pleasantly surprised by the remarkable effectiveness of Diversitech’s Downdraft Booths in capturing and removing gases, fumes, and smoke from the training area. This introduction to such equipment ensures that students are equipped to work safely in their future careers so they can live long and healthy lives while meeting the market demand for welded products.

Are you looking for the most compliant, effective, and energy efficient welding booths for your trade school?

Shop our welding booths for schools

Or, simply schedule a call to discuss your needs with an expert today