Transparent Welding curtains- Comments?

[buel]

Hi,
We have just been told that we are going to get transparent welding curtains in our factory to replace the normal opaque ones. Oh how the welders are pleased about that one!!

Apparently it is 'So the welders can see the forklift passing by' (even though the forklift path is more than a metre away) and not so the boss can see that we aren't talking or taking a break.

Does anyone on here currently work with these transparent curtains and, if so, have you any comments to make on them?

 

[rtbcomp]

Are they going to have transparent lenses in their masks so they can see through the new curtains?

 

[buel]

Ha ha, no i dont think so, i think the point was so that when welders were walking out their bays to get work using their cranes they would see any potential 'hazards' such as the fork lifts driving past. We all know that that's bo*****s but that's just what's happening.

 

[madkayaker]

Oh the things we have to do it the name of health and safety. Would it not be better to teach the fork lift drivers to drive?

 

[buel]

Hmmmmm.....yes it would- and they drive just fine! It's not Health and Safety, it's so they can monitor us!

 

[zx9]

You sure you're not just six days late with the news?

 

[buel]

Sorry? I don't understand what you mean?

 

[pedrobedro]

A chap where I worked stepped through a draught curtain and got his leg broken by a fork lift, it doesn't take a second to cover a metre on foot and if you're not concentrating or if the truck driver is looking round for something it would be an easy situation for an accident to happen. We all thought it would never happen but it did and it cost the company dearly in compensation, a lot more than a set of clear curtains. They may just be covering the bases and a HSE assessment would probably recommend the curtains anyway. It's also better if someone outside can see when you are arcing up if they want to come into your bay. When I was on the arcair I dazzled a few people who were coming into the bay to tell me what they wanted bringing in next if an urgent job came up.

 

[buel]

Thanks for that, i see your point.



However, i didn't understand this point:

You sure you're not just six days late with the news?

 

[Welderpaul]

Thanks for that, i see your point.



However, i didn't understand this point:

April fools day?

 

[rtbcomp]

April fools day?

Which was 5 days ago

 

[penfold]

Once they have a bit of grinder rash and dirt they'll be pretty opaque anyway; it wouldn't hurt to speed up the process. They'll need to be fairly dark to stop the arc dazzling the passing FLT drivers and causing them to run into things due to seeing stars. The only see-through ones I've ever seen were as dark as OA goggles, you couldn't see much through them.

A more pertinent point would be; why are the FLTs passing so close to the welding bay that it's a real hazard? That's why you're supposed to have walkways and roadways painted on the ground, to segregate traffic and prevent stupid accidents.

 

[brightspark]

Hi,
We have just been told that we are going to get transparent welding curtains in our factory to replace the normal opaque ones. Oh how the welders are pleased about that one!!

Apparently it is 'So the welders can see the forklift passing by' (even though the forklift path is more than a metre away) and not so the boss can see that we aren't talking or taking a break.

Does anyone on here currently work with these transparent curtains and, if so, have you any comments to make on them?

surely if there welding irispective of the shield colour u can see em strike up and weld

 

[Robotstar5]

We went to more transparent curtains on our weld booths, the arc is visibly brighter now but as the curtains comply with the relevant standards there's not much can be done.

 

[pedrobedro]

surely if there welding irispective of the shield colour u can see em strike up and weld

We used to have full length canvas curtains between the bays not the PVC ones they have nowadays. If anyone stuck their head in just as you arced up it was 50/50 they would get a flash

 

[buel]

DOH!!!!

 

[zx9]

Which was 5 days ago

Er yes, well I did fail A level maths

 

[Sparkey]

Hi,
We have just been told that we are going to get transparent welding curtains in our factory to replace the normal opaque ones. Oh how the welders are pleased about that one!!

Apparently it is 'So the welders can see the forklift passing by' (even though the forklift path is more than a metre away) and not so the boss can see that we aren't talking or taking a break.

Does anyone on here currently work with these transparent curtains and, if so, have you any comments to make on them?

Transparent curtains???? wtf??? What would that look like? you will flash everyone passing by?

And ofcourse they can see what you are doing too..... that's not good!
Besides, the forklift's yellow...uhm what's that in english again...errr flash light will trigger your auto darkening helmet!! i hate it when that happens...

I tend to take a quick peek before i come out my booth, it's not the first time i ever ran into anyone...surely not the last either...

 

[pedrobedro]

The flash is not going to hurt anyone through the PVC curtains, we used to have some portable screens in red and green for jobs in the foundry. Like these.

 

[Ed.]

They are designed basically to stop the intense UV going through the curtain, you will still see the intense flash but it shouldn't burn your eyeballs out as there should be no UV, however the UV at the bottom and sides of the curtain will burn if you keep looking at someone welding behind it, as well as any reflected UV from the walls and roof.